After writing “work from home – a great option for new moms”, many readers started asking me more info on how to start, which online jobs are paid better, which ones are legit and so on. So buckle up Mama, because in this article we’ll dive deeper with a brand new list of 17 amazing online jobs for moms who, by choice or not, are home with their little ones, but nonetheless they want to earn an income.
There are countless options, but I want to focus on those online jobs that I specifically recommend to moms, because being a mother is already a full time job and not easy at all, right? As a consequence, it’s not unusual to be in need of some sort of flexibility.
More and more often moms are literally forced to choose between a paycheck or their kids.. Which is kinda scary in the 21st Century, isn’t it? Not to mention that guilt that comes with either of the choices mentioned above.
In this article we’ll see the types of jobs and what they’re all about, I’ll also share with you some great tips on where to start from for most of them AND some more general platforms where you can apply to find any kind of flexible and remote jobs.
To make it easier, I divided the jobs in 3 subcategories:
part-time and/or occasional online jobs (extra money on the side so to speak)
full-time online jobs
online business ideal specifically for moms (rest intended that ANY job can be done by a mom)
We’ll see them in details, so that at the end of this article you’ll already have an idea of where to start from, while you take care of your child.
Ready? Let’s go!
Part-time and/or temporary online jobs great for moms who don’t have much free time
This list includes several jobs that don’t require too much time or to have an home based office. For example if you have a baby who requires lots of care and attention (breastfeeding, diaper changes, etc), these jobs will allow you to take advantage of her nap or other (usually brief) quiet moments.
Some of them are literally side hustles or occasional ways to make extra cash, but others can become more regular and stable jobs.
Let’s see them:
Online Surveys. Many companies ask for consumers’ opinion. By subscribing to these platforms it’s possible to participate to surveys and be paid in exchange. Some pay with money, some others with points that you can convert in coupons, gift-cards, products or money. Here’s some: Swagbucks – they offer also other type of online gigs MyPoints – they also offer other ways to be rewarded Survey Junkie – accumulate points and convert in money Vindale Research – from $0.25 to $50 per survey Survey Club – better pay if you find your own survey One Opinion – cash out once you reach a a certain amount of points Nielsen Panel GreenPanthera Global Test Market Inboxdollars There are more and there were more in the past, but some have been shut down, so I want give you 2 important advice: A)subscribe to as many as you can. Surveys are not always available for your demographic, so the more you get, the better (You’ll get a lot of emails so I also suggest to create an email account appositely for this gig) B) Research online for reviews. As for now, they’re all perfectly reliable and up&running, but laws consistently chance and some might have issues and start paying less or other things in the future. It’s impossible for me to know if all the platforms I mentioned are still in the favorite top list by the time you read this article. So look it up, this list is a good start.
Website/app tester. Here also you’ll be able to find several platforms (same advice on joining as many as possible) and your job is to test websites or apps usability. I personally do this occasionally for some extra cash and I have to say that the tutorials are very easy to understand, they pay on time (pretty well too in proportion on how long it takes) and they offer many tests on a daily basis. Userfeel – personally tested UserTesting – personally tested Respondent TryMyUi – personally tested TestingTime There are many more, so if you start with these and like it, you can easily research and find at least another dozen. How it works: you subscribe, the platform registers your profile and, according to that profile, they’ll send you the tests to complete. For some of them, you’ll have to find the tests by yourself. The tutorials will teach you how to do it. The majority of the tests are a recording of your navigation through the website or app (they won’t see your face), while some are live calls through Skype. Usually each test doesn’t require longer than 30 minutes, unless it’s a “special” test, but, generally, they are pretty well paid. You choose which ones and how many you want to do every day, according to your availability. So it really is a good side hustle for busy moms.
Sell your stuff online. How many things moms buy for their kids only to see them forgotten in few months, or even weeks? (They grow so fast!!). Well, since they take lots of space, why don’t you sell them? Through Amazon or Ebay it’s really possible to sell anything. Facebook Marketplace (you’ll find it on your Facebook profile and it guides you through the set up) is a great tool to sell your used stuff in your area (so you save delivery fees). In addition, there’s Catawiki which is based on an auction system (like Ebay) for unique and collectors type of objects. So, if you have some valued items that you don’t want to keep, this is another great option to make good money that doesn’t require too much of your mama-time.
