The Best Stay-at-Home Jobs for Working Parents 

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Balancing parenthood and work is one piece of a challenge. Juggling parenting responsibilities on a daily basis while keeping up with your work tasks is beyond complex, even for the most skilled multitasking professionals. As a working parent, a big part of how hard this challenge will be relies on getting a stay-at-home job that gives you more flexibility to play on both sides of the court.

If you plan to resume your corporate adventure after your parental leave or you’re considering starting a new gig from home that allows you to have a healthier work-life balance, keep reading for a few tips and tricks for your stay-at-home parent experience. 

Parental leave for working parents

Parental leaves are a complex topic for working parents. Although it’s a work-life balance benefit that allows parents to live and enjoy their maternity and paternity while keeping their employee development on track, there are a few common challenges working moms and dads have to overcome when they go through this situation.

Aside from the challenge of balancing work and parenthood, working parents can experience worrisome feelings about missing out on work or the changes they’ll face regarding their role, team, and responsibilities when they get back from their parental leave. 

Despite effective management and communication within their teams, many working dads, and especially moms, feel there’s an expectation for them to prove their value or to “give it all” as if they hadn’t left.  The biggest concern about this fixation on fulfilling the “ideal worker” role and the unbalanced distribution of household and childcare responsibilities between them and their spouse is that it’ll ultimately lead to experiencing burnout.

Considering all these aspects, how can working parents and companies collaborate to improve their parental leave experience? Here are some simple actions you can follow. 

1. Take a personalized approach to your leave and return.
2. Keep a flexible mindset and be prepared to pivot.
3. Work with your company to tailor inclusive processes.
4. Set a realistic reentry plan with your manager.
5. Look for partnerships or this-party resources for working parents.
6. Find a mentorship to guide you through your process.
7. Build a working parent’s community within your organization.

Making money as a stay-at-home parent

Truth be told, not all professionals get to experience the ups and downs of parental leave because many of them prefer to leave the workforce to focus on their motherhood or fatherhood. Climbing the corporate ladder loses value when you compare it to being there for your kids. Still, there are other ways stay-at-home moms and dads can get a job to keep their earnings and professional development. 

Finding jobs for stay-at-home parents, especially options that fit your lifestyle, is a complex task. Of course, you can source some job openings that look attractive on paper and survey other people in your situation and what has worked for them; still, you have to set your own criteria to make your pick. 

From starting a side hustle to transitioning to a work-from-home job, stay-at-home parents can look for more flexible ways to have a solid income while raising a family. But can you know what the best option for you is? Just make sure to lean for the option that allows you to keep a flexible work schedule and that, in some way, can be done part-time.

Jobs for stay-at-home moms and dads are the most balanced option for working parents who seek to keep a two-household income while working remotely.

Landing a job for stay-at-home moms and dads

The job search and the idea of rejoining the workforce while raising a child is a challenging combo itself, so take it easy on yourself. Always keep in mind you’re not alone in this path; 88% of stay-at-home parents are somewhat or very concerned about reentering the workforce.

So, tackle the challenge one step at a time. Once you’ve found the stay-at-home job that fits best to your parenting needs, reevaluate your profile and make sure you have a well-tailored resume. Investing in your personal branding will allow you to reframe the skills you’ve learned as a stay-at-home parent. Despite the belief that these don’t have an added value for your work life, many employers pay special attention to caregivers’ knowledge and hone skills. 

If you’re already sending resumes, follow this guide and increase your chances of getting that stay-at-home job you’ve targeted. 

1. Assess your skill set.
2. Rewrite your resume.
3. Update your LinkedIn profile and stay active. 
4. Get some third-party advice from a recruiter or mentor.
5. Try with more than one option and have a backup plan. 

8 stay-at-home jobs for moms and dads

In case you’re still on the lookout for stay-at-home jobs, whether you plan to resume your current career path or make a career change, here are a few options that will allow you to work remotely and make money. 

Customer service representative

Even though there already were some remote customer service positions, the number of work-from-home job postings for this role grew bigger after the pandemic. The best thing for stay-at-home moms and dads who seek to reenter the workforce is the skill set needed. All you need is to be proficient by the phone, respond to inquiries, assist customers, and follow up on administrative processes. 

Real estate agent

For this one, you’ll only need the proper training and certifications to make it a fittable option for stay-at-home parents with a sales background or skill set. By working as an intermediary, you can make a living in this business without owning properties. 

Even if you’re not comfortable working in sales, you can get into the real estate industry in property preservation and repairing foreclosed homes. This way, you’ll only stick to administrative work that can be done remotely.  

Recruiter

Probably you’ve been reached out by one of them, but are you clear on what recruiters do and the training they need to perform their job? Despite being a commission-based job, recruitment is a recession-proof business that allows stay-at-home moms and dads to have a 6-figure income depending on their performance and proficiency. And the best part? Many professional backgrounds are suitable for transitioning to this industry.

Marketing specialist

If you come from a marketing background, you have a high chance of being able to continue with this job as a stay-at-home parent. Whether you lean toward a work-from-home position or as a freelancer, you’ll be able to perform different roles such as SEO Specialist, Content Manager, or even Marketing Manager. 

Graphic designer

If you’re more into the creativity and design field, there’s a huge area of opportunity for landing jobs for stay-at-home moms and dads. Website designing, logos and ads, printing materials, or social media assets are just a few of the things you can do working remotely, either employed or freelancing, as a digital and visual designer. 

Online teacher/tutor

While teaching is a profession most people associate with being in the classroom and, therefore, it can’t be remote, the pandemic showed online tutoring is viable and effective. If, before becoming a parent, you were a teacher or your degree allows you to become a tutor, you should definitely make it your stay-at-home job. 

Proofreader 

If you have high attention to detail and grammar proficiency, proofreading seems like a suitable choice for your stay-at-home job. Proofreaders are oriented to find the slightest errors in the documents they review. Therefore, as a proofreader, you’ll have to be consistent about format and grammar checking, fact confirming, and more.

Writer/Blogger

Becoming a writer is another excellent stay-at-home job for people with A1 writing skills. Though this option is more oriented toward freelancing or starting your own blog, many companies need writers for their website blog posts. If you lean toward creating your articles for your own channel, make sure to create content that allows you to use your expertise and career focus, as well as your experience in parenthood. 

These are only a few options for you to consider, but many more options can adapt to your knowledge and skill set. Your stay-at-home job can come in many forms: a family business or entrepreneurship, a remote work position, or freelancing. In any case, you should lean toward the option that makes you feel more comfortable and connected with your parenthood journey. 

Contributed by Luis Arellano