This is how to work from home
Finding a job as a stay-at-home mum that you can do while you’ll at home with the kids is THE dream but finding ways to earn extra money isn’t easy if you don’t know where to look.
Making money online through flexible working can be achieved by just about anyone. It’s all about finding a home-based job or self-employed business that suits your needs. Some of these are even passive income owners too.
So if the idea of going back to work feels you with dread then here are 41 of the best jobs for stay-at-home mums.
Having a work-life balance is key when you are a stay-at-home mum and need to work around the kids.
41 work from home mum jobs
These are the best jobs for stay at home mums.
Trying to find a part-time or full-time job around the kids isn’t easy, so why not find a home-based role that you can do around the kids. Many of these can be entry-level or if you have some experience can pay very well.
If you like the sound of one but are unsure if you have the qualifications then have a look at an online provider like the Open University or Udemy to update your skills.
These can all help you earn extra cash around the kids.
Keep reading below to find out where we would start looking for all these jobs if you are new to the field. Remember that you have loads of transferable skills, you just need to know how to show them off!
Remember that if you must declare all your income to HMRC in a self-assessment.
If you are looking for more stay home jobs for mums then have a look at:
21 Online Work From Home Ideas
7 Typing Jobs From Home That All Mums Could Do
The Ultimate Guide to Easy Ways to Make Money in the UK
Money saving printables
If you are looking for ways to save your family money on a day to day basis then come join our free Resource Vault. It’s packed full of money saving printables that you can use over and over again. These include meal plans, shopping lists and budget planners.
Join our free Resource Vault here
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Transcription jobs
These are when you type up an audio or video file. You need to be quite quick at typing as many pay you per minute.
SEO Writer
If you love being on your computer typing then an SEO writer may be for you. Many companies are looking for writer who know how to write for search engines to get them more clicks on their website.
Read more about SEO for blogging here.
Proofreader
If you have great attention to detail then being a proofreader is for you.
You can pick up gigs on sites like:
People Per Hour
Upwork
Fiverr
They aren’t paid great to start with, but once you have a few under your belt and you start to have a small portfolio you can then raise your prices.
You can also look for jobs on Facebay groups.
Child-minder
Registering as a childminder is a great work from home entry job that anyone can do. You can look after your own kids while looking after others, all from your own home.
The downside is that there is a lot of admin and after hours work needed, but it does mean that you can work for yourself and pick your own days and hours.
Dog Walker
Ok, so not at home all the time, but you can take the kids with you and earn anything from £6-£10 an hour.
You can start by registering your self as a dog walking company at Nards.
Ironing
This is a great way to work from home as a mum around the kids and still make money.
You can advertise via Facebook and by just telling your family and spreading the word.
Tutoring
Tutoring is a great work from home job for mums who want to supplement their income part time.
You don’t need to be in the same room as your student’s ether. Using technology like Skype, you can connect to people all around the world.
Wages are good as a tutor, but you do need to stand out. Think about what you can offer as a tutor and what students could be seeking.
You should think about what specialist area you can tutor, for example if you are interested in fitness and regularly attend the gym you can study to become a personal trainer and then you can either offer personal training services online or begin tutoring for a personal training course company.
Data Entry Jobs
These jobs involve anything that means inputting data, so look for roles like Customer Service Agent, Data Administrator, and Data Processor.
Home Travel Agent
Pretty much what it says on the tin. You would work from home setting up appointments, arranging travel, doing anything a high street agent would do but at home.
Social Media Manager
We all know that social media is creating more work-from-home opportunities than ever.
This role can be done on a freelance level or as a employee. Many businesses still can’t get to grips with all the different platforms and this is where you can fill in the gaps.
To get work, it’s best to start pitching. Have a look at the companies you would love to work for. What should they be doing that they aren’t? What could you do better?
Marketing Manager
Again, this can be quite open but you could look for jobs that involve pay-per-click advertising or brand development. All calls can be done over Skype and the role is so big, that there is scope to go any way you like.
Stock Trader
If you have the head for numbers, then trading stocks at home is for you.
Your job would be to buy and sell financial products like stocks and shares in order to get the best rewards for your clients, whether they’re individual people or huge corporations.
Experience in a similar financial capacity works if you need to enter at entry-level.
You can also start trading with just a small amount of your money, to show people what you can do.
Product Testing
Honest reviews are more important than ever.
Companies will send you free products to test and review and in some cases cash for your time. A good site to look at is Buzzoole.
- Journalist
- Telesales
- Mortgage Broker
- Estate Agent
- Content Creater
- Online Customer Service Agent
- Market Researcher
- Call Centre Agent
- Web Developer
- Virtual Receptionist
Unless you have contacts, you are going to have to start from scratch. Like above, sign up to the content mills like People Per Hour* and Fiverr* and as your friends so they can keep an eye out.
