How To Find A Real Work-From-Home Job

Once upon a time, stay-at-home moms (SAHM) had to entertain themselves with finding fulfillment in cutting the crust off PBJs and reading bedtime stories. While raising children is a full-time job in itself, letting your other talents go to waste while slowly bleeding money to the tooth fairy can put a strain on your wellbeing.

Today, however, work-from-home jobs for moms are changing lives in positive ways. By leveraging the power of the Internet, you can connect with partners and a client base to earn income at home without sacrificing your commitment to your kids.

Through this guide, we’ll give you a quick snapshot of 30 of the best jobs for moms, all of which require no previous experience or bachelor's degree.

Types Of Work-From-Home Jobs

At-home mom jobs are all the rage. You can find hundreds of thousands of stay-at-home mom jobs online from the comfort of your own bed, couch, or playroom. Whether your children are toddlers demanding near-constant attention or teenagers ready to flee the nest, there’s no reason you can’t get in on the action. For a comprehensive overview of work from home jobs, see our complete guide! 

Work from home jobs

Work-from-home jobs for moms are available for moms with infants, those seeking supplemental income or a bit of extra pocket change, and those able to juggle more demanding at home careers for stay at home moms. The latter includes both part-time work for stay-at-home moms and full-time positions. Most jobs for stay-at-home moms offer exceptional work-life balance.

You can find remote employee positions with reputable companies, take on freelance work, or even start your own business. Put your writing skills, design, or IT background to work, or market your crafts to others.

Identifying Scams

Identifying Scams

While legitimate work-at-home jobs for moms are abundant, there are plenty of scams out there, too. Launching blindly into an online opportunity can hurt your wallet and kill your enthusiasm. In some cases, scammers will even get you to unknowingly break the law, acting as a money mule for a criminal enterprise.

Before you get started, make sure you’ve adequately vetted opportunities as real at-home jobs. Don’t trust outrageous claims promising thousands of dollars a month. Before accepting work, mainly from a company that doesn't have a large Internet footprint, make sure you understand where the money is coming from and what tasks are involved.

If you do become the victim of a scam, contact local law enforcement.

The best way to find legitimate work-from-home jobs is to stick to using established web services. We'll cover some of these below as we discuss some of the best work at home jobs for moms.

Supplementary Sources of Income

While they won't make you rich or earn enough to be considered a career, the job opportunities in this section will provide you with a way to start earning some supplemental income at home. Better yet, many of them are easy and low-stress. You can surf the web and keep your social media pages open while making money on these sites- some sites even offer you money through social media use! Their abundant work-life balance makes them good jobs for moms with babies, or a SAHM looking to explore the work-from-home jobs industry while planning the next move.

[sc name=”Best Work From Home Jobs For Moms Table v2″]

Swagbucks

Swagbucks logo

Swagbucks is for SAHMs that love to shop. In fact, it’s one of the most fun jobs for stay at home moms. Members earn points for every item purchased on over 1500 online shopping platforms, including Amazon. Rather than spending money, you can also earn points for taking surveys, watching videos, trying out various services, searching the Internet, and playing games. There’s even a mobile app so you can keep earning during your next parent-teacher conference.

These points are redeemable for gift cards. Gift card options include PayPal, MasterCard, Amazon, eBay, and hundreds of other options.

Ipsos i-Say

I-say by ipsos

i-Say is a points-for-rewards platform with a focus on sharing your opinion. And there's nothing a mom likes more than sharing her opinion, right?

As a member of i-Say, you can take surveys about brands, advertisements, entertainment, and other topics. Pick the ones that interest you. Rewards include gift cards and products.

Since surveys can take some time to complete, i-Say includes estimated completion times for each one. That way, your surveys don’t interfere with your mom schedule. As a division of one of the largest market research firms in the world, Ipsos, it’s also a way to do your part as a trendsetter while kicking back in your PJs.

InboxDollars

Inbox Dollars Logo

Like Swagbucks, InboxDollars is an earning platform based on shopping, surveys, and watching videos. The difference is that instead of gift cards, you earn cash. That way you can put your money towards braces for your child or something more practical.

