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freelance mom working at home

10 Best Work from Home Jobs for Moms

You can be a stay-at-home mom and still make good money from home. Many mothers today use their spare time doing work from home jobs. While some will get you a few extra bucks on the side, others can provide a full-time income. Some mothers even create their own home businesses and become mompreneurs.

It isn’t difficult, either. There are tons of work from home jobs available online that are perfect for moms. You can also carry out freelance work or even create an online store to make money from home. Here are 10 of the best work from home jobs that work especially well for moms.

1. Social Media Manager

Do you spend a lot of your time coming up with the perfect Twitter post or Instagram caption? These skills are more valuable than ever today. In fact, businesses will pay you good money for your social media expertise.

You can find a lot of jobs as a freelance social media manager, writer or marketer online. Most of the time, all these jobs require are some social media marketing knowledge and creativity. Build your own channels, then look up social media jobs on Indeed and Monster.

You could even offer your services to businesses directly. If you can create creative content for different channels and schedule social media posts using Hootsuite and Buffer, you can get paid for it. It’s a fantastic job for anyone working from home.

2. Freelance Writer

If you’re good at writing blogs, articles or even stories, there are tons of opportunities out there for you. Freelance writers, with a little experience, can make enough money to do it full-time.

You can find many freelance writing jobs on regular job sites like Indeed. You can also look at Craigslist. Some take their skills to freelance sites like Upwork or Freelancer.

If you can build up a solid portfolio of writing, you can charge anywhere from 5-10 cents a word and pitch to bloggers and businesses directly. Experienced freelance writers with a lot of clients can make even more.

3. Babysitter

If you’re good with looking after kids, why not get paid for it? Plenty of other moms are looking for someone experienced and trustworthy to take care of their children while they’re working or away.

The best thing about being a babysitter or nanny is there’s really no entry requirements. You can simply ask your friends if they need someone to look after their kids, set your own rate, and turn your time into money.

You can also sign up with agencies or professional babysitting services for extra work. Be warned- looking after children all day can be extremely tiring. However, if you’re up to the challenge, you could make a solid income.

4. Tutor

Being a stay-at-home mom doesn’t mean you can’t put your education and skills to work. If you have some skills or knowledge to teach, then make money from them as a home tutor.

Many parents look for well-educated tutors to help their children with their grades. You can set your own times, rates, and advertise online. If you’re musically inclined, you could offer to teach piano, guitar or singing to locals.

You can also become an online tutor through sites such as Tutor.com. You can work on your own schedule tutoring people through the internet and make money from it.

5. Virtual Assistant

Many offices now look for work-from-home virtual assistants to help them with daily tasks. This generally involves all the same kind of tasks you’d do in a real office job.

You can help with creating spreadsheets, sending emails, completing sales, and even bookkeeping- all from home.

Virtual assistants are becoming more and more common from businesses. You can often find these on regular job sites or sites like FlexJobs. It’s a fantastic way to make a full-time income while working from home.

6. Proofreader/Editor

Just like with freelance writing, there are many opportunities on the web for proofreading and editing.

These jobs often require a degree in English or experience in a related field. Freelance writers often get paid for proofreading and editing services as well.

If you’re good with words, then this can be an ideal work from home job for you.

7. Run an Online Shop

One of the simplest ways to make money from home is by selling online.

There’s really no limit to what you can sell. Many people start by selling valuable items around their house on sites like eBay and Amazon. Build up your feedback rating and you could have a legitimate online storefront on your hands.

Some people make money by buying items in bulk from wholesalers and reselling. If you have an interesting product idea and some money to invest, you could even get in contact with manufacturers. This can become a whole home business in itself, so the money-making possibilities are endless.

8. Customer Support

Much like with Virtual Assistants, many offices allow their customer support workers to work from home.

This usually involves answering customer queries online and sometimes on the phone. You’ll have a script and guidelines to follow, so it’s simple to do and you can easily gain a few bucks.

Customer support can be a grind. Still, it’s a lot more enjoyable when you can do it from the comfort of home.

9. Web/Graphics Designer

If you have skills in web or graphic design or you’re willing to learn, you can make it into a full-time home career.

Businesses and websites are always looking for designers to help them. You can offer your skills to companies personally or check out freelance sites like Fiverr.