Having all your social media set up and running can really help show you are serious and a website could show off your skills or host a portfolio.
Work from home business
If going back to the world of employment fills you with dread then why not start your own business. It’s not as scary as it sounds and can start bringing you in a small bit of money in till you have the time to build it up.
Don’t be scared to start. If you have a skill then use it, whatever it may be. You may not even think you have a skill but if you know social media inside out or use eBay all the time then there is a skill!
It’s true you’re going to have a few outlays to start with but unlike a bricks business to start online actually costs very little.
Here are my top 5 tips on what I did when I started this website and my Virtual Assistant business:
- Find a need and fill it.
Where’s the gap in the market or could you do something better?
- Build a website.
We use WordPress because it’s the easiest platform to use and gives you total freedom. There are so many YouTube videos on how to start out if you are unsure but just pick and theme and get playing with it.
You’ll also need a:
A domain name: This is your www. name that people will search for. Try and think of a name that matches your business or that you think your customers will be searching for. Have a look on social media and Google to check that no one else has it. You can check and purchase domains easily using a site like TSO, who we buy ALL our domains from.
Web hosting: These are the people that will host your website on their server. You want a company you can trust. We’ve used many over the years but TSO Host are a good place to start when you need your online store hosting*. You get 10% with TSO Host by using our code S4SM10%OFF.
3. Use search engines to drive traffic to your site.
Make sure your copy sales and coverts. If you son’t think you have that skill then use a place like People Per Hour* or Fiverr*. Think of it this way. Each task is going to either cost you in time or money. Which one would you rather give up for this task?
- Establish yourself as an expert.
Whatever you’re doing make sure you’re the go to person. Hang around in Facebook groups or on Twitter and answer people’s questions on your niche.
Write blog posts for sites that are in your industry so your name gets out. Know what you’re talking about!
- Have an email campaign provider.
This is a great way to keep your customers involved with what’s going on and to let them know of any new services or products you are selling. Set it up early even if you don’t plan to email anyone. We use Mailerlite as they have great customer service and easy to build email templates*. (Remember to check the ISO website for GDPR guidelines.)
Then depending on which business below you decide to do will come with a few more costs.
Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant is someone who works from home, who can perform all the nitty-gritty admin jobs that a client needs remotely.
This could be any admin task and is normally a high-paying job with no experience needed. You could be doing anything from scheduling social media to creating marketing images to just answering emails or amending spreadsheets.
A Virtual Assistant is useful for any size business, and as someone who’s worked both sides, as an employer and employee, most Virtual Assistants are very flexible and work on an hour-by-hour payment basis.
You don’t have to have any secretarial experience, a Virtual Assistant business can specialize in anything. Have you got marketing experience? Social media knowledge? Are you organized? Most Virtual Assistants can earn up to £25 an hour.
It’s really simple to become a Virtual Assistant, and set up takes about half an hour.
Read more here on how to become a Virtual Assistant.
Get organized with The Virtual Assistant Essential Tool Kit.
This is the ultimate spreadsheet pack for your virtual assistant business. This is for mums who have never been a Virtual Assistant before but who would like to start working from home.
This value pack includes:
A list of Virtual Assistant essential tools
Invoice template (Word)
Time Card spreadsheet (Excel with pre-made formulas)
Invoice spreadsheet (Excel with pre-made formulas)
Blog post promotion spreadsheet (Excel)
Engagement questions for most niches (Excel)
Facebook schedule (Excel)
The Virtual Assistant Essential Tool Kit can help you land your first client, and keep you on track for when it’s time to invoice.
So what are you waiting for? 🙂
£4.99Add to cart
Blogging
Blogging can be a great hobby, but also a very good way to earn money and go places with your family that you’ve never even dreamed of before.
You need to find a topic that you are passionate about. Don’t worry if you don’t enjoy writing, you can vlog on YouTube or even just start with a Facebook page.
The good thing about blogging is that you can start for free and earn money in a load of different ways like advertising, through sponsored posts (this is where a brand asks a blogger to write about their branded products), affiliates (where someone buys something after a blogger has written about them), products and courses.
You can start a blog really quickly and easily but will need a domain name, host and website which you can sort yourself quickly. We use WordPress to build Savings 4 Savvy Mums and TSO Host for our domain name. They also offer hosting too and with our code S4SM10%OFF you can get 10% off.
Don’t forget to sign up to a email marketing provider. Many offer you a free service till you hit a certain amount of subscribers. This is a great way to keep all your readers involved in what you’re working on. We use Mailerlite as they offer a great customer service and are very easy to use!
For a walkthrough on how to start a blog and make money, have a look at our blog post here.
This is the only Blogging Toolkit you will ever need.
It includes:
Everything you need to start your blogging journey in the right way!
