Stay-at-Home Parents Can Work From Home

Often, parents feel like they must choose between being a stay-at-home parent or a working parent. This, however, is not the case. With today’s computer technology, the options for work-from-home jobs are growing rapidly. There are full and part-time work-at-home opportunities available in a variety of fields that can enable stay at home parents to work from home, should they want to.

Here is what you need to know about find job you can do from home while you are also caring for your children:

Today’s Work-From-Home Job Market

The work-from-home job market is growing rapidly and expanding into many sectors. The ZipRecruiter website, for example, currently lists over 450,000 work-from-home jobs. Technology has allowed businesses to explore the idea of a work-from-home workforce in careers never before possible, making it more likely you will find a telecommuting or remote job to fit your skillset. Here are some ideas:

• Writer

• Customer Service Agent

• Team Manager

• Education (Teacher or Coordinator)

• Software Developer

• Graphic Designer

• Consultant

What It Takes to Work From Home

As a stay at home parent, you probably already know the value of time management and scheduling. Strong time management skills are even more important if you are also managing professional obligations. Many telecommuting jobs allow a lot of flexibility in scheduling since most of the objectives are project deadline based. In this setting, you will have to be highly self-motivated and set aside time to complete your projects and meet requirements on time.

It is best to ask questions upfront to better understand what will be expected of you in order to decide if a job is a good fit, allowing you to balance your job demands with your parenting demands.

Working Part Time

Some other options for parents to work from home include part-time work-from-home jobs and hybrid jobs. If you wish to work only part-time, for example, while your children are at school, you may be able to work out an arrangement with your current employer, or your potential employer. Sometimes, employers do not need a position filled full-time and opportunities can range from as little as 10 hours a week up to three-quarter time. These kinds of part-time positions may be especially appealing to you if you have a spouse who works full time and receives family benefits like health coverage. You can search ZipRecruiter listings for part-time jobs in your area.

Find Jobs With Flexibility

Flexible jobs are another option that is becoming quite popular. In this type of job, employees are expected to live near the office but are not required to come in every day. Some jobs may offer one day per week telecommuting, while others may be primarily work-from-home positions, requiring you to go into the office only for occasional meetings or one day per week. These jobs will usually state that they are work-from-home but require employees to live in a certain city so that the office is easily reachable as needed. Others may require travel for a few days each month and require you go to a client or the home office infrequently.

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The job market is shifting. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number for people who do some or all of the job working from home is on the rise. There are benefits to this arrangement for employers, who can take advantage of the lowered overhead costs of having work-from-home employees. They can also draw on a larger talent pool if they are not limiting their search geographically. These incentives, coupled with advancements in online interfaces and meeting capabilities are causing huge growth in the telecommuting job sector.

This is great news for parents who want to remain employed after having a child or return to work while still being a stay-at-home parent. More jobs than ever can provide a work-life balance that allows you to stay at home with your child. A remote position may be just what you are looking for as a parent. It is no longer a binary choice, either working or staying home, but no matter what you choose, it has to be the right fit for your family and needs.