Social Media Evaluator. I’ve done this for over a year. The majority of the companies lets you choose how many hours you want to work (generally between 10 and 35 h/w), so this can actually become a full-time job if and when your availability allows. Companies such as Appen need evaluators in any language and any part of the world to satisfy the request of their clients. These are usually big platform owners who need to improve their research algorithm. Sounds complicated, but it’s really not. I used to make 1,000 bucks a month, working 20 hours a week. Not bad, huh? (some languages are more paid than others)
Data Entry. This also depends on your availability. You can find this kind of online job through platforms like Indeed (they now have a “remote jobs” category) and other general job marketplace websites. But you can also find them on more specific freelance marketplaces such as Upwork. On this platform you can also find other short-term or long-term jobs.
Sell your pictures. Yep!! You read that right! If you’re good (don’t need to have a master, I promise) in taking pictures, you can sell them online. Many bloggers (such as me, myself and I) use stock Photos for their website and they find them on platforms such as Pixabay. These platforms buy the pictures from photographers but also people like you and I. You can sell them on Adobe Stock and many other websites. For more options I recommend this article.
Full-time online jobs for moms
Freelance writer , proofreader and copywriter. They’re not the same thing but they fall into the same category. Even though it’s not guaranteed that you’ll be able to fill up 40 hours a week, I’m including it in the full-time jobs for one reason: to start you need to invest some time to find the opportunities and build up your portfolio. So initially you might work few paid hours a week depending on how many gigs you’ll get, through marketplaces such as Upwork or Great Content. For more options I suggest to read this article. As mentioned, writer, proofreader and copywriter are not the same thing, but if you have writing, reading or communication skills these are definitely great jobs, and usually pretty well paid. Also, just like any other freelance job, you’ll be able to grow your client list, increase your rate per hour and maybe sell online courses to other writer/copywriter wannabes. Trust me, I know people who make really good money.
Translations. Again I recommend marketplaces such as Upwork (you have no idea how many different kind of jobs I found on this website) and ProZ, but there are many others. If you know more than one language it’s time to put yourself out there and use your skills, mama. Some languages are paid more than others, but experience and reliability can also make the difference. As above, you might start with few clients, but with consistency and research, you’ll grow.
Social Media Manager. If you have a passion for social media you’re already a step ahead. It’s a great online job for moms because it usually offers good flexibility. This role is more wanted than ever, as many companies know how important social media are for their success, but often don’t have time to manage them. You can work part-time for one or more clients or, occasionally, a single big company might hire you full-time. A word of advice: it’s important to learn how to do it well and master your time in order to get great results. Competition is fierce, but demand is also increasing. You can find online courses (paid and free) in order to specialize in this area.
Transcriptions. If you can type fast this might be the perfect online job for you. The companies that pay more usually require to be certified, but there are also companies that pay a little less where you can start making some money and gain some experience such as Scribie and Transcribe Me. That’s where I’d start from, but I also know some great professional transcriber who created online courses if you want to get certified.
Customer Support. This job can be done either exclusively online (through support chat) or on the phone (good ‘ol Call-Center style). With young babies, I recommend to only seek online customer service jobs. You can imagine how it would be to spend a lot of time on the phone with a customer (potentially unhappy) with a crying baby as your personal sound track. Not professional. For phone calls it’s good to have a quiet work space. Remember though, that also support chats usually require you to answer promptly, so check your availability.
Affiliate marketing on social media. It’s definitely a full-time jobs because: a) you need to learn the rules. Each social media has different policies on affiliate marketing and you can’t just do it randomly (or your account will be deleted) b) you have to apply for affiliate programs and be accepted c) you need to consistently look for new products to promote I’ll explain better what “affiliate marketing” is later in this post (see “Blog” section), but long story short, it’s about redirecting followers to buy products through your links.
Virtual Assistant. Working as a VA for one or more clients, you’ll handle all the things they can’t or don’t want to manage themselves. Things such as planning appointments, manage their websites, their emails, book their trips and hotels and much more. For more info I recommend this very good, in depth article where you can also find a beginners guide and course.
Additional platforms and marketplaces where you can find legit and reliable jobs of any kind:
Flexjobs – this is a paid service (different plans on a monthly, three-monthly or yearly basis) but I used it and let me tell you…It’s absolutely worth every penny. Here you can find ANY type of online jobs which are scam-free, high quality, flexible jobs. They also offer Resume reviews, career coaching service and much more.
The Mom Project – designed specifically for moms, you can find any type of role. Once you complete your profile they’ll send you an email every time they find you a match (which happens pretty often). From temporary to long term proposal and all absolutely flexible.
Dinamite Jobs – not as efficient as the previous ones in my opinion, but it’s still worth a shot. It offers any kind of reliable remote job.
Online Jobs for mompreneurs
Do you want to invest this time at home to start your entrepreneurial path? Do you want to be free to work when and how much you want and bring home satisfaction and income of a certain level? Yes?