This has 15 value-packed templates which includes:
- SEO Checklist
- SEO Cheatsheet
- 100 Blog Post Ideas
- Blog Post Title Ideas
- Blog Post Creation Checklist
- Weekly Content Planner (Excel)
- Income Tracker (Excel)
- Accounts Spreadsheet (Excel)
- Invoice Template (Word)
- Affiliates Spreadsheet (Excel)
- Blog Stats Spreadsheet (Excel)
- Blog Post Analysis (Excel)
- Lead Magnet Ideas
- 17 Must Have Post Ideas
- How to Jump Start Your Mailing List Booklet
The Blogging Toolkit can help you start blogging by suggesting what to write and get you ahead on your SEO journey which can help you gain more free views quickly. We have also included an Accounts Spreadsheet and Affiliate Sheet which helps you keep track of your earnings.
Use our mailing list booklet to start boosting your email list and our lead magnet ideas to help get your audience to join.
This is for anyone who is using blogging to drive traffic to their website.
Purchase it here now and download it straight away.
Dropshipping
Drop shipping is a great way of earning money on eBay or Amazon without having your own products. You sell other peoples products but for a mark-up so you make a profit.
A great example of this on the high street are stores like Argos and John Lewis who sell other brands.
To get started in dropshipping and to be successful, you’ll need:
- A tracking program that tells eBay when the product is in stock or out of stock. We use Hustle Got Real that pulls our listings if they suddenly go out of stock. They track major UK brands so you don’t have to. Hustle Got Real takes away all the pain of droppshipping and pretty much manages the listings themselves.
- An eBay or Amazon Store. We started on eBay just as a private seller. It currently costs 36p to insert a listing so make sure you work out when it’s cheaper to switch to a store.
- Time. Again this isn’t a get rich quick scheme but is a great way to make money as a passive income. You need to be on your eBay or Amazon store every day even if you only list one product. They reward you for being active!
Read more about how to make money dropshipping in the uk and how to start eBay dropshipping.
Freelance Writing
The internet needs writers and you could be paid to be one of them. Anything goes from game scriptwriters to e-book writers to academic writing.
Many companies pay per word or per article, and pay will depend on your experience and writing abilities.
There’s companies out there that will help you find work as well, but do take a commission on what you earn.
These are sites like:
People Per Hour*
Upwork
Fiverr*
You can also find work on local Facebay or Gumtree sites, and while they might not be the best paid, it means you can build up a portfolio for yourself to show other clients.
Extra money gigs
If you’re on the fence and aren’t sure if going back to work after maternity leave if for you then try dipping your toes into one of these online money makers.
Working from home isn’t easy but these will let into the world of making money from home so you can get a taste of if it’s for you.
Remember that some of these may be taxable via self assessment so it’s always best to check with HMRC what you should or shouldn’t be declaring.
Matched Betting
Matched betting is a completely legal, tried and tested way to make money online while you’re at home. It basically turns the tables on the bookmakers, to give you their free bet offers, so you can’t loose.
If you’re doing it correctly, you will never loose any money, but you do need to take your time and be really careful to avoid any mistakes.
Make sure you understand fully before you deposit any money.
We use Profit Accumulator* who offers you free use in till you make £45. This gives you enough time to work out if matched betting is really for you.
Read more about how Profit Accumulator works here and why we only use them.
Trade 212
Trading 212 is a free trading platform that helps you to invest.
The easy to use mobile trading app and website walks you through how to trade by getting you to answer some simple questions on your current knowledge of trading.
They are fully regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority so they have to be able to keep your money safe.
Please remember though that with any stocks and shares that your money is at risk. While stocks can rise they can also drop and you can lose money. Please be sure before you invest any money.
Use our free Trading 212 link here to make sure that you get your free share up to £100*.
Read more about how Trade 212 works here and why we use them.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is when you sell something on behalf of someone else and get a commission. You advertise someone else’s products and services and when someone buys, you receive a small percentage.
There’s a lot of affiliate programs out there, so whatever you’re interested in, you’ll be able to find a scheme for it. It does take a while to build but affiliate marketing is a great passive income earner meaning you only have to set it up once and you’ll keep receiving income.
Remember to research the rules on declaring the links.
Our top five affiliates who are great to work with and we trust are:
Profit Accumulator: A oddmatcher and tracker Mailerlite: A email campaign provider
Switch Craft: They automatically switch you when there’s a better deal Go Henry: A pre-paid pocket money card and app for kids
Emma Drew’s Turn Your Dream into Money*: A blogging course to get you up and running
Mystery Shopper
Mystery shopping is a great way to make money, but to also get some free items, which will help reduce your family food bill as well.
Being a mystery shopper involves you evaluating the quality of service.
Companies agencies to recruit mystery shoppers to carry out assignments so they get a real view of what is going on. Once the mystery shop is complete, the shopper will fill out a report and you will receive a payment for doing so.