The best part is there are now tons of free courses for these skills online via sites such as EdX.com. If you have some spare time, you can learn everything at home and start building up a portfolio to sell your services.

10. Arts and Crafts

If you have skills in woodworking, jewelry making or even knitting, you could sell your crafts online.

Etsy is one of the best places to sell your homemade crafts. People come up with all kinds of ideas on here, from homemade hemp jewelry to customized picture frames.

You can work on request or create a bunch of items to sell directly in your online store. It can take some work, but it can also be a fun hobby and make you a lot of money.

Final Word

Staying at home doesn’t mean you can’t make good money. In fact, many work-from-home jobs pay just as well as your regular office job, if not better. If you’re willing to put the time and effort in, you can even build your own business.

These are some of the best work from home jobs for moms. They can also apply to practically anyone who wishes to work from home. Even if you just want to spend some free time making extra money, these opportunities can work for you.

 

Care.com Caregiver Sign Up

Care.com – Sign Up Guide And Profile Tips

In the age of the side hustle, working professionals are turning to remote and flexible jobs to meet their needs.

Dog walking, nannying, housekeeping, and tutoring are just a small sample of the work available to those looking to expand their resumes.

Looking for a source of many of these jobs and a simple guide to signing up? Look no further. Care.com provides a one-stop shop for a variety of part and fulltime gigs.

You can sign up to work for care.com on their site, or by downloading and applying through the Care.com Caregiver app, available for IOS and Android.

Signing Up To Be A Care.Com Caregiver

Here’s the steps to follow if you want to sign up, along with a few helpful resources.

1. Choose Your Service

Looking to become a nanny? Tutor? Daycare employee? There are many profile options available that you can adjust if your interests or availability changes later.

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Start by choosing the option that fits your personality best and fill out the sign-up form with your name, address, birthday, phone, and email.

Care.com - Create Account

 

2. Verify Your Phone Number To Use CareChat

Care.com uses CareChat to keep your number private during discussion with potential clients, so you’ll be asked to verify your phone number.

Care.com application - verify phone

 

3. Enter Your Address

Next, enter your address.

care.com caregiver address

 

After entering your address, you’ll be able to see nearby jobs, but you’ll want to finish setting up your profile.

Care.com - Nearby Jobs

 

4. Add Salary and Experience

This step will also let you choose to accept credit card payments.

Care.com - Hourly Rate & Payment Settings

You’ll also be asked about your years of experience and your education level.

For work like nannying and babysitting, this step will ask you how many children you feel comfortable watching at a time, which age groups you have experience working with, and how many miles you are willing to travel for a job. Take into consideration the line of work you have chosen and if you are willing to commute to that job often.

Care.com - Education & Experience

5. Dazzle with a Great Bio And Add A Profile Picture (Or Video)

To make your profile stand out and get you the most gigs, spend some extra time on building your biography in this section. Focus on skills and experience that showcase you in the specific field of work you’ve chosen.

No need to write a novel, but do include past jobs that match your field to showcase your talents and personality.

After that, you’ll be asked to add a profile picture (highly recommended).

You can also add a video introduction if you like.

Care.com - Add Profile Video

 

6. Proceed to Security Screenings

To comply with federal laws, you will be required to be screened via a background check to move forward.

This is standard with caregiving jobs and an essential step to ensure you meet safety requirements.

Once you acknowledge this step, you can move forward to finalize your profile while you wait for the results of your background checks.

After Signing Up For Care.Com

The first thing you should do is check out a few listings. This is a great place to get insight into what families are looking for in their caregivers.

For example, if the listings include items like “light cooking and cleaning” for a nanny job, it could be a good idea to go back and add that to your profile to better appeal to those jobs (if you are willing to do these tasks).

Set Your Availability

Take an honest inventory of the time you have available. This will make the process easier when the time comes to get jobs, as families can easily see when you are available to work.

Update this section frequently to ensure accurate bookings and to remain transparent for the families looking into hiring you as a service provider.

You will be able to notify families if your are available on short term notice.

Check Out Care.com Resources

Care.com has a dedicated community site that has a lot of great for caregivers.

You’ll definitely want to check out their post on how to target your application to a job posting. They also have a few helpful videos for caregivers.

Personalize Your Profile

As you await your security screening results, proceed to finalize your profile. A profile picture of yourself from the waist up, smiling, is best.

