You love that being a stay-at-home mom allows you to spend more time with your kids. However, you also know that this lifestyle doesn’t suit today’s economic climate.
Inflation rates are at an all-time high. You need to acquire a new source of income, or else you’ll have trouble paying for your daily expenses.
But don’t worry. With the emergence of remote companies, you can now work high-paying, legitimate home jobs without sacrificing your life as a stay-at-home mom.
You can choose from dozens of work-from-home jobs nowadays. Many pay as much as—or even more than—the average office-based employee’s salary.
If you want to make money working from home but aren’t sure which roles suit you, don’t worry. We got you covered.
Our team reviewed the most widely known remote job opportunities for stay-at-home moms and rounded up which ones offer great pay, easy qualification requirements, and flexible work hours. We’ll also show you how to achieve a six-digit annual salary with these jobs.
Stick with us until the end or you might end up with a low-paying yet time-consuming side hustle.
Let’s explore the best work-from-home careers that pay well!
Work-From-Home Jobs That Pay More Than the Average American’s Salary
If you search “What stay-at-home jobs make good money?” on Google, you’ll see a multitude of
job opportunities from various industries.
Having many options feels liberating. However, you might also feel overwhelmed if you don’t know where to start looking.
To aid your search, we made a comprehensive review of legitimate home jobs that stay-at-home moms can do to make money today.
1. Affiliate Marketing
Stay-at-home moms who want to enter the world of eCommerce without the high cost of entry can try affiliate marketing.
It’s a referral program wherein you earn a commission whenever a customer purchases through your affiliate link. Various global companies and small and medium businesses accommodate affiliate marketers.
Daily Responsibilities
Generating affiliate links is easy, but reaching customers is not. Much of your responsibilities will consist of marketing efforts aimed toward your partner company’s target market.
You can use any platform you want. For instance, writers can insert affiliate links in their blogs, while YouTube and TikTok influencers can add the links in their video captions.
Earning Potential
Most companies offer their affiliate partners a 5% to 30% commission. As such, your earning potential will heavily depend on the reach and performance of your links.
For example, let’s say you have an affiliate link for a $100 desk. If you get 10 customers to purchase through your link, you’ll receive a $50 to $300 commission, depending on the affiliate rates.
Application Requirements
Companies don’t ask much from affiliate marketers, and you can start as soon as possible. However, you’ll increase your chances of success if you have:
- Enough capital to run ads
- Experience running ads on social media platforms
- The creative skills to write engaging copy
- Access to relevant, high-quality images and videos
Where to Apply
Although there are thousands of affiliate programs on the market, you’d do well to limit yourself to reputable, widely known options like:
2. Freelance Writing
Stay-at-home moms who have experience writing can try becoming freelance writers. It’s a lucrative career that enables you to create diverse content, from business websites to Facebook ad copies.
Daily Responsibilities
Your daily responsibilities will depend on your position. For instance, let’s say you’re a short-form copywriter. Your employer might ask you to create content for social media ads, eCommerce product listings, YouTube captions, emails, and Instagram captions.
On the other hand, bloggers might have to focus on long-form content. Expect your typical article to span anywhere from 500 to 5,000+ words, depending on what you’re writing.
On-page SEO will also play a crucial role in your writing. You’ll likely need to incorporate ranking long- and short-tail keywords into your pieces to improve reach and visibility. Note that SEO applies to both copywriters and bloggers.
Earning Potential
Your earning potential depends on what type or how long the content you produce. Copywriters might get paid per four for writing slogans, ad copies, and slogans, while bloggers might prefer a per-word compensation. When starting out, expect to make around $15 per hour or $0.03 per word.
However, all your work could add up to several thousands of dollars. CNBC even featured a freelance writer who made well over six digits writing $15 to $20 blogs every day.
Application Requirements
Most remote employers require copywriters to have:
- Complete mastery over the English language
- Advanced technical understanding of English grammar
- Relevant sample work
- A degree related to writing or marketing
- Experience with SEO marketing
Where to Apply
You can reach out to any business owner or webmaster who might need a content writer or copywriter. However, if you don’t want to pitch yet, try sourcing clients through:
3. Virtual Assistant (Secretarial Work)
Stay-at-home moms who don’t have any specific freelance niche or experience yet can try becoming virtual assistants. This remote job typically consists of secretarial work.
Virtual assistants often work with company owners, startup founders, and high-level managers. You’ll oversee various sectors in their respective businesses.
Daily Responsibilities
Your daily responsibilities will typically include answering emails, taking phone calls, calendar management, data entry, and social media management.
However, note that most virtual assistants have special tasks. For instance, let’s say that you work for an Airbnb host with multiple leased properties. As their virtual assistant, you’ll also oversee the management, maintenance, and bookings of their listings.