Focus Groups
Taking part in focus groups is a great way to make extra money.
Focus groups allow companies to get an idea about how their potential customers will react to their new product or service and make any changes before it is released.
In order to get your valuable feedback, they will pay for your time. You can also complete focus groups online, so you can earn money from the comfort of your own home.
Test Websites
Testing websites is an easy way to make money that we can all do. WhatUsersDo will pay you £5 for every website you test. You will need to log in and record your voice answering some questions and speaking your thoughts aloud. Each test lasts around 20 minutes, and you get paid monthly.
If you’re just looking for a bit of extra money that you can do on the go, then this list is for you.
Apps
There’s so many apps that can help you make money while you’re on your phone. Here’s a full list of money making apps that can help you make some money on the side.
Make Cash From Your Driveway
This applies to anything to do with your home really.
From loft or garage space to parking to rooms to even renting your home out as a film set.
Storemates is the best place to look at if you like the storage route, just remember to ask what’s in the boxes, as it may invalidate your own insurance. Oh, also remember you may have to pay tax, so remember to declare it on a self-assessment.
Just Park is a good site if you fancy letting out your drive. If you live near a train station, hospital or a city center, then you’re sure to earn a bob or two a month.
If you like the sound of your home being used in a film or on TV (plus, the major bragging rights, right?) then look into Lavish Locations and Shoot Factory. You don’t need to have a manor house to apply, look at the Dursleys house in Harry Potter.
Online Surveys
A handy little earner that you can do on your laptop while watching TV. You won’t necessarily make bundles of cash, but for just 20 minutes or so work, you could make a few pounds.
These are the one’s I’ve used before but there are plenty floating about that payout in either vouchers or cold hard cash:
Valued Opinions*
Instagc*
OhMyDosh*
Cashback Sites
Weirdly, not many of us use cashback sites, which is strange, as you can earn money back from just buying your normal day to day items. From grocery shopping to insurance to household bills!
Search for what you need and buy it through a cashback site and you’ll get back a percentage of what you spend. I currently use OhMyDosh, but there are loads out there just as good. Sign up here for free to get £1 added to your account now*
Don’t leave your money sat there. As soon as you hit the threshold, cash it out. You never know what’s around the corner…
Get Paid to Google
Nope, this isn’t a joke!
You can earn hard cash by searching the web with Qmee. Just download the add-on, which sits on your internet browser, and search like you would normally.
Qmee shows you extra results or adverts. All the extras you see have been paid for by companies who want extra eyeballs on their links, and Qmee gives you a cut for that.
It’s not loads, but at 7-15p a click, some being up to £1, for doing what you’d normally do anyway, it’s certainly worth a go!
Flog Your Old Stuff Online
When it comes to the internet, your old junk really is someone else’s gold.
Starting off on eBay is probably the easiest bet, and being protected by their guidelines and Paypal gives you the guarantee you really will see your money. This guide here by MSE is the best I’ve found so far.
Facebook is another fab place. There are hundreds of local Facebay and Babybay selling groups out there, all divided up by local area and object you are selling.
Facebook has also made it easier with its marketplace tool. It lets you discover, buy and sell items in your community and anyone or everyone near you or looking for that item will see.
Now let’s talk about traders
There are loads of these companies around. You know the ones, that shout about swapping your old stuff for a cheque in the post.
While these sites are easy to use and give you an instant quote for all your knick-knacks, they’re aren’t exactly fast to payout.
Remember to compare them all, never pay postage unless you HAVE to and make sure your items are packed well, so there is no excuse for them not to pay out.
The best ones to look out for are WeBuyBooks, who do, weirdly, take everything and CeX, who takes everything but books.
Price-wise, you’re looking at getting up to £1 for CDs, £1.50 for DVDs and £10 for some computer games, but this does vary.
Always shop around, and dip your head in and out of the high street chains too, as you never know when they might offer a better deal.
Related Posts:
- The Ultimate Guide to Easy Ways to Make Money in the UK
- How to Make Money Online for Beginners
- 21 Online Work From Home Ideas
Get Paid To Watch TV
You can earn anything from £40-£70 just for watching TV for two hours and chatting about it. Online streaming is also available. Check out The Viewers site for more info.
Returning to work after maternity leave isn’t an easy choice but hopefully a few of these have given you ideas to help you back into the work place.
Laura x
If you enjoyed this post and would like some more money making ideas from home, including ways to freelance, start a blog or even earn from your phone, then head over to my making money section here on Savings 4 Savvy Mums where you’ll find over 30 money making posts dedicated to helping you earn more from home and become more financially stable as a family. There’s also tips in my Money Saving Mums Facebook group. You could also pop over and follow my money making Pinterest boards for lots more ways you can earn money from home; Money Making Mums and Working from Home Jobs for Mums.
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