Top brands enlist InboxDollars to help fine tune their product lineups and marketing strategy through consumer input. As such, they have a vested interest in getting insights from women, making it a perfect role for moms working from home.

Taking Paid Surveys

If you're picky about the kinds of surveys you answer, no problem. There are dozens of other legitimate brand-polling platforms out there available to the active work from home mom. For a comparison of the top 10 paid survey sites, check out our homepage!

In addition to being an easy way to start earning additional income, surveys are also perfect for developing your insights and opinions on various brands. That will come in handy if you decide to spin your shopping savvy into future blog work or build an eCommerce platform.

Scan Groceries with NCP

As much fun as shopping online might be, sometimes a little fresh air – and time away from the chaos – is in order. But that doesn't mean you need to stop being an entrepreneurial mom. Become a contributor to the Nielson-backed National Consumer Panel, or NCP, and you can do both.

As a member, all you need to do is scan your purchases using your smartphone and the NCP app. NCP uses the data it collects to conduct product research. They'll also occasionally contact you via email to complete a survey related to your purchases. In return for your scans and survey responses, you earn points, redeemable for rewards.

Think of it as going to work by shopping.

Make Money Dog Watching

Rover Logo

Being a mom can have its stresses. The solution? Puppies!

Rover.com lets you put your nurturing side to good work as a paid doggy caretaker. Dog owners enlist Rover to get in touch with people willing to watch after their pets for a bit. Opportunities are available for dog walking, drop-in visits, day care, dog boarding, and house sitting.

As a professional dog watcher, you can set your schedule and rates to work around your home life. Create your profile, glam it up with pictures, and sit back while Rover connects you with eager clients. Payments come from the platform, so you don't have to worry about it. Rover provides premium insurance, too.

Dog watching is one of the most relaxing and fun jobs for stay at home moms available today.

Do Office And Technical Work

Attention to detail and organizational skills are attributes most mothers have in abundance.

Remote work platforms like Upwork.com let you put your beautiful mind to work. While Upwork is an excellent resource for more serious freelancers, it can also be a good way for SAHM to find part-time jobs from home.

Upwork jobs range from virtual assistant work to data entry to computer programming, so there’s usually something available for everybody. The catch is that you must bid for tasks against other users.

However, if you’re only looking for additional income opportunities from home, you can frequently underbid others. That way, you can build your reputation on Upwork and position yourself for more lucrative opportunities in the future.

Secret Shopper

Secret Shopper

Ever wish you could step out of your mom shoes for a bit and take on the role of the mysterious stranger? Become a secret shopper, and you can do just that. You’ll be paid to visit in-store locations and evaluate them through the eyes of a customer. If you prefer to work from home, you can also call customer support networks to perform remote assessments.

Mystery shopper platforms let you apply for, and schedule visits, online. Typically in-store, you'll need to capture proof of your visit with a scan of a business card, receipt or other paperwork. There's usually a survey involved, too.

Many services will not only pay you per visit, but they'll also reimburse you for at least a portion of your purchases. Modern platforms that SAHMs use to find secret shopper opportunities include Rewardable.com and Gigwalk.com.

Running errands and other odd jobs

Folding laundry, painting, picking up groceries. Many people need help with odd jobs and are willing to pay to get it. TaskRabbit puts you in contact with them.

As a “tasker,” you have complete control over your schedule and rates. That makes it a source for some of the most flexible jobs for moms.

Build a TaskRabbit profile to highlight your skill set. Afterward, the TaskRabbit app will notify you of jobs becoming available in your area.  You then confirm the details with the client and get to work. All billing runs through the platform, so you don’t have to worry about busting kneecaps to get paid.

It’s sort of like Uber for everything else.

Become A Stylist

Working as a fashion stylist can mean selecting wardrobes for celebrities, public figures, or ordinary people who need a little help in the fashion taste department. It can also mean working fashion shows or picking ensembles for editorial features, advertising campaigns, or music videos.

As a stay-at-home mom, breaking into the fashion business has traditionally been a little too time-consuming to be feasible as a day job. However, platforms like Stitch Fix can be the secret weapon you need to manage your commitment to your family while still fulfilling your dream of becoming a stylist.

