Remote work for stay at home moms

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For me, learning about stay at home mom jobs — and actually getting hired for one — was a game changer.

Last year I left my full-time teaching job to stay home with my newborn daughter and two-year-old son. The only thoughts occupying my mind in those first few months were nursing, tackling piles of laundry, sleep training, entertaining my toddler, and how utterly, painfully exhausted I was from watching two kids every day while barely sleeping at night. It made having one baby seem like a piece of cake.

Around the six month mark, I finally felt like I was getting into a manageable rhythm. We were all sleeping better at night, I had regained my pre-pregnancy body (well, for the most part), and I’d figured out how to take both kids out of the house all by myself.

But at the same time, I felt overwhelmed thinking about my children’s needs 24 hours a day and not doing much else to stimulate my own brain. I also wanted to make some money again, but I wasn’t ready to put my youngest in daycare to go back to work.

What I needed was a part-time job I could do right from home. Fortuitously, right around the time I started looking for stay at home mom jobs, I saw that one of my favorite parenting survival websites was advertising for a part-time editor. I put every last ounce of energy I had into applying for the position, and I was eventually offered a part-time editing and writing job. Victory!

My part-time position gave me exactly what I was looking for: schedule flexibility, the opportunity to work from home (I fit this in whenever my kids were sleeping or my mother came over to watch them), and a way to feel productive as I helped grow a website I really believed in. The job gave me mental exercise and a greater sense of balance in my life that I appreciate to this day.

If you’re a stay-at-home parent who feels like they’d benefit from a remote role, here are some work at home jobs for moms and dads with flexible hours to make extra money and help you stay sane.

8 legit stay at home mom jobs with decent pay

While there are a variety of work at home jobs for moms and dads, I chose to feature eight that typically allow flexible hours. It can be hard enough to squeeze in a shower or yoga class when you’re at home with your kid(s) so you probably can’t devote a 9 to 5 schedule to your remote job.

Plus, the roles below typically pay well, so they’re worth the time and energy you can squeeze in during nap time or after the little ones go to sleep. Here are eight of the best stay at home jobs for moms and dads, along with some recommendations for finding work.

1. Tutor

Tutoring can be a great option for stay at home mom jobs, as it often has great scheduling flexibility, and you get to interact with young or adult learners (if that’s your thing). With many online tutoring companies, you can log on when you’re available and earn at least $20 per hour.

Some of the most popular companies that offer remote tutoring jobs are QKids, Tutor.com, Chegg, Kaplan, A Pass Educational Group, Manhattan Prep, Magoosh, and Preply.

2. Online teacher

If you’re certified to teach and have a few hours you can carve out of your weekly schedule, your experience may be able to land you an online teaching job or two.

Lingoda, for example, hires teachers with at least two years of experience and provides them with lesson plans and curriculum, small groups of students, and pick-your-own scheduling options. Other popular online teaching platforms include Teachaway and K12.

If your main priority for stay at home mom jobs is schedule flexibility (i.e. you can’t commit to regular times for teaching or tutoring), and your background is in education, you may be interested in pursuing test-scoring positions instead.

With most test scoring jobs, you’ll be trained in how to score student exams from home and then you’ll be given deadlines to meet based on your schedule. These jobs usually pay between $15 and $20 an hour. For test scorer opportunities, check out WriteScore, ETS, ACT, and Creative English Solutions,

3. English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher

In a similar vein to tutoring, if you have your TEFL certification to teach ESL (or are interested in getting it), there are lots of remote ESL teaching positions out there for moms and dads who need to set their own hours. Some of these jobs don’t even require you to have a TEFL, so make sure to check before jumping into a program.

There are quite a few ESL job sites that give you complete control over setting your rates, hours, and specialties, such as CafeTalk, Skimatalk, teachlingo, VerbalPlanet, and italki.

Some of the higher paying companies that connect you directly with English Language Learners (ELLs) include: SayABC (which pays about $30 per hour), TutorABC (pay varies), and VIPKID (up to $22 per hour).

Some other places to find online tutoring gigs are Tefl.com, Dave’s ESL Cafe and ESL Jobs World.

4. Writer or blogger

I can’t even count how many awesome moms make their blog a lucrative side gig these days. If you’re a writer extraordinaire and you have a niche idea for a blog about parenting, cooking, diorama-making, or whatever it is you’re excited about, why not give the blogosphere a go?

