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5 Jobs for Stay-At-Home Parents Who Don’t Want to Put Their Careers on Hold

Dana Miranda, CEPF®

by Dana Miranda, CEPF®

Contributor

Work-From-Home Jobs

Editor’s Note 6/23//17: Some of the positions listed are no longer available.

If you’ve left a developing career to stay home with kids, you understand the financial impact it can have.

While you enjoy the freedom to be there for your kids, you also know it puts a strain on your family’s budget and can affect your ability to return to the workforce in the future.

We know there are plenty of ways to make extra money, so you can avoid going broke after you leave your job. You can even take on part-time work or start your own side hustle if you want to keep your income up.

But what if you want to avoid the dreaded career break?

These five skilled work-from-home jobs allow you to continue working in your field, but offer the flexibility to make your own schedule and build a career around your family’s needs.

1. Online Tutoring and Teaching: $20+/hour

Are you academically inclined and passionate about helping kids succeed?

If you want to work in education — but don’t want to be tied to a district — virtual teaching is a great option.

You’ll find a slew of tutoring sites online, where you can connect with students of any age on any subject or test prep. You can even teach English as a second language without leaving home!

It can be tough to know which opportunities are worthwhile, so we found best online tutoring jobs that are hiring.

If you’re certified to teach K-12 in any state, you could take it a step further and apply for a virtual teaching job.

2. Remote Writing and Editing Jobs: $50-$60K/year

Freelance writing is a wonderful way to earn money working from home. You can set your own schedule, take on as much or little work as you want and often dictate your pay.

You can get into freelance writing at varying levels of expertise. If you already have writing experience and want to earn what you’re worth with a flexible schedule, check out these positions:

Technical Writer: $58K/year

In addition to writing skills, technical writing usually requires some experience and expertise within a specific field. Pay is significantly higher than many writing jobs, with a national average of $58,000 per year, according to Glassdoor.

You’ll be writing guides, reports and other internal documents to help your team succeed.

Type “technical writer” in any search engine to find a job in the field of your choice. Check out these current openings:

  • Grant Street Group is hiring a business analyst to help communicate to customers how to apply its cloud-based software applications to their businesses.

Freelance Editor: $55K/year

Grunge, a website for “learning about fascinating, mind-blowing and just plain weird stuff,” is hiring a freelance editor to manage content and oversee writers.

If you have a bachelor’s degree and/or a minimum five years’ experience writing and editing online, and you enjoy content about weird news, food, gaming, history, pop culture, science and sports, this contract position could be a good fit.

Editor pay varies, so be prepared to negotiate. Glassdoor reports the national average salary for a freelance editor is about $55,000.

3. Developer: $75K/year

Have experience with software development? Trello has remote work opportunities for you!

All Trello employees have the opportunity to work from anywhere with a flexible schedule, or on-site in the company’s downtown Manhattan office. Jobs also come with:

  • Free gym membership
  • Health insurance and 401(k) with matching
  • Generous parental leave policy
  • Four weeks of paid vacation
  • All-expense-paid technical conferences

Current openings for developers include:

  • Growth Engineer: Help the team build site features to improve acquisition, engagement, retention, revenue and virality.

4. Virtual Recruiter: $30-$40/hour

If you have experience finding, screening and interviewing job applicants, consider working remotely as a recruiter.

Employment firm WorkPuppy is seeking virtual recruiters for contract positions.

In this work-from-home position, you’ll be responsible for recruiting, sourcing and interviewing job seekers, and matching them with employers. You’ll also work on outreach to develop new client relationships.

You should have an associate’s degree and at least two years’ related experience. Similar positions pay between $30-$40 an hour, Glassdoor reports.

To apply: Fill out the application online here.

5. Healthcare Outreach: $25-$30/hour

If you’re a registered nurse looking for a career change and more flexibility, consider becoming a patient outreach specialist with 83bar.

The company connects patients in need with healthcare companies that may provide the care they require. Your role is to call patients who’ve requested information and set appointments with 83bar clients.

While this is basically an appointment-setting position, the company points out it’s not a sales job. Your healthcare expertise and empathy as an RN allow you to offer patients the care they’re looking for — not just persuasion.

You’ll receive base pay plus commission, up to $25-$30 per hour. Plus, you’ll set your own hours, with a minimum of 20 hours per week.

To apply: See if you qualify for the position by taking the recruitment quiz online here.

Your Turn: Are you a stay-at-home parent looking for flexible work-from-home jobs?

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more, attempting humor wherever it’s allowed (and sometimes where it’s not).