Stitch Fix allows you to fulfill that dream and make a difference in others lives, all from the comfort of your home. This part-time job will enable you to create your hours, which means you work when you want to. Not to mention an employee discount on clothing that gets shipped right to your home.

Freelance Work

Freelance Work

Freelancers are self-employed skilled workers that aren’t committed to any single employer. It’s a role particularly suited to stay at home moms who have chosen their family as their priority but don’t want to let their other talents go unused.

It can be difficult to make significant money as a freelancer at first. You’ll need to take on lower-paying jobs to build a reputation and portfolio. However, with time and persistence, you can hone your craft, develop a list of loyal clients, and establish consistent income.

Data Entry

Putting your typing skills to good use with data entry employment is one of the best jobs for moms who want to stay home. While they require attention to detail and fast fingers, data entry positions tend to be low stress and don’t take a lot out of you. That makes them ideal for moms committed to focusing their energies on their children.

Because data entry jobs don’t often require any additional skills outside of typing, expect stiff competition for them from another stay-at-home job seekers, including other moms. Your best bet is to use platforms like UpWork to extend your reach beyond your networking circles. Even then, don’t get frustrated if it takes you a while to build a regular client list.

Copywriter

Copywriter

Freelance copywriting jobs are ideal for mothers who have a way with words and need a creative outlet. Copywriting jobs typically involve working with online businesses to produce compelling web content. The goal is market services to readers. Think product descriptions, how-to guides, buyer’s guides, and website “about” pages.

Employers who want to hire copywriters look for freelancers who are native English speakers and write in short, concise language. Again, freelance platforms like Upwork are an excellent place to look for work. So are classified ad boards that target writers.

Magazine Writer

For many writers, a column with an established magazine is the holy grail of jobs. However, even the occasional magazine publication is an excellent way to build your name recognition and audience.

Magazine work tends to favor those capable of producing informative and entertaining anecdotes without losing focus on the article topic. There are very few people more in touch with life and more focused than mothers, making magazine employment one of the best work from home jobs for moms.

Finding magazine work can be hard work, though. Be persistent and stay optimistic. All it takes is one editor to say yes.

Freelance Blogger

Freelance Blogger

A freelance blogger is a writer who blogs for someone else's website. While it may not have the cachet of being a magazine scribe, blog gigs are typically easier to get. Moreover, many blogs have just as wide an audience.

There are a few ways to find blog work. You can advertise your skills on a freelance website or search freelance writer job boards. Alternatively, if there's a blog you particularly admire, try reaching to them directly. Due to the amount of work involved, so many blogs are very open to freelance partners and guest work.

Of course, the best way to land gigs with established blogs is to create a personal blog first as a sample of your capabilities. Be sure and check out our “blogger” entry below for tips on how to get started on that venture.

Virtual Assistant

Overburdened office workers and bored SAHMs can be each other’s best buds. Remote work productivity tools like Google Docs, Slack, and Skype have given rise to a whole new generation of secretaries called virtual assistants.

Virtual assistants crunch numbers, edit documents, prepare presentations, do project management work, and perform any other task needed. You’ll need to be a quick thinker, computer savvy, and organized.

However, there's no question that virtual assistant work is one of the hottest positions available to women on the hunt for home jobs for moms. There's plenty of competition, but also plenty of employment available for a career for a SAHM.

Commission-Based Online Reseller

Commission-Based Online Reseller

Have a saleswoman’s touch? As a commission-based online reseller, you’ll be selling goods for others and getting a cut of the profits for doing so. It takes a bit of savvy and a convincing attitude, but chances are if you can talk a child into eating their peas and carrots, you'll do just fine raking in commissions.

Most online resellers work for themselves. For more on how to get started in that venture, see our dedicated “online reseller” category below. If you'd instead not go that route, or want to learn the ropes, partnerships with others are available via Upwork and similar platforms.

Web Designer

Moms working from home with the right combination of artistic and technical aptitude can earn a healthy salary as a web designer. Web designers don’t build websites per se, but instead, focus their efforts on constructing a website’s look and flow.