At the very least, it’ll keep your mind stimulated, and you may even get to the point where you can monetize your blog through affiliate marketing (you earn a small commission when someone clicks on your recommended product to buy it) or ad revenue.

You could also do things like write and sell e-books or even pitch ideas and sell articles to interested publications. If you have an area of expertise, you could also work as an online consultant.

The possibilities are endless, whether you’re a baby whisperer, potty training expert, kids’ nutritionist, or social wizard skilled at organizing playgroups or mom support groups. Whatever your area of knowledge, chances are there are other like-minded people out there interested in learning from you. The website Pepperlane offers support to moms who want to grow a local business out of their unique skills, including help building a website and advertising to other local parents through their site.

Another option besides creating your own blog is freelancing for other sites. For opportunities in the freelance writing world, look at Problogger, MediaBistro, and Freelancer. Also keep an eye out on your own favorites sites— if they happen to list a writing job and your credentials fit the bill, go for it! This is what I did, and I love my part-time writing gig.

5. Hulafrog editor

If you don’t have a Hulafrog in your area, maybe you can be the person to bring this great resource to local parents. In a nutshell, Hulafrog is a weekly e-newsletter letting parents know about all the different kid-friendly events going on in their town in the upcoming week. It’s a HUGE help to stay at home parents who are looking to get out of the house with their kids to go to everything from festivals to library sing-alongs to kid friendly restaurants.

If you have a marketing or editing background, you can get trained to become an Editor and launch your own Hulafrog for your area. The Hulafrog sales team will then begin selling ad packages to local businesses. You’ll collect a commision of 25 to 50% on those sales, and you can build up the business over time. For the entrepreneurial, community minded stay at home parents out there who want a job with flexible hours, this one’s a pretty great opportunity.

6. Accounting

If you have an accounting background, here’s some good news: there are plenty of opportunities for remote part-time accounting jobs for which you can make your own schedule (some of them even advertise as having “mother’s hours”).

You can find jobs in bookkeeping, tax accounting, payroll, and financial consulting that you can do right from the comfort of your own couch while the kids are napping or playing with the babysitter. Check out Accountant List, Accounting Fly,  Indeed.com, and Flexjobs to start looking for remote accounting jobs.

7. Remote freelancer

Whatever your background might be— editing, software engineering, graphic design, marketing, site building — you’ll be able to find job matches on freelancing sites that match experts with jobs. Two of the most popular sites are Upwork and “>Fiverr.

You’ll create a detailed profile and submit job proposals for jobs you actually want to do. These freelancing sites offer great work at home jobs for moms and dads because of their flexibility — you can choose to do just one at a time or take on a few, depending on your schedule and bandwidth.

8. Kids’ consignment seller

As I’m sure you know, your kids grow out of their clothes faster than you can say, “I just bought you that!” If you’d like to make extra money on the many outfits they’ve outgrown in your time, consider setting up your own consignment shop with Kidizen, Swap, and Poshmark (which works entirely through an app). These sites make shipping easy and you get to keep most of your profits.

9. Etsy artist or shop owner

Are you crafty? Do you make adorable baby booties or loveys or barrettes or nursery sketches? If you have a hobby that could turn into a small business, consider setting up shop on Etsy.

The site will collect a small transaction, listing, and payment processing fee for each of your sales, but most of the profits will go right to you. Operating a shop on Etsy will offer the flexibility and creativity that many stay at home parents need in a part-time job.

Finding legit work at home jobs for moms and dads

Being able to stay at home with my kids has been a privilege, but as any stay at home parents know, it can also be extremely challenging. Getting the chance to carve out time for myself and put on my professional hat part-time during the week has been very beneficial both mentally and emotionally — not to mention financially!

While I was fortunate to find my online editing position, I know that finding legit work at home jobs for moms and dads can be tough. If you’re on the hunt, I recommend Home With the Kids, a site specifically designed for stay at home mom jobs. There are also some innovative sites out there that match moms with flexible, part-time jobs in supportive companies, including The Second Shift and The Mom Project.

For job boards with even more legitimate work at home jobs for moms, check out this guide with guide with 17 of the best websites to find a remote job. Good luck with your job hunt, Mamas!