Getting a job when you have to run a household and care for your family can be tough, but it’s a reality that many modern moms have to face, given the rising cost of living around the country. With that in mind, you might want to know about the best careers for moms and caretakers. Many of these jobs can be worked part-time, while others allow you to work full-time from home.
Let’s get started.
What makes a good job for a mom or caretaker?
For the most part, the top jobs for moms and caretakers (or any other stay-at-home parents) have a few shared factors.
- They’re flexible in their schedules. Many moms can only work part-time for the first few years of their child’s life, for example, and they’re more than willing to ramp up to full-time once kids are in school.
- They’re at least partly remote-friendly. Even if a mom or caretaker can commit to full-time work, they may not be able to leave home to go to the office for five days out of the week, eight hours a day.
- They have good opportunities for advancement and pay. If pay isn’t high enough, there won’t be a good enough incentive to get moms and caretakers to go to work. To that end, the best jobs for moms and caretakers should have reasonable opportunities to increase in salary or responsibilities.
These factors might seem difficult to combine in a limited job market. In truth, there are plenty of jobs — perhaps now more than ever — for moms and caretakers who can’t leave home often or at all during the workweek.
Related: Why Are 10 Million Moms Missing from the Workplace?
Top 13 jobs for moms and caretakers
To see what we mean, read on. We’ll explore 13 different jobs for moms and caretakers of all stripes.
1. Nurse
Nursing is a perfect fit for many moms and caretakers, and for one big reason: these individuals may already enjoy taking care of other people. Nurses have to have the right personality for the position, not just a commitment to providing proper medical care and attention.
However, nursing is only a good job for moms and caretakers whose children are already out of the house most of the time (e.g., in school). Therefore, this could be a superb second career, for example, for a mom who doesn’t know what to do after her kids go to college.
Nurses generally have to have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree but make excellent money for their education. They also have opportunities for advancement if they acquire a graduate degree and manage or supervise other nurses.
2. Teacher
Similarly, teaching could be a terrific profession for moms and caretakers of all ages. Like nurses, teachers have to have empathy and demonstrate a focus on care for their children. The best teachers are those who personally care for all of their kids, not those who just recite information from a book.
Even better, mothers can potentially work as teachers even while their kids are still in primary school. They may even end up teaching their kids in a traditional classroom environment. All teachers need to have a bachelor’s degree in a subject they wish to teach or in education, plus complete state-approved teaching programs. They earn reasonable salaries but also have very high work demands.
3. Web developer
Web developers are frequently flexible, work-from-home specialists. Therefore, it’s no wonder this profession is commonly recommended for moms and caretakers.
In a lot of cases, mothers and caretakers could potentially work as web developers entirely from home, either as freelancers or as out-of-the-office employees for companies. In any case, web developers create websites, web apps, streamline business and ecommerce processes and much more. It’s a great job if you like to program and write code and if you wish to exercise your artistic talents to some extent.
4. HR specialist
Human resources specialists are oftentimes made up of mothers and caretakers, partially because these individuals can be work-from-home professionals. For example, you might work as an HR Specialist tackling tickets and handling company HR initiatives from home part of the time, then working in the office the rest of the time.
HR specialists are usually outstanding communicators and people-focused — again, this highlights a common personality trait shared between many mothers and caretakers and HR representatives. HR specialists have good opportunities for career advancement and progression.
They start off earning reasonable money but can eventually become heads of their departments and earn much more with enough commitment.
5. Copywriter
Copywriters may work from home in many cases. That’s because all of their work takes place on the computer, typing away on a keyboard. Copywriters can work for agencies or companies, or they can become freelance copywriters. But in all these positions, copywriters create content for brands by matching tone, voice and target audiences.
Copywriting could be a phenomenal job for mothers and caretakers, as it can often be completed on a part-time cadence. Furthermore, you can work as a freelance copywriter and take your own clients at your own pace, giving you maximum schedule flexibility.