As such, you’ll need a sense of style, an understanding of what attracts people to websites, and knowledge of how people like to interact on the Internet. You’ll also need to know your way around graphic design software like Adobe InDesign.

Web Developer

Web Developer

If you’re a mom with coding skills, remote work as a web developer is one of the hottest and most lucrative freelance jobs. You can work from home as a freelancer helping individuals, SMBs, and even larger corporations.

At a minimum, though, you'll need to know HTML, Javascript, Jquery, and CSS. So, chances are you've either gone to college and earned yourself a technical degree, or are a capable self-learner. Either way, there's no reason to let commitments at home cause you to abandon your web developer dreams.

Nerd moms make the Internet a better place.

Employee Positions

A growing number of employers are hiring home workers. The reasoning is simple: More employees working from home means fewer office expenses. There's nothing more business-like than cutting overhead expenses.

While time commitments for such positions are likely to be more rigid than freelance jobs, both full and part-time jobs for moms are available. Such roles are perfect for mothers with older children who don’t require the same degree of attention as infants and toddlers. It also means more available jobs for single moms who don't have a partner to assist.

Customer Service Representative

Customer service representatives are the front-line employees of businesses. Social skills like patience and empathy, are a must. On top of that, you also need a quick mind. Those qualities make such roles especially suited to mothers.

While most businesses still run customer service operations through call centers, improvements in Internet technologies and cost-saving advantages are leading to many more remote work opportunities.

Even better, many organizations are moving towards online chat as opposed to telephone support. Online customer service roles are typically less stressful — something stay-at-home moms will undoubtedly appreciate.

Tech Support Provider

Tech support positions are like customer service representatives. The difference is that in addition to social skills, you’ll need an aptitude for troubleshooting. However, they also tend to offer higher pay, making them highly sought after work from home jobs for moms and many others.

Both software vendors and hardware manufacturers require tech support employees. Both telephone and online chat support positions are available, too. Find posts on job boards and job-sourcing platforms like Upwork.

Do Online Tutoring

Online Tutor

Teaching others is one of the most rewarding careers available. While watching over the nest might keep you out of the classroom, there’s no reason as a SAHM you can’t still put your knack for educating others to work beyond teaching the kiddos their ABCs and differential calculus.

Several online education platforms exist for mothers working from home and others looking to become online tutors. In fact, such jobs are so much in demand that you can typically find employment even without a background in teaching.

You pick the subjects you’re good at, and your employer matches you with students. More challenging fields usually pay more. Hours tend to be flexible regardless, however, and you can work with students from middle school to college level.

Web Search Evaluation

Moms that love surfing the web might find their calling as a web search evaluator. The goal of these remote jobs is to evaluate and rate the algorithms used by search engines like Google and Bing.

You get a keyword to run a search with and must assess the results for relevancy. Aided by your input, the search engine services can adjust their algorithms to supply better results. The job might seem simple, but it requires an excellent sense of judgment. And mommies know best, right?

There are many keywords, and algorithms require regular testing. That means there are many web search evaluator jobs available. Typically, search engine businesses turn to third-party services to hire workers to fill them.

Usually, you'll have to work a set number of hours each day on a fixed schedule, so it may not be as flexible as some other remote employment opportunities for moms.

Document Translator

Document Translator

The ability to fluently speak a foreign language is a highly marketable skill that you shouldn't let go unused. In-demand languages include Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, Hebrew, Russian, and dozens more.

Bilingual Moms working from home can find employment translating documents for several different reputable employers. You'll be supporting businesses looking to expand their global reach. Since that includes most businesses, document translation is a flexible, fast-growing career choice.

In addition to documents, you could find work translating videos and conversations. If you have the scientific accuracy to boot, you could wind up making mucho dinero.

Transcribing Jobs

Transcription work is one of the best at home jobs for moms looking for flexible hours and work that doesn’t require much experience. Transcriptionists listen to audio files and type out what they hear. As such, attention to detail and excellent listening skills are essential, which makes it a perfect job for moms. You'll also want to be able to touch type, of course.

Some of the more high-paying employers may require specialized transcribing equipment like a foot-pedal for controlling audio playback while your hands work the keyboard. However, most entry-level positions aren’t that rigid.

