Last week I wrote a piece on finding your passion, where I shared questions you can ask yourself and apply in your brainstorming on your journey to finding your dream career. For some, this may have sparked an idea inside of you, and if it did, you go mummy!! But understandably, not everyone will have reached this point so suddenly.
So what do you do?! What can you do in the meantime to generate some income for yourself and your family?
Below are some work from home ideas and some links to companies that you can actually apply to (and start getting paid!). These can be a great solution to tie you over in the meantime, and you never know, you may find yourself actually turning one of them into a full-blown career.
Market researcher
As a market researcher you engage with a specific group of people to help a company gather some information about how that group of people think, what they like, dislike, their hopes etc etc. The research would usually take place in the form of a survey or a questionnaire. As the researcher, you capture the responses from your audience, and you present them to the company you are working with.
If this sounds like something you can do, IFF Research is one of the UK’s largest market research company who are always on the lookout for help. They call their researchers Interviewers, and provide home-based opportunities as a telephone interviewer. For this role you have to have great communication skills and interpersonal skill as you will be talking to real-life people. The only requirements are a reliable internet connection, a laptop/desktop, and a headset that connects into your computer device. Check them out and give them a go if you like the sound of it.
Translator or Transcriber
The world is becoming a lot more globalised, and brands are always on the lookout for how they can expand their audience. If you are proficient in a well sought out language, you could tap into that skill and help brands connect with a whole new market by translating materials from English to either French, Spanish, Arabic etc.
A great website for translators to join is TranscribeMe you’ll have to take a test to prove that you can successfully translate a piece of material into another language, but once you are set up you can pick and choose your projects to suit your lifestyle.
TranscribeMe also have roles for transcribers. With this job you are basically given a recording and asked to type it up into words accurately. Again, once registered, you will have the flexibility to pick and chose the projects you take on.
Spelling and grammar would be the key skills required but so will attention to detail.
Teaching English as a foreign language
I mentioned earlier how globalised this world is vastly becoming, and even if you don’t speak a foreign language, you can teach the very one that you are well versed in, English. Companies such as iTutorGroup have teaching opportunities for people who meet their criteria. All lessons are carried out online via video, give them a click and see what they have to offer.
Sales
If you are good at speaking with people, and educating them about a service or a product, then sales may a good option for you. These roles tend to require someone who can do some background research on potential customers to see if they could benefit from the service/product being sold and then carrying out the sale over the phone.
ActionCOACH are frequently on the look out for individuals who can call up companies and book meetings for them. In this role you are essentially sourcing customers who are potentially interested in their service, and handing them over to the wider team.
Mystery shopper/ Merchandiser
Mystery shoppers and merchandisers will walk into a supermarket or a store and take pictures or carry out checks on behalf of a brand. These tasks are very handy as they usually have a 1-week window to be completed by. Although this role won’t allow you to sit at home and work for the practical part of the task, your reports can be written up at home and the actual visits can be carried out at a time convenient for you (e.g whilst the kids are at school). Given that you are working as a mystery shopper you can even walk in with your little one as if you are on a normal shop.
Companies that recruit mystery shoppers and merchandiers include Dee Set, Red Wig Wam, Wave and eXPD8. One you're signed up, you simply log into your account, view what jobs are available in your area, and accept the ones you can do. It is a good idea to sign up to as many as you can, to ensure that you have a plethora of options to choose from.
These roles will require great organisation skills as you will have to plan your trips in advance and submit the reports on time.
Property inspection and inventory clerk
Another role that is technically not home based but vey flexible for mums, as you get to chose which jobs to take on or even flag your availability so the employer can work with you on this. This role is very simple, to go into a rented property before, during or after a lease and carry out some basic checks. You will also have to take some pictures and perhaps test the smoke/CO2 alarm, but once that’s over with, you submit your findings to the landlord/agent and job done.
Property Line carry out these services, and are always recruiting, so if you are really good at taking pictures and have a good eye for detail, hit them up.
Previous work experience
I read somewhere that a good chunk of jobs are not always advertised, and one thing this pandemic has shown us, is the many kinds of roles that technically can be carried out from home. If you still have great relationships in your previous work industry, why not reach out and ask if anyone has any opportunities for freelance or flexible work that you can carry out from home. The great thing about this is that they already know you and your skillset, and you also won’t have to undergo a rigid recruitment process.
Conclusion
Unless you are living off a trust fund, chances are you are probably going to need to generate some form of income for your family. As a mother myself I completely understand the challenges that can come with modern day parenting (unaffordable nursery fees, unsuitable working hours, work discrimination… been, through, it, all!). The roles I have linked to require no fancy equipment or skill set, just simply the equipment you already have in your home and some persistence.