6. Data entry specialist
Data entry specialist jobs don’t pay a lot of money, but they are simple and easy to accomplish from home. In this post, you’ll enter data for companies that need it for marketing analytics and other purposes. This easy remote career is a perfect way to take up some time and earn some extra cash while caring for kids or others.
7. Customer service representative
All you could work as a customer service representative. Customer service reps answer phone calls, handle customer complaint tickets and represent their companies or clients respectfully. Many customer service representatives can work from home part or all of the time, and almost all of the work takes place remotely (i.e., you don’t see the people you talk to face-to-face).
Given these facts, it’s clear to see that customer service representative jobs are perfect for stay-at-home moms or mothers and caretakers who only have enough time for part-time work.
Related: 5 Top Jobs for Stay-at-Home Moms
8. Virtual assistant
Want to assist other individuals with organizing their calendars, scheduling meetings and handling administrative busywork? In that case, you could work as a virtual assistant. Virtual assistants work entirely remotely, making this career a stellar fit for mothers and caretakers who have to stick around at home.
But they also usually only have enough work to fill a part-time schedule. Thus, you can work as a virtual assistant and earn extra money for your household without taking too much time away from your kids or the other people under your care. As a virtual assistant, you’ll also learn many passively beneficial business skills that could prime you for other work opportunities after you have more time.
9. Blogger
Moms with hobbies and interests are stereotypical bloggers, so maybe you should consider becoming a blogger yourself. Becoming a blogger could be a perfect fit if you like writing and sharing fun information. You can work on your own schedule, after all, and you’ll have to learn many skills to be successful, including:
- Writing
- SEO (search engine optimization)
- Web development
- Marketing
- And more
In time, you can build up a blog and a dedicated readership that turns to you for advice and insight on a particular topic or niche. For many mothers and caretakers, it’s one way to build up a professional reputation on the side while caring for a loved one or little one.
10. Accounting clerk
Accounting clerks are exactly what they sound like — basic bookkeeping professionals who perform a lot of entry-level accounting work for businesses and private clients. You can get accounting clerk work on a freelance basis, or you can work for a specific company.
In either case, you can frequently complete your duties part-time or entirely from home. This frees up plenty of time in your schedule to care for your kids or other loved ones as needed. Plus, you’ll learn skills to acquire your CPA or accounting credentials later on if you so choose.
11. Graphic designer
If you have an artistic streak and the talent to back it up, you can become a graphic designer. Graphic designers provide graphical assistance and development work to companies of many different sizes. As a graphic designer, you’ll make logos, outline websites, create web elements, help companies launch digital apps and much more.
Like copywriting, you can work as a freelance graphic designer and seek out positions on listings boards like Upwork. Or you can work for a dedicated company. No matter how you choose to work, you’ll have significant schedule freedom and flexibility, helping you juggle your family responsibilities in addition to your work responsibilities.
12. Social media manager
If you like working with people, consider working as a social media manager. Social media managers run, oversee and adjust the social media profiles of companies on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Fortunately, you can work as a social media manager from home part of the time or all of the time. You’ll have to spend a lot of time monitoring a company’s social media chatter. You’ll likely also help the marketing team develop new marketing pushes, effective advertisements and much more. This is a great way to build up your marketing skills for future career development.
13. Programmer
Lastly, if you like to code and program, you can always work as a freelance or remote programmer. Either type of programmer will bring in excellent money if you know the right languages. More importantly, you can continue building up your professional portfolio and prime yourself for an explosive return to the workplace once your schedule frees up later.
As a programmer, you’ll be kept relatively busy with numerous projects and deadlines. This is a great career for mothers who like to work on the computer but who don’t have the time to go into the office.
Related: 5 Essential Skills New Working Moms Need to Know to Keep Their Career in High Gear
Summary
As a mom, you can find a stellar job that allows you to bring in some extra money and progress your career while maintaining your family responsibilities. Keep these professional prospects in mind as you begin your search.
Check out Entrepreneur’s other guides and resources for more information on this topic.