Revise and add more information about your background and interests, and why you are excited to work with families in your line of work.

Don’t be afraid to add something unique about yourself, such as “on weekends you will find me with a good book at the dog park with my corgi Steve.” This adds warmth to your profile and lets families know that you are not just a profile, but a person they would want to welcome into their family.

Reviews are also a key to getting your profile noticed by potential employers. Reach out to a few trusted friends or colleagues in your line of work and ask for a quick written review of how you helped them in the past.

Care.com generally has more experienced and well-reviewed workers at the top of listings, so this can help you get noticed by families in your area.

After You’re Approved, Connect with Families

After getting confirmation that you have passed the security screening, open the listings page to search for open jobs near you. You can use search terms or simply scroll through using the area code you provided in your profile.

Families will list how many children or pets they need care for, scheduling preferences, and any must-haves, such as willingness to drive the family vehicle or cook and clean in addition to childcare.

Once you have fine-tuned your profile, it will go live on the Care.com site and allow you to reach out directly to families and vice versa.

Work Your Side Hustle!

As you begin your Care.com journey, keep your availability up to date, as families will appreciate this, especially during hectic holiday seasons.

Checking the site frequently will ensure that you never miss a message for a job and always respond within 24 hours of getting an offer to boost your profile on the site.

Don’t be afraid to turn down a job, especially if it requires more travel to the home than you are willing or a renegotiation of your set rates. As a caregiving professional, you are in control of your schedule and rates and deserve to be paid and respected accordingly.

Last but certainly not least, you will get out of Care.com what you put into it, so work hard and bring your personality and passion for caregiving to work with you each day!

 

Side Hustles Best Features

Look For These Features In Your Side Hustle Apps

The Best Side Hustle Apps Have These Features in Common

It’s no wonder that 4 in 10 Americans have a side gig. The average student loan payment each month is $351, then add to that rent, utilities, and having a morsel of a social life, and the month will likely run longer than the cash in your account. Whether you’re just looking to make some extra money or you’re exploring side gigs to find a new career direction, there are a number of reasons having a side hustle is a good thing.

In addition to providing you with some extra cash, side gigs also give you the opportunity to build new skills and gain experience in different industries. Starting career exploration with a part-time side hustle can be a great way to determine if the industry is really for you.

A side hustle may be awesome, especially for college students, but they’re not all created equal. When you’re choosing your side gig, especially an app-based side gig, there are three qualities you should look for to ensure you’re creating the best-case scenario for your schedule and wallet. Below, we’ll explore which features the best side hustle apps have in common.

Broad Focus

If you’re going to spend your downtime working on your side gig, it should at least be something you want to do with the flexibility to match your specific needs. The best side hustle apps provide a wide range of services that allow you to broaden your horizons. These broad focus apps give you the opportunity to exercise different skills and try out different services to find out what you’re best at and enjoy the most.

With a broad range of opportunities, you’ll never get bored. If you want a variety of side gig options in one platform, check out these apps:

Care.com

Whether your gift is SAT prep or dog walking, the Care.com app allows you to find a job that fits your skill set. Provide child care, adult and senior care, pet care, and home care to customers, or find tutoring, errands, and odd job opportunities.

Fiverr

With more than 116 different service categories, you’re sure to find a few gigs right for you on Fiverr. This app connects you to entrepreneurs and businesses in need of graphics and design, music and audio, writing, digital marketing, and more. If you’re a creative looking to build your portfolio, download this app today.

Hubstaff

Skip the bidding-for-gigs process and get straight to work on Hubstaff. You’ll be connected with business owners searching for IT managers, coders, designers, marketing gurus, and content writers. Find consistent work in your particular niche, and don’t lower your rate just to grab a job.

TaskRabbit

Are you handy around the house? If you enjoy home improvement and are good at repairs, then TaskRabbit is a great app for making some extra cash in your spare time. Choose from a variety of household chores from putting together furniture, mounting a mirror, or helping someone move. The opportunities are endless!

TaskRabbit at a construction gig.

 

Tispr

Tispr is a great app for creatives that are looking to pursue their passions and build or diversify their portfolio while making a little extra cash. After creating a profile on the app, you’ll have access to a wide variety of creative job opportunities with diverse companies that are looking for someone with your expertise.

