Is a work at home job realistic for moms?
YES, it is! So, you want to work at home? As a mom myself, I know how important it is to spend as much time as you can with your children. Luckily, there are tons of work at home jobs available; you just have to know where to look because they are, unfortunately, not always as easy to find as on-location jobs are. To help get you started on your work from home job journey, here is a list of what I believe to be some of the best work from home jobs currently available for moms and where you can begin your searches.
A handy tip: Begin by bookmarking the following awesome websites that provide work from home job listings frequently so you can apply for those that interest you.
- Rat Race Rebellion
- FlexJobs (search Remote or Work from Home in location box)
- Indeed Jobs (search Remote or Work from Home in location box)
- WAHM
- Work at Home Woman
- Here at The Work at Home Mom, of course! As we expand, we will begin offering job listings and reviews of work at home jobs and opportunities. We want you to find the best work at home jobs that are not scams so you can be on your way to a flexible dream career at home.
Call Center Representative
If you have a customer service background, becoming a work at home call center representative could be the perfect job for you. At-home call center representatives are very much in demand right now for many companies, such as U-Haul, Home Shopping Network (HSN), and even Apple. There are several places, like Convergys and LiveOps, that create a team of call center representatives and match representatives with clients needing them.
A quick search with FlexJobs and Indeed brings numerous results. Remember, though: Call center jobs require a dedicated, quiet work space free from distractions and background noise, so this requirement should be considered, especially if you have young children or pets.
Freelance Writer
If you enjoy writing about a variety of topics and have exceptional grammar and punctuation skills, freelance writing is one of the best work from home jobs for you. Freelance writing, along with blogging, has been my personal chosen path to success for work jobs at home. I have been freelance writing for over four years, and although it takes awhile to create an income algorithm that works for you and meets your monthly goals, once you get in your stride, you can make a steady, awesome income.
You can start with freelance websites like Guru and Upwork where you can view writing jobs posted by clients and create proposals for them to consider. Several types of writing jobs are posted daily, from technical articles to eBook creation to simple blog articles, so you can take comfort writing within your niche and proving your expertise so you can create long-term client relationships with higher payouts.
Once you create a writing portfolio of successful articles, you can even begin selling your work to content selling websites (Swarm Content and Ghostbloggers are popular for this) or in Content Buy/Sell Facebook groups. Don’t forget to like The Work at Home Mom’s Facebook Page for more information about freelance writing and where to sell your content.
Search Engine Evaluator
Search engine evaluating is basically a rating system for search engine results based on a query. You should definitely have some technical experience before trying to attempt this job, such as knowing the basics of how Google searches work and what constitutes a legit webpage.
Most search engine evaluation companies, like Lionbridge and Leapforce (now Appen), will require a pretty extensive qualification system with exams before you are accepted as an evaluator, but this is because they take their jobs and workers seriously and want you to have proper knowledge of the job before giving you a contract.
However, if you make it past the exams, this is actually a really cool work at home job to have and requires no phone calling. You can usually choose what hours you’d like to work and evaluators typically make at least $10 per hour, with more experienced evaluators earning upwards of $18 per hour.
Moderator
A moderator is another work from home non phone job perfect for those who are active on forums and/or social media. Moderators typically work for clients who need an extra set of hands to frequent their forums or social media accounts to engage with their audience. You will also need to monitor forums for spam or malicious comments.
Most moderation jobs require a minimum hour commitment each week, but these hours are usually flexible. Find out more about moderation jobs with ModSquad and ICUC, and then head over to Dream Home Based Jobs for a list of websites and companies that hire moderators.
Social Media Manager
Do you have a lot of experience with social media channels, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest? Many business now realize the importance of engagement with these channels, as customers often reach out to customers through social media to ask questions or provide feedback.
Social media management can be one of the best work at home jobs for moms because it usually does not require any phone calling as the job is typically internet-based, requiring you to complete tasks like scheduling social media posts, responding to direct messages, and engaging with the community through posts and photos.
Check out Indeed for tons of social media management listings, remembering to include “Remote” in your location search.
Transcriptionist
Transcription work is abundant in the work from home jobs world, but it does take a little bit of time and research to find the best work at home jobs that are not scams. Some transcription work pays so little that it might not be worth your time unless you are highly skilled and have a very quick turnaround time.