Transcriptionists without advanced training will typically work on general transcription. However, even general transcription jobs pay more than most at home employment opportunities. Hourly rates range from $15 to $25 or more depending on your typing skills.

Become A Medical Transcriptionist

Medical transcription work is a choice transcribing job where you type out physicians' audio notes. Such positions usually require not only a strong command of the English language but a knowledge of medical terminology and abbreviations.

Due to this added complexity, most medical transcription jobs require some form of post-secondary education like an associate’s degree or one-year certification program. Knowledge of anatomy and healthcare law is also essential. Nurses who become stay at home moms are high in demand as medical transcriptions.

Running A Small Business

Small Business

Rather than work for somebody else, many moms who choose to stay home and raise their children opt to work for themselves. While running your own business usually requires more time and effort, mainly to start, self-employment can also lead to more flexibility and earning power. Can you say, “college fund?”

Author

Being a stay at home mom is the perfect opportunity to get to work on that novel that’s been sitting in the back of your head since you started passing notes in grade school. Will you be the next Toni Morrison, or is E.L. James more your style? Or maybe a collection of hilarious true-life anecdotes designed to share your motherly wisdom?

Becoming a published author today is easier than ever thanks to the popularity of eBook platforms like Amazon Kindle. Unlike with traditional publishing houses, you even get to keep most of the proceeds.

Blogger

Become a blogger

If you’re a mom who doesn’t have the time to devote to a big writing project, blogs are a quick creative outlet that you can undertake in between wiping the smudges off your children’s noses. You’ll need to have an angle and a little charm, but we bet you have the covered.

The real difficulty is turning your blog into a money-making machine. It requires consistent, original content and social media chops. Setting up a blogging site is relatively easy, though, thanks to several powerful online blogging platforms. Revenue can come from affiliate marketing programs, like Amazon Associates, or paid advertisements.

Bookkeeper

Moms and family budgets often go hand-and-hand. As a bookkeeper, you can put your knack for organizing expenses to good use, helping others achieve the same kind of fiscal responsibility you maintain in your household.

While it helps, virtual bookkeeper jobs don't require a background in accounting. Bookkeepers do need a knack for granular details, commitment, and a mind for technology. Accounting software can do much of the number crunching for you, thankfully.

There will be some startup costs associated if you decide bookkeeping is the stay at home job for you. However, accounting has tremendous earning potential even for moms just looking for part-time work.

Online Reseller

Earlier, we mentioned earning a living reselling goods for a commission. Alternatively, if you have a little more time and energy at your disposal, you might as well create a reseller enterprise of your own.  Success will require setting up a website, which will become your eCommerce portal.

Next, you’ll need to acquire inventory. You can choose to purchase products directly from others, either through online auctions, or offline, by hitting flea markets, sales racks, or stealing your children’s forgotten toys.

Alternatively, you can go the drop-ship route. Partnered with a drop-shipping service, you don't have to maintain any inventory. Instead, the service ships products directly to your customers. That means you don’t need to turn the spare bedroom into a floor-to-ceiling warehouse.

Craft Store

Craft store

Crafty working mothers are always in demand. Whether you make handmade earrings, scarves, greeting cards, or any other product, all you need to do is focus on your passion. There are plenty of businesses that will happily handle most of the rest for you.

eCommerce platform Etsy.com is one of the leading solutions moms who work at home enlist to transform their crafting passion into a profitable business venture.

Etsy charges a twenty-cent listing fee per item and keeps a modest 3.5 percent of your sales. In return, you get a non-hassle storefront, and all your billing handled. The most significant benefit to using Etsy, though, is that it’s a well-known online destination already. That means you don’t need to worry about spending all your time hunting for buyers.

Think Creatively!

Work for stay home moms is more accessible than ever thanks to an abundance of legitimate work-from-home jobs.

While we've outlined many of the most common work from home jobs for moms, there is much more out there. Think creatively. The most profitable ventures are often the ones nobody has come up with yet. Use your children and your experiences as a mother as the inspiration for innovative business ideas to become a successful work at home mom.

The best work from home jobs are the ones that harness your passion. And there's nothing a mother is more passionate about than her creations.