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9 Top Flexible Side Hustles for the Stay-at-Home Parent
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Are you a stay-at-home mom or dad who needs to make some extra money? I have good news for you. There are many ways stay-at-home parents can make extra money at home by starting a freelance side hustle.
A freelance side hustle will not only give you a way to make more money now, it will give your family a second stream of income to help you have financial security into the future. Your side hustle can also easily segue into a full-time job when your kids get older.
As a work-at-home mom or dad, you’ll want a side hustle that will give you not only more money but one that will also give you plenty of freedom and flexibility so you can still focus on raising your family.
Not all side hustles are a good fit for stay-at-home parents, but fortunately many of them are. Stay-at-home moms and dads have lots of options for side gigs that will allow you to work at home and work the hours that are best for you, no matter how many kids you have or how old they are.
Here are 9 flexible side hustles that are a great fit for stay-at-home parents.
9 Top Flexible Side Hustles for the Stay-at-Home Parent
Proofreader
Proofreading is a perfect side gig for moms or dads who have good spelling, grammar and punctuation skills and are native speakers of the language they’re proofreading. Startup costs are very low and you can proofread on your own time. This is a great way for moms to earn side hustle money while your kids are busy with activities, playing, napping or at school.
How much do proofreaders earn?
Proofreaders in the U.S. earn an average of $18.90 per hour, according to PayScale.
Learn how to become a proofreader here.
Virtual Assistant
One side hustle that’s ideal for a lot of moms and dads is freelance virtual assistant (VA). VA’s do one or more of a large variety of tasks outsourced by businesses. There are hundreds of types of work you can do as a virtual assistant from managing Pinterest accounts to handling real estate administrative matters, from taking care of company emails to doing data entry. Any mom can find a VA niche that fits their interests, talents and skills.
How much do virtual assistants earn?
Virtual assistants earn anywhere from a low of $15 an hour to $100+ an hour for high-ROI services, according to Fully Booked VA.
Learn how to become a virtual assistant here.
Babysitter
Babysitting seems like an obvious choice of side hustle for stay-at-home moms and dads, but most don’t take the opportunity to earn some extra money this way.
Babysitting can be a bit tricky because you’ll want your own kids to get along with the kids you’re babysitting. Also, you might not want to ask other mothers you know for money to watch their children. It’s better if someone you know asks you rather than you offering. Think about who might need a babysitter and a tactful way to let them know you can fit that role. Babysitting can be a great side hustle for stay-at-home moms!
How much do babysitters earn?
Babysitters in the U.S. earn between $13 per hour to $18.75 per hour, depending on their location, according to Care.com. To see how much you can earn as a babysitter, use this calculator.
Learn how to become a babysitter here.
Life Coach
Moms and dads who are empathetic, intuitive, good listeners and good communicators can use those skills not only raising their kids but in a side gig as a life coach. Anyone can become a life coach. Some life coaches have psychology degrees, others learn their skills through life coach training courses. This is a side gig for which you’ll definitely need privacy and full focus while you’re with your client, so it’s best for moms whose kids can go without supervision for up to an hour at a time.
How much do life coaches earn?
Life Coaches earn between $100 – $400 per hour, according to Coach Pony.
Learn how to become a life coach here.
Translator
Moms and dads who are fluent in more than one language can start a side hustle as a freelance translator. You don’t need a degree to work as a translator, startup costs are very low, and there is a lot of demand for translators in widely-spoken languages such as Spanish. Translating documents is something you can do during your downtime, any time of the day you want, making this a great side gig for busy bilingual moms and dads.
How much do translators earn?
Translators in the U.S. earn an average of 20.69 per hour, according to PayScale.
Learn how to become a translator here.
Online Tutor
Parents who know how to teach may enjoy a side hustle of tutoring online. You don’t necessarily have to have a degree to be a tutor – some tutoring companies only require tutor training or certification. Busy moms can tutor as a side hustle now, then take on more students in the future if they ever want to turn tutoring into a full-time income.
How much do online tutors earn?
Tutors earn anywhere from $10 an hour to more than $50 an hour, according to Preply.com online language tutoring platform.
Learn how to become a tutor here.
Transcriptionist
If you’re a good typist and a good listener, you should think about doing at-home transcription as a side hustle.
Transcription is listening to spoken audio recordings while typing down verbatim what the people are saying. This is a growing field, and you’ll find lots of freelance transcription jobs online.
You may be able to start doing transcription without any training, but a really good training program can not only teach you how to do transcription properly, it can help you get clients as well.
This is a great side hustle for moms and dads whose kids need a lot of attention. You can stop transcribing at any time when your kids need you, then effortlessly pick right back up again later where you left off.
What do transcriptionists earn?
The average rate that transcriptionists in the US earn is $15 to $35 an hour, according to Transcription Certification Institute.
Learn how to become a transcriptionist here.
Freelance Writer
Stay-at-home moms and dads who have good writing skills can start a side gig as a freelance writer.
There are lots and lots of writing jobs out there in a wide range of niches. The pay you can earn as a writer has a wide range too. Most publications are online, but there are many print publications too which tend to pay better.
If you don’t have confidence that your writing skills are good enough to earn money with now, take an online writing course or offer to write free guest posts for bloggers. Once your writing skills have improved you can move on to paid gigs.
This is a great side job for stay-at-home parents because the ability to write well is a very useful life skill, so you’ll be able to not only earn money at home but develop and sharpen a skill that can help both you and your kids.
How much you can earn as a freelance writer depends on a lot of different factors. You can get a good idea of how much you should charge as a freelance writer here.
Learn how to become a freelance writer here.
Etsy Seller
Moms or dads with an artistic streak can create handmade goods to sell on Etsy. Making products for Etsy gives you a reason to use creative skills that you might otherwise not have time to use as you raise your family. With Etsy you work solely for yourself and have no deadlines, making this an ideal side hustle for busy moms who need some extra money but don’t need any extra stress in their lives.
How much do Etsy Sellers earn?
How much Etsy sellers earn varies depending on what they sell, how much they sell and what they charge.
Learn how to become an Etsy seller here.
To sum up:
These 9 side hustles offer a lot of flexibility and potentially good money, so they’re a great fit for stay-at-home parents. It’s up to you not only which one to choose but whether to turn it into a full-time income after your kids are older. The ability to easily start a full-time freelance job right at home is something not everyone can do. Start a freelance side hustle now and you’ll be able to walk right into a full-time freelance career later.
Want to know more about how to start a freelance side hustle or full-time freelance career? Download my free ebook How to Shift Your Mindset from 9-5 to Freelancing here.
Images by Vitolda Klein, Jimmy Dean
Sabina Lohr is a lifelong freelancer turned entrepreneur who created World of Freelancers to help others discover how to work for themselves online and live the freelance lifestyle. She’s always really enjoyed the freedom that freelancing brings, including several years on and off of working online while traveling and living abroad.
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