Work from home jobs for mums might seem as hard to find as the remote control your toddler has hidden, but if you think a bit creatively, there are lots of legitimate work options, especially if you’re willing to start a home based business.
I’ve put together 50 different stay at home mum jobs. There are a huge range of roles and I have marked each one as either, “full time income potential”, “a decent part time wage” or “some extra pocket money” to give you an idea of the earning potential.
These are of course just a guide, in a lot of cases how much work you put in will effect how much you earn but I’ve allowed for the fact that work at home mums usually have limited time. Many of the jobs I’ve marked as “A decent part-time wage” could make a full time income if you were very successful or had a lot of time to dedicate to it.
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Selling Things for a Profit
One of the most straightforward ways to make money is to sell items and this can work well for mums working from home.
Selling Things on the Internet
What’s involved? You choose a product and sell it online, either via your own website (you can set up easily with shopify*) or via a third party like Amazon marketplace, eBay or Etsy (you can take a distance learning course on running an eBay Business*.
Requirements for Success: You’ll need something to sell and the space to store it. If you want to sell from your own website you’ll need to be fairly comfortable with technology.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Drop Shipping
What’s involved? Drop shipping is similar to selling stuff in the internet as described above but instead of storing the items you’re selling you work with another company who stores the items and shops them when they are ordered. You could also consider Print on Demand where items are only created when they are ordered.
Requirements for Success: Good digital marketing skills
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Direct Sales
What’s involved? Direct sales generally involves signing up with a company to sell their products, often to friends and family or through parties. Reputable companies include Avon and Usbourne books. Beware though any direct sales company where the focus is on recruiting others to the business.
Requirements for Success: You need to be comfortable selling to people face to face and should be passionate about the product.
Earning potential: Some extra pocket money
Selling by subscription
What’s involved? Selling by subscription involves getting people to sign up for a monthly subscription box on a certain theme. Customers pay monthly subscription fee and each month you put together items on that theme for example, stationeries or crafts.
Requirements for Success: You’ll need to be passionate about whatever the theme of your boxes is and have good research and negation skills to source items and still make a profit.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Travel Agent
What’s involved? Travel agents help people to plan and book their dream holidays. Most work with a company in a franchise arrangement
Requirements for Success: You’ll need to enjoy taking to people and have a good knowledge of popular holiday locations (or be willing to spend time learning!)
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Fancy Dress Hire
What’s involved? While you’ll be hiring the items rather than selling them you’ll still need to sell your services. You’ll have a large collection of costumes and charge people to hire them
Requirements for Success: Money to invest in costumes, space to store them and the marketing skills to promote your business
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Prop Hire
What’s involved? You’ll own a collection of items that people will hire for events, they might include novelty lighting, statues, sweetie carts, chocolate fountains etc
Requirements for Success: Money to invest in props, space to store the items and the marketing skills to promote your service. Networking skills to become a recommended supplier with local vendors are also useful.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Virtual Work from Home Jobs for Mums
These stay at home mum remote jobs all involve providing a service virtually, using the internet or telephone.
Distance Learning Tutor
What’s involved? Being a distance learning tutor involves supporting adult learners on a particular course and assessing their work. This is a job I used to do and it was a great way to make a part time income alongside my other business.
Requirements for Success: You’ll need in depth knowledge and/or a qualification in the subject you want to tutor and ideally some teaching experience as well as access to the internet.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Virtual Assistant
What’s involved? A virtual assistant does administrative tasks, usually for businesses, using virtual means like email, the cloud and zoom.
Requirements for Success: You need to be very organised and will need a good internet connection. You can train to be a virtual assistant here*.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Remote Coaching
What’s involved? Career coaches, life coaches, business coaches, diet coaches, can all work remotely via platforms like zoom to support people aiming to achieve a goal.
Requirements for Success: You’ll need excellent people skills, extensive knowledge in your specialism and decent tech skills to work with online meeting platforms. You can develop your skills via home based life coaching course*.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Tutoring
What’s involved? Working with young people to to tutor them one to one via Zoom or similar in a particular subject or subjects.
