Being a single parent is challenging, but it’s something that’s experienced by around 25% of families (comparecamp). While two-parent families struggle with work/life balance, that challenge becomes even greater when only one parent has to earn the money, take care of the home and look after the children, including making it to all those important milestones like recitals or parent-teacher conferences.
That’s one of the reasons that working from home has become a popular choice for single parents. It allows you to cut out the commute and work in a more flexible way to fit your other commitments. In this post, we’re going to share our advice on working from home and some of the jobs a single parent working from home might be able to do.
14 Single Parent Working from Home Jobs
One positive thing to highlight about the pandemic is the increased acceptance of working from home. This means that an increasing number of roles are now available to a single working parent. Here’s a selection for you to consider.
1. Child Care
This is a great solution if you have pre-school children yourself, allowing you to look after your own kids while also earning money for looking after other people’.
Perhaps one of the most simple work-from-home jobs for single moms. However, make sure to check your local legislation to see if you need any permits, insurance, etc.
2. Blogging
A low-cost option for starting your own business or side-hustle is to set up a blog. You can earn revenue by displaying ads or through affiliate schemes where you get paid a commission for every reader who goes on to buy.
3. Transcription
Many companies look to have their meeting minutes transcribed, and while there are AI solutions that are pretty good, they can’t beat a person listening. You’ll need specialist software to help you control the audio speed so you can keep up with the typing and a good pair of headphones.
4. Data Entry
If you’ve got a laptop and an internet connection, then you can work in data entry. You’ll be given assignments to either find data on the internet or to update it from other sources. There are also still a few jobs that take hard copy data and enter it onto an online system.
5. Virtual Assistant
Whether you work for one particular individual or you set up your own freelance business, there are many jobs that a VA can do including email and calendar management and administrative tasks.
6. Writer or Editor
If you’ve got a way with words or an eye for errors, then you could earn a living from writing, proofreading, or editing. Whether you’re helping a budding author to finish a book or creating a blog post like this one, writing is a good career choice for single stay-at-home moms.
7. Bookkeeper/Accountants Assistant
Do you have a good head for numbers? If so, then you could either find a job or freelance opportunities as a bookkeeper or accounts assistant. You’d be entering records and balancing figures for the account to review at the end of the year and tax time.
8. Customer Service
You might be answering phone calls from anywhere in the world using VOIP communications technology or answering messages that have come in via web chat. If you have patience and good communication skills, this is great work for single parents.
9. Personal Trainer or Health Coach
During the lockdown, many personal trainers diversified and started using video calls to deliver sessions to either groups or individuals. This can be a great way to keep the costs of your small business to a minimum and keep flexible hours.
10. Recruiter
Like many office-based roles, recruiters now commonly work from home using LinkedIn or online job boards to source candidates and carry out candidate screening and pre-interviews.
11. Social Media Manager
One of the most varied online jobs for single moms is working as a social media manager. This job involves developing content for sharing via various social media channels and monitoring feedback, as well as looking for conversations your brand can become involved in.
12. Graphic Designer
If you’ve got an artistic background and the right tools, you can design social media posts, brochures, web graphics, and much more in one of the more creative single-parent jobs.
13. Tutoring
From childhood through college and into adulthood, people are looking to learn new skills, and if you have them and the patience to teach, then you can work as a tutor. There are websites that will help you connect with students or host your training program.
14. Software or Web Development
IT companies have been championing working from home for years, including developing much of the technology that makes it possible! If you can code or you have web design skills, then remote work is a real option for you.
Advice for Single Parents Working From Home
As most people have found during the pandemic, working from home isn’t without its challenges.
If you’re the sort of person that is easily distracted by the jobs you haven’t got done around the house, then you will need to find a way to compartmentalize to ensure you can focus on your job. This can be as simple as setting yourself up a desk or work area and having a ‘getting down to work’ ritual such as making a coffee and spending a few minutes looking at your to-do list and calendar. If you don’t have the luxury of a permanent desk, your routine could be setting up your laptop, notepad, etc., on the dining room table.
It’s also worth making sure that your employer (or clients if you look for freelance work) understand your circumstances. Look for a role that will monitor your performance rather than your time at the keyboard, allowing you greater flexibility to work when you can fit it in around your other commitments.
Finally, be prepared for your plans to go sideways. A single mom working from home only has limited control over her own time; if you have a sick child, for example, you will have to be flexible enough to adapt and meet your deadlines while still managing your responsibilities.
Remote Jobs for Single Moms and Dads
We hope this post has made it clear that there are plenty of options for single parents who want to work from home. With advances in technology and a more accepting environment for remote working, there has never been a better time to try and achieve that better work-life balance.