Earning Potential
Most virtual assistants earn anywhere from $10 to $50 per hour. However, since not all clients require eight hours of daily work, you can try taking on multiple retainer clients to achieve a full-time income.
Application Requirements
Most employers looking for virtual assistants need someone with:
- A high school diploma or bachelor’s degree
- Experience as an admin assistant or secretary
- Medium to advanced knowledge of basic computer programs (i.e., MS Office, G Suite)
- Great organization skills and time-management
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
Where to Apply
Any company or individual can hire a virtual assistant. However, beginners looking to jump-start their careers can look into the following platforms and sites:
4. Virtual Tutor
Stay-at-home moms who can confidently teach student/s over video calls should consider becoming virtual tutors. Various students—from primary school children to working adults—take online classes nowadays.
Although you can teach any topic under the sun, most first-time virtual tutors see success in teaching English as a second language (ESL).
ESL teaching ranks among the most popular stay-at-home jobs with no experience required. Anyone who speaks English fluently already qualifies.
Daily Responsibilities
Your daily responsibilities will primarily depend on your subject of expertise. For instance, let’s say you’re an ESL tutor.
You’ll find yourself teaching basic and intermediate grammar lessons to non-Native English speakers from different countries.
On the contrary, a private university tutor will only cater to a specific demographic.
However, these lessons might cover more complex, advanced topics since the audience consists of university students.
Earning Potential
First-time tutors can take home about $10 to $15 hours teaching ESL or helping students with primary- to secondary-level lessons.
However, you can charge more once you’ve taken relevant certifications.
For instance, ESL tutors with the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) can increase their rates to about $30 to $40 per hour.
Application Requirements
Most employers need virtual tutors to have:
- A backup internet connection
- A good understanding of the subject they want to teach
- Certifications and experience relevant to the subject taught
- Clear video camera and quality microphone
- Reliable desktop or laptop
- Stable, reliable internet connection
Where to Apply
You can reach out to your target audience yourself. However, if you want a steady stream of students without worrying about marketing, try the following platforms:
5. Customer Service Representative
If you have excellent communication skills and can confidently talk to disgruntled clients over the phone, try working as a customer service representative (CSR).
Hundreds of companies outsource their CSR nowadays. Choose an industry you’re knowledgeable in, then see which relevant companies are expanding their CSR team.
However, if you don’t have any specific preferences, try working in tech. Most companies hiring CSR sell tech-related goods and services, such as smartphones, internet connection plans, and laptops.
Daily Responsibilities
As a CSR, you’ll typically assist clients with their queries, concerns, and complaints.
Although not every customer has a complaint, expect many of your calls to come from dissatisfied, disgruntled individuals. Don’t take their criticisms personally!
Earning Potential
Most companies pay first-time CSR applicants $8 to $15 per hour, but you can increase this to upward of $20 once you gain experience and start working for larger companies directly.
Application Requirements
To qualify as a CSR, you will need:
- Excellent communication skills
- Stable, reliable internet connection
- A backup internet connection
- Quality microphone and headset with clear, crisp audio
- The patience to talk to angry customers
Where to Apply
Apart from searching job openings on LinkedIn Jobs or Indeed.com, you can try the following agencies and companies known for constantly hiring customer service representatives:
Best Work-From-Home Jobs for Stay-At-Home Moms
Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all work-from-home job opportunity. It varies on a case-by-case basis.
Don’t blindly mirror the seemingly successful influencers and internet personalities preaching the remote work lifestyle on social media. Make your own choices.
Also, instead of solely focusing on the pay, shift your energy toward building a feasible, efficient work-from-home career plan.
Assess what you’re looking for in an online job. Are you willing to work long hours in exchange for higher pay, or would you opt to earn less for only a few hours of work per week?
Anyone can make money online. However, utilizing freelance projects and side gigs to boost your family’s financial situation requires clear goals and practical plans.
How to Prepare for Work-From-Home Jobs
Many stay-at-home moms postpone their plans to work from home full-time because they don’t know how to get started.
Finding side gigs and remote work is one thing. However, qualifying for these jobs and building a steady network of retainer clients is another.
Check out these straightforward, actionable tips explaining everything you need to prepare for work-from-home jobs.
Edit Your Resume
It’s always a good idea to update your resume before applying for work, especially if you’ve been a stay-at-home mom for years now. Add any relevant experiences you might have had recently.
Practice Doing Video Calls
Now that you’ve committed to working from home, you’ll find yourself hopping on several video calls every day. As such, you’d do well to rehearse beforehand.
Practice the way you speak, look, and act on camera to ensure that you come off professional.
Build a Portfolio
Expect most remote employers and clients to ask for a portfolio.
