So you want to be a work-at-home mom? Getting started -- whether it's launching your own home-based business or setting yourself up as telecommuter -- takes planning and perseverance. Learn where to find work and tips on child care and home office setup.
I sometimes ask readers to submit digital photos for publication on About.com Work-at-Home Moms. If you would like to submit a photo, please use the following guidelines. Plus, be sure that your photo fits with the criteria of the call for photo submissions, i.e. "Creative Home Office Designs" or "Work-at-Home Mom's Helping Kids" etc.
Working from home might mean having a telecommuting job or it could be running a home-based business, which would include consulting or freelancing. Each has its ups and downs. From your own experience, what are some of the pros and cons of each situation?
So you want to work at home, but you’re still in the planning stages. While everyone’s journey to working at home will take a slightly different path, one of the first things most of us decide as we’re getting started working at home is whether we want to find a telecommuting job or start a home business.
To search for a telecommuting job online efficiently and effectively choose the right keywords. There is no single, best place to look for a work-at-home job online. Often you end up searching in many places, i.e. company websites, job boards, etc.
And, unfortunately, many of these sites use different keywords to tag the home-based jobs. One company's database may tag them all with "telecom…
Using a bid site is one method for a freelancer to find freelance jobs. Bid sites are basically online auctions for services.
Working from home isn't for everybody, but for most of us who do, we wouldn't have it any other way. When it comes to working from home, everyone does it a little bit differently and for different reasons. Tell others why you enjoy working from home.
What does WAHM stand for? Find out the definition for WAHM as well as find more resources for being a WAHM.
So you want to be a work-at-home mom (WAHM)? But you wonder: where do I find a work-at-home job that pays well? Aren't so many of them just work-at-home scams? All valid questions. It's hard work making a lifestyle change like going from working outside the home to a home-based job. Look here for a step-by-step plan to becoming a WAHM. Examine the issues involved when you mix raising kids and earning a living.
Whether you're building a work at home business or cutting back hours as you start telecommuting, having some money in the bank can ease that transition. So building savings is an important financial goal for those who want to work from home.
While work-at-home moms’ career paths, home office setups, and childcare arrangements may vary greatly, the reasons they choose to work at home are more consistent.
OK, now that you've thought about the pros of being a work-at-home mom you're all ready to give up the rat race (or maybe join it if you’ve been a stay-at-home mom). But here are a few other issues to mull.
When starting a home-based business, you must first determine if you can legally operate a business from your house. Local zoning laws may restrict the type of business, if any, allowed in a neighborhood.
When getting started working from home, figuring out which work-at-home jobs are legitimate, and which are not legitimate, is the first step. As you cull through the many Internet job postings and ads, a pattern of deception becomes clear.
Calculate how much you spend in commuting costs.
Work-at-home scams typically fall under several variations on a few themes. Some are pure cons while others are simply poor money-making opportunities. This list of possible work-at-home scams outlines both types.
While working from home is not without start up costs, many of those costs can be defrayed by the savings that working from home brings. So if you're thinking about switching from the office life to telecommuting, here are some areas where you can save a little of the green stuff.
While the benefits of working from home are many, it is not for everyone. It takes a certain set of personality traits to navigate the pitfalls of a being a work-at-home mom. And while it is not necessary to have every single personality trait when you start, you'll need to work on developing them to be successful.
Today, the many types of jobs for work-at-home moms reflect the diversity of careers now available to women. Take a look at these real-life examples of parents who support their families while working from home.
Alison Doyle, About.com's Guide to Job Search, gives tips on finding legitimate jobs to do from home.
Using LinkedIn for networking can seem daunting. It shouldn't be. Getting started using LinkedIn is as easy as picking a password, explains About.com's Guide to Working Moms.
Work-at-home moms' employment histories, which may include gaps or part-time work, do not always lend themselves to straight chronolgical resumes. Alison Doyle, About.com's Guide to Job Search, outlines several other types of resumes.
Though Susan M. Heathfield, About.com's Guide to Human Resources, offers a less optimistic outlook for stay-at-home parents returning to work, her 10 tips for those considering a return to the workforce are useful.