Then maybe you’re a Mompreneur 🙂
Can you tell it’s my favorite category? 🙂 I’m a huge supporter of moms who want to start a business because I truly believe they have so much to offer. Besides, the initial investment is ridiculous compared to brick and stone businesses (such as shops, stores, etc). I’d say almost zero, while the potential income is very high.
Usually these type of online jobs require you to be extremely passionate about it. Which means that:
Time and sacrifices made will result less heavy on your shoulders because you love what you do
You can potentially bring home higher income than any other job
You get to decide how much time and passion you want to commit to your online business (clearly the more you give, the more you’ll receive – besides rare exceptions)
Are you intrigued enough?
Before we continue, I must point out one important thing: like any other business, also online businesses require time, commitment and passion. Do not trust those who tell you that you can create an online business and make tons of money in no time, because I assure you that they’re somehow trying to scam you.
There’s a learning curve which can be faster or slower, depending if you’re starting from zero (such as me) or you already have some skills in the matter.
This being said, there are also exceptions of people who, in short time, were able to learn and quickly put into practice, getting extraordinary results. But let’s keep our feet on the ground and consider that it’s more like a marathon rather than a sprint.
Nonetheless, with patience and consistency results will surely come!
Still intrigued? Let’s see them then!
Online business opportunities for moms
Start a blog. I couldn’t help. This is clearly my favorite 🙂 It doesn’t necessarily have to be a mom blog like mine. It can be in any niche, as long as you’re passionate about it. Starting a blog is low cost and you get to decide how much time you want to commit, which tools (free or paid) you want to use and so on. I, for example, also work full time (for now) and work on my blog in any other free moment I have. This because I love it, it’s my creative outlet and I get to make money while helping hundreds of mamas like you and I. There are 4 main ways to make money with a blog, the last of which can literally be split in unlimited subcategories. A.Through ads on your website. Adsense is the more renowned, but there are many more that pay way better. B. Affiliate marketing. As mentioned above, it means promoting other people’s or company’s products in exchange of a commission. Would you recommend a product you used and loved to a friend? The concept is the same, but you’d redirect your readers to the products through specific links, with no extra cost for them. It’s amazing, right? Basically, everyone wins: the reader can easily find what she’s looking for, the blogger earns a commission for recommending the product and the company sells more thanks to you. To give you a practical example you can look up my article about baby colic. C.Sponsored posts. In this case the blogger writes articles on specific products for the companies. Again the authenticity is essential, so you’d write only about brands and products that you already know and love and the company will pay you according to the size of your audience. The more readers you have, the more you’ll make (very long story, very short). D.Products and services. Lastly, the smartest way to do is to create your own products or services that you can sell to your readers. Here the sky is the limit. You can let loose and write ebooks, create online courses, consulting services, digital products or even physical products. Ultimately there’s an entire universe of creativity waiting for you. Blogger all over the world make from few hundreds of dollars a month, to several millions a year and with a very low initial costs.
Open your online store. Man.. This is my next big goal, I promise. Through platforms such as Shopify or Ebay, and many more E-commerce websites, you can open your online store in any niche, even with the Drop-Shipping method where you don’t need to keep an inventory (no need to invest money upfront to buy products and then resell them). Are you passionate about purses, shoes, baby products, clothes, accessories or other? Then this could be the online job you were looking for, dear mama! Again, the potential income goes from zero to several millions a year.
Handcraft and sell online. The most renowned website for this kind of business is Etsy which allows craftmen (and craftmoms) from all over the world to sell their creations. If you enjoy crafting jewels, purses, accessorizes, crocheting or any other kind of handmade product, then starting and Etsy shop is your occasion to find clients around the globe. Clearly the income is strictly limited to your productivity, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t make great money.
Youtuber. Similar to the blog, you can reach millions of people with your videos which can be instructive, tutorials, funny, you name it. Earnings through Youtube are proportional to your visualizations and through ads. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t use this channel to promote your own products or services as well. Again it can make you from zero to several millions of dollars a year. And opening your Youtube channel is completely free. Some bloggers are also youtubers and viceversa.
Which one should I choose?
My advice is to answer the following questions:
How much do you want to earn?
Is it temporary?
How much time do you have?
Would you prefer investing your time and energy now for a more profitable future or make less money but immediately?
Once you’ll have your answers, you’ll be able to choose which online job is more appropriate for you.
The list in this article includes options for all needs. And you can always try them and see which one works.
In conclusion, do not despair mama, online jobs ideal for moms do exist 🙂
P.S.= if you liked this article or think it could help someone you know, don’t forget to share it 😉