Let’s say you want to do social media marketing. Strive to create a solid compilation of all the pages you’ve managed before, plus any performance metrics that indicate growth.
Take Relevant Courses
We generally advise stay-at-home moms to take on jobs relevant to their previous work experiences. However, to try something new, you’ll have to invest in education.
To ensure that you don’t waste your money, do prior research on the career you wish to try before buying paid courses. YouTube and Google offer dozens of free resources.
Invest in the Proper Equipment
Set aside some money for your remote work equipment. The tools and gadgets needed for remote work will vary based on your position, but almost all opportunities require a reliable laptop and a stable internet connection.
Create a Separate Workspace
Although remote work allows you to spend more time with your family, you’ll still need a professional workspace where you can focus. You can’t exactly work if your kids are constantly running around the place.
Ideally, you’ll need several periods of deep work every day. During these time frames, ensure that your kids, pets, and significant other will not bother you for anything other than emergencies.
Overhaul Your Social Media Accounts
Newbie remote workers don’t need business websites right from the get-go. Having one will benefit you in the long run. However, if you’re building an online presence from scratch, we’d suggest starting with your social media accounts.
Fix your Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts so that they contain more work-appropriate content that you can boast to clients.
Also, create a LinkedIn account and professional email if you don’t have them yet. Most remote employees prefer communicating with potential employees and new hires through these channels.
Start Networking
Don’t underestimate the power of word-of-mouth marketing. The freelance industry is an interconnected community wherein employers and employees share information through Facebook groups, Reddit threads, and LinkedIn communities, among other platforms.
Reach out to industry-relevant figures. Make an effort to leave a good impression by introducing yourself, engaging with their posts, and offering free sample work, especially for beginners with no portfolio.
Benefits of Working From Home
Don’t worry if you’re still on the fence about work-from-home jobs. Companies have always followed an office-based work setup before the pandemic, so not many have experience working from home.
Work-from-home jobs might not be the norm right now, but they offer an array of benefits, including:
More Family Time
Working from home allows you to spend more time with your loved ones. Yes, you’ll need at least a few hours of deep work, but you can squeeze in your kids, pets, and even significant others now and then.
You’ll also have the freedom to address emergencies if you work from home. Of course, you still need to manage your priorities, but it’s definitely much easier to arrange deliverables as a remote worker. After all, office employees can’t just leave in the middle of a workday.
Flexible Hours
Consider working from home if you don’t like having a boss that breathes down your neck all day. Most remote jobs have flexible work hours.
As long as you meet your deliverables and accomplish your role, your client or boss probably wouldn’t meddle with your breaks. Work at your own pace.
Note: Too many new remote workers fail to map out their workday, which muddles the differences between work and family time. This setup yields negligible benefits.
The best approach is to set clear, precise boundaries to ensure your personal and professional affairs don’t interfere with each other.
Smaller Carbon Footprint
Contribute to a greener, safer environment by working from home. Office-based employees might not notice it, but 98% of their carbon emissions come from daily commutes.
Of course, taking public transportation or walking minimizes your carbon footprint. However, you can only eliminate these detrimental factors by staying home and opting for remote work. You can minimize your impact on the environment.
Less Daily Expenses
Office-based work jacks up your daily expenses. It doesn’t matter how much an office job pays if you spend most of your money on lunch outs, gas, transportation fares, parking fees, and work clothes.
On the contrary, remote work requires none of the abovementioned expenses. You can make your lunch yourself, you don’t need to go anywhere, and you can wear whatever you want, granted you don’t have any video conference calls.
Increased Work Productivity
Contrary to popular belief, working from home is more productive than in an office setting. Studies show that remote workers spend at least 10 minutes every day lounging around and chatting with peers, contributing to a 47% increase in productivity.
Easier to Work Out
Instead of spending hours driving to and from work, use that time to work out. Considering the extended periods you spend sitting, you should aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. A quick jog around the neighborhood already yields several health advantages.
Spend More Time With Your Family Without Sacrificing Your Career
Considering the rising cost of essentials like food, housing, gas, and transportation, it’s easy to see why millions of homemakers have considered working a 9-to-5 again in the past year.
However, you don’t have to give up your stay-at-home lifestyle yet. Instead of leaving your kids for the better half of the day to brave traffic and work in a cramped office cubicle, explore remote jobs.
You can quickly make a steady stream of $3,000 to $5,000 every month working from home once you land enough retainer clients and one-off projects.
We only mentioned some of the best work-from-home jobs on the market. Feel free to check out any opportunity that aligns with your lifestyle, home office setup, career experience, and, of course, work preferences.
Aidan has been writing about personal finance for over 6 years. Prior to this, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst where he specialized in Due Diligence, Company Valuations and more. He is a CFA charterholder.