Gigwalk

Gigwalk matches side hustlers with businesses in their area that are looking for a little extra help. Whether you’re running an event or just running errands, you’ll have the opportunity to apply for a variety of side gigs right in your area that you’re qualified to help with.

Bonuses and Incentives

Don’t miss out on bonus checks or added incentives just because you’re working a side gig. While traditional work environments may not offer you the chance to take advantage of incentives, some of the best gig apps often offer bonuses or incentives for side hustlers who work hard and consistently deliver.

Bonuses and incentives are one of the best ways to maximize your extra cashflow. If extra “perks” of the job make a side hustle more enjoyable for you, spend your time on one of these apps:

Lyft

When you join Lyft as a driver, you can enjoy a sign-on bonus when you meet certain trip requirements within the first 30 days. Lyft also offers a number of other bonuses and incentives like weekly ride challenges, power zones with an incentive for picking up riders in certain areas, and streak bonuses.

Instacart

With Instacart, you get paid to deliver groceries to customers’ homes. This app offers incentives for you to earn even more on the app’s busiest days. You can also earn commissions based on your speed and accuracy, meaning the more you work and better you get, the more potential you have to earn more.

Uber

When you drive with Uber, you can take advantage of incentives like Boost, which multiplies your trip fares by a specified amount for all of the trips you complete within a hotspot during certain times. In addition, Quest incentives allow you to earn extra money for reaching certain trip goals in a specified time period. Uber usually has two quests per week, one for Monday through Thursday, and another one for the weekend. This gives Uber a slight advantage over Lyft when it comes to driving part-time.

Postmates

When it comes to incentives that help increase your earnings, Postmates is one of the best delivery apps out there. They often include bonuses that allow you to earn an additional amount for each delivery accepted and completed within a certain timeframe as well as bonuses for completing a certain amount of deliveries in a specified timeframe.

Wag

If you’re passionate about animals and want to make some extra cash walking dogs, then Wag! is a great side hustle app as it provides some extra incentives for hard-working dog walkers. The app offers featured walks, some of which have bonuses attached to them, which allows you to earn additional funds on top of the initial walk pay out.

Flexible Scheduling

One of the biggest perks of a side hustle is that you’re able to make extra money during your free time. If you want the freedom to sign on for a few hours and make money on your schedule, then finding an app with scheduling flexibility is a top priority. Many jobs will allow you to work early morning, afternoon, or late at night, allowing you to pick the jobs that fit best within your schedule.

Whether you’re balancing a full-time job or just other side hustles, you’ll want to check out some of the apps that allow for flexible scheduling. If you want to set your own schedule each day, here are your best side gig app options:

Wonolo

With the Wonolo staffing platform, you can choose from a variety of jobs in your community. The app allows you to choose from immediate hourly, single, or multi-day jobs. With a single swipe, you can accept or deny the job based on how much (and if) you want to work for the day. You’re only committed to the jobs you choose, but if you need to back out of a gig, you need to let the employer know more than 12 hours out.

Amazon Flex

For side giggers 21 and older, Amazon Flex is a great way to set your own schedule on a daily basis or for the week ahead. You can choose to deliver Amazon packages each day from available blocks of time or set your schedule before the week starts if you prefer a regular routine.

Dolly

Dolly lets you make money on your time without driving someone around or walking their dog. You simply move boxes, furniture, or anything else people need help transporting. Whether you want some weekend work or can bring in some cash in the evenings, the Dolly app shows you how much you’ll make before you accept the job and explains what you’ll be moving (so there are no surprises when you arrive on scene). This app is best for those who don’t mind a little sweat and can lift at least 75 pounds. If you have a truck, you can make even more working for Dolly.

Shipt

With Shipt, you can earn up to $22/hour shopping for the app’s members. This side hustle app allows you to be your own boss and set your own hours. Whether you want to work full- or part-time or only have availability during certain days of the week or hours of the day, you make your own schedule with Shipt.

Shipt Shopper

 

Rover

If you love dogs and want to make some extra cash, Rover is a great app that allows for flexible scheduling. Whether you just want to work weekends or need specific days off during the week, you set your availability using a convenient calendar feature, allowing you to only get dog walking and petsitting requests on the days you are available.

Finding the right side gig app depends on your priorities. Whether you want to choose your daily schedule, benefit from bonuses and incentives, or find gigs tailored to your skill set, knowing which side hustle app to choose will offer the best fit for your needs.