Many transcriptionists choose to take transcription courses and invest in a transcription kit that includes a foot pedal and headset to boost their skills and productivity, making them more desirable to potential clients. TranscribeMe and Rev are two popular places to find transcription work and allow you to work at your own pace as long as work is available.
Data Entry
Data entry is one of the best work at home jobs for moms because of its flexibility and ease if you are savvy with a computer and programs like Microsoft Office and Excel. Businesses hire data entry workers for a variety of purposes, like keeping track of income and expenditures, contact information, tracking shipments and inventory, etc.
To land a job in the data entry field, you should be a fast typist, have an understanding of computer office programs (the more, the better!), and be able to understand the desires of your client and the information you will be entering.
Check out SimplyHired, Guru, and Upwork for data entry jobs from home.
Customer Service Chat/E-mail Agent
Many moms might be interested in a customer service position but lack the noise and distraction-free workspace needed to be a call center representative. Luckily, many companies have a strong need for more internet-based customer service representatives, like e-mail response agents or live chat agents.
These work at home jobs are more scarce to find than call-center representatives, possibly because there is such a huge demand from employees searching for these jobs. So, take into consideration that companies will probably also be a bit more picky when interviewing potential employees for these positions.
Apple and Amazon sometimes have openings for chat agents, but they seem to be few and far between. Your best bet is to check work from home jobs listings daily, like those from Rat Race Rebellion, that post these jobs when available. You can even check Guru and Upwork daily as clients sometimes request short-term chat or e-mail agent help.
Direct Sales Opportunities
If you are a born saleswoman, you might want to consider direct sales opportunities. These are more of an at-home business venture rather than employment and they do often take a lot of time to build into a profitable business. However, if you have sales experience and many points of contact, this could be right up your alley.
Completing a quick Google search can bring up tons of direct sales opportunities. But really do your research to find the best direct sales opportunities that are not scams – some require a monthly purchase of products to stay within their system as a representative, so you may end up paying more than you’re making.
Also, be sure to only join a company with products you are truly passionate about. How else will you succeed in selling those products? Personally, I chose to become a Wellness Advocate for doTERRA Essential Oils. I swear by these oils daily for myself, my children, and my household cleaning and health. Because I am passionate about the company and oils, I have success in selling its products.
Search Facebook for Work at Home Opportunities groups, and within the groups you will find many opportunities to join.
Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant is one of the most popular work at home jobs for moms and includes several general administration tasks for clients, like scheduling appointments, making phone calls, handling e-mails or social media, writing blog content, and more. If you’ve had experience in an office setting as an administrative assistant, virtual assisting could be the work at home job for you.
Upwork and Guru are good places to start to look for clients in need of virtual assistants. You can also check out the Virtual Office Temps job board for plenty of virtual assistant work from home jobs.
Tips to Find the Best Work at Home Jobs That are NOT Scams
Unfortunately, work at home job scams are very real. Some people make a living off of taking other people’s hard-earned money, often preying on those they deem as desperately searching for at-home employment. The FTC names these types of at-home jobs and businesses as most likely to be scams:
- Envelope stuffing
- Internet businesses asking for money up-front
- Rebate processing
- Assembly/craft work
- Multi-level marketing (commonly referred to as MLM)
- Mystery shopping
- Medical billing
Of course, this is not to say that ALL of these jobs will be scams. The FTC simply warns that these are ones to really keep an eye out for and do plenty of thorough research on.
How to Research Work From Home Jobs
To really understand if a job is a possible scam, you have to know some warning signs to look out for. One of the biggest red flags is having to pay money up front. Do on-location jobs ask you for money before they hire you? No. The same should hold true for legitimate work at home jobs.
Before starting with any company, consider the following:
- Who will be paying you and when?
- How will you be paid (salary or commission?)
- Are there ANY start-up costs for business opportunities, and if so, what will you get in return?
- Do you know the actual name of the company, where it’s located, and how long it has been in business? If this information is difficult to find or non-existent, it could potentially be a scam.
- Have you read reviews from past or current employees? (Check Glassdoor; its insight can be very helpful!)
- Have you checked with the BBB for any complaints against the company?
If you do have concerns about a company or if you have been scammed, file a report with the FTC or contact the Attorney General’s office of your state or the company’s state.
Connect with me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram and keep the conversation rolling!
Amy is a mom of two, freelance writer, and blog manager who works with family-focused businesses to improve their content strategies. You can find her published work on Reader’s Digest Online, MSN, Niche, Frugal For Less, and other lifestyle publications.
