Optimal Careers for Stay-At-Home Working Mothers

More and more companies understand the benefits of expanding workforce without paying the overhead cost for a physical work location for employees, but not all work-at-home careers are suited for stay-at-home moms. Simply working at home is not enough if the hours conflict with taking kids to school or caring for infants. The key requirement for stay-at-home mom careers is working at home with freedom to control when work is done. Here are three optimal stay-at-home mom careers.

Home Day Care Provider

This career allows stay-at-home mothers to get paid to watch others' kids while taking care of their own kids. The demand for daycare providers is so great that parents often have trouble finding daycare providers who are accepting new children for enrollment.

Pay: This depends on the number of kids being watched and the charge per hour. The pay is determined by the stay-at-home daycare provider, and the allowed number of kids that can be watched at once depends on local and federal laws according to the size of the daycare space and the number of adults involved. For example, watching 5 kids at the rate of $5 an hour means making $25 an hour.

Education,training and preparations: Each state has its own specific process, but generally the first step is getting licensed by the state. This includes a background check and fingerprints of all adults living in the house, a house inspection and completion of childcare classes.

Freelance Writer

Freelance writing takes a lot of work when learning the market, but once she's got her foot in the door, it's a job a mom can do anywhere at any time, making it perfect for stay-at-home mothers. The Internet is full of written words, and this brings a strong demand for stay-at-home writers.

Pay: There are two main methods for determining payment: Performance and Revenue Share Payments are based on either the amount of times an article is viewed, or a percentage of advertising revenue from people clicking advertisements. This is good for new writers learning their craft since perfect writing ability isn't needed for publication. Upfront payments are when writers sell work to a website for an upfront payment. There are fewer upfront payment opportunities, and websites only buy high quality articles.

Education, training and preparations: Academic validation is not usually needed to become a writer as long as the writer proves competent writing ability. Some online writing opportunities do require a writing sample.

Medical Billing/Coding

Medical coding, inputting coded data for billing systems of medical offices, is the most structured job of the bunch. One may be required to reach a quota within a set work schedule, but it's not like working at a call center from home where one must be ready every time the phone rings. Stay-at-home moms can work according to the family's needs as long as the work gets done.

Pay: The national average for medical billing/coding is between $10-$15 per hour.

Education, training and preparations: Certification in medical coding

Sources:

Medical Billing and Coding Certificate Degree Hourly Rate, Payscale.com.

State Licensing Requirements, Daycare.com.