One month before I gave birth to my son in 2016, I rendered my last day of work after almost 10 years in my first ever job after graduating from college. It wasn't a spur of the moment decision. Actually, it's one of the hardest decisions I made. The thought of not having a full-time job after years of being financially-independent is scary but the the thought of leaving my son to other people scares me more. And with today's scarcity of reliable nannies, I doubt if I'd ever find one that I can be at ease leaving my son with.
I am just thankful that while working full-time, I had the opportunity to learn which opened doors for me into the world of working from home. That helped me in making the decision to resign from my office-based job. I find comfort in the thought that I can always find part-time gigs with my experience, skills and connections (since I have lots of friends who are also working from home).
Those without prior experience to working from home or connections need not lose hope. I wrote this article for you to help you jumpstart your career as a work-at-home-mom.
How it Works
Before you start looking for jobs, it is important that you understand how this whole thing works. In order to work from home, you need to have a reliable internet connection and computer with specs appropriate for the job you intend to do. Some jobs, like customer service reps and online teaching, have minimum internet speed. Meanwhile, jobs that involve graphics, video editing and web development require higher computer specs.
When working online, you either have direct contact to the client (site or business owners) or work with a third party. With a third party, they are the ones with direct contact to the business owners. They are the ones who accept the job, assign the job to you, oversee that the job is being done correctly and they are the ones who send you payment. In other words, they are like the recruitment officer, or more like project or operations managers.
Know that working direct to the client and with a third party also differs when it comes to pay. With the former, you get the full salary while third party takes a portion of the payment.
The beauty of working-from-home is the option to work full-time, part-time or project-based. Since I have no helper at home and can only work when my son is sleeping or if my husband can take over looking after him, I choose part-time and project-based jobs only. I usually work at least four hours a day - two hours in the afternoon during his nap time and two or more hours at night when my husband is the one looking after him.
When working online, you either have direct contact to the client (site or business owners) or work with a third party. With a third party, they are the ones with direct contact to the business owners. They are the ones who accept the job, assign the job to you, oversee that the job is being done correctly and they are the ones who send you payment. In other words, they are like the recruitment officer, or more like project or operations managers.
Know that working direct to the client and with a third party also differs when it comes to pay. With the former, you get the full salary while third party takes a portion of the payment.
The beauty of working-from-home is the option to work full-time, part-time or project-based. Since I have no helper at home and can only work when my son is sleeping or if my husband can take over looking after him, I choose part-time and project-based jobs only. I usually work at least four hours a day - two hours in the afternoon during his nap time and two or more hours at night when my husband is the one looking after him.
Jobs You Can Do Online
Listed below are the jobs you can do online.
| Read: Jobs You Can Do Online
- Virtual/Admin Assistant
- Social Media Manager
- Webmaster
- SEO
- Graphics/Web Designer
- Developer/Programmer
- Customer Service Assistant
- Content Writer
- Blogger
- English Teacher
- Bookkeeping/Accounting
- Product Lister
- Project Management
- Digital Marketing
| Read: Jobs You Can Do Online
Where to Find Jobs
Here's the list of sites where you can find jobs online.
These are some of the most popular sites where you can find jobs online. I will be creating a separate post to describe each site, how it works, payment methods, and others.
- Upwork
- OnlineJobs.Ph
- Freelancer
- PeoplePerHour
- Guru
- Fiverr
- BestJobs.Ph
- VirtualCoworker
- VirtualStaff.Ph
- Outsourcely
- WeWorkRemotely
- 51TalkPhilippines
- QA-World
- 199Jobs
These are some of the most popular sites where you can find jobs online. I will be creating a separate post to describe each site, how it works, payment methods, and others.
Start Now!
After reading this far, I believe you now have an idea about this work-at-home thingy many mothers are hoping to have. It's about time you make the first move by assessing your skills and improving them if you believe they're not enough. Learning new skills is an advantage as well! The more skills you have, the more chances of landing a better job opportunity. There are several tutorials available for free online. You may also take short courses online if you have the means to pay for it.Simple advice for beginners: be patient and optimistic! If you get rejected, don't lose hope. There are other job opportunities and several other platforms to find your niche. Take rejections as opportunity to improve your self. With perseverance, you will get there at the right time.
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