Requirements for Success: Tutors for primary age children are often qualified teachers but tutors for older children tend to be graduates in the relevant subject. It’s mostly after school and weekend work unless you tutor home educated children.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Book Keeping
What’s involved? Book keeping involves recording money going in and money going out of a business. You might be paid by the hour or a set rate.
Requirements for Success: Most book keepers have a qualification and use a specialist software programme to record information. You can train via bookkeeping distance learning course*.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Financial Adviser
What’s involved? Advising people who are making decisions about financials matters like investing, savings and pensions.
Requirements for Success: This is a specialist role so you’ll need a recognised financial advice qualification.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Marketing and Public Relations
What’s involved? Marketing involves promoting a business through things like branding and advertising. Public relations work involves managing and increasing the public perception of a business.
Requirements for Success: To work in marketing you’ll need some experience or training, consider a distance learning course in marketing.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Call Handler
What’s involved? Taking calls for large businesses like insurance companies and utilities companies and providing customer support.
Requirements for Success: You’ll need excellent people skills and a good telephone manner.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Recruitment consultant
What’s involved? Freelance recruitment consultants head hunts people for high level and specialist roles.
Requirements for Success: Good contacts and knowledge of the relevant industry and excellent people skills.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Data Entry
What’s involved? Typing data into a computer on behalf of a company
Requirements for Success: Excellent typing skills and attention to detail.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Writing and Reading Related Jobs
There are a number of flexible jobs That involve either writing or reading, a few involve both! They all offer a lot of flexibility which makes them great work from home jobs for mums. You find more details on these ideas in our dedicated post, Work From Home Mum Jobs that involve Reading or Writing.
Creating and Selling Information Products
What’s involved? If you have a subject you’re very knowledgeable about you can use it to create related products to help others learn about it like courses or Ebooks.
Requirements for Success: In depth knowledge of a subject that people will want to learn about.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Blogging
What’s involved? Writing regular blog posts that will appeal to your readers, money is then made through advertising, either through adverts that readers click through, companies paying you to write about their product, promoting products sold by other companies and receiving a percentage or by creating information products as described above.
Requirements for Success: Starting a blog requires the ability to write well and the willingness to learn some technical stuff to help the blog succeed.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Writing eBooks
What’s involved? Ebooks can be fiction or non fiction. Once you have written a book there are numerous ways to publish it as an ebook but most people publish and sell through Amazon. My experience of writing a book was really good, it was a lifelong goal for me and it felt great to achieve it.
Requirements for Success: The ability to write and good marketing skills to promote the ebook. Some technical ability is useful for actually creating the ebook although you can pay people to do that part.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Freelance Writer
What’s involved? Writing of various different types, usually articles, often for online publication on websites that need content.
Requirements for Success: The ability to research and write on a wide range of topics that you may not necessarily find interesting. This course can reach you more about the freelance writing business*.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Proofreader
What’s involved? Proofreading work before it’s published to check for errors. The one I used to proofread my book also pointed out obvious inconsistencies in formatting.
Requirements for Success: Excellent spelling and grammar knowledge, good attention to detail, you can study for a qualification via this distance learning course*.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Translator
What’s involved? Translating from home mostly involves translating work written in one language to another although their are some opportunities for phone based translation work.
Requirements for Success: Excellent knowledge of at least two languages.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Indexer
What’s involved? Creating an index for written works to allow readers to locate important information within the text. The librarian in me would love to give indexing a go.
Requirements for Success: Most indexers will have a qualification from the Society of Indexers.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Magazine Publisher
What’s involved? Designing, editing and publishing a magazine, distributing it, selling advertising in the magazine to cover the costs and create a profit. Magazines are usually local and distributed free.
Requirements for Success: Writing and editing skills, technical, skills to design the magazine, sales skills to sell the advertising. There are some franchise opportunities available in this area.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Working With children
These are all jobs for stay at home mums that involve working with children, from babies up to teenagers and all have the potential to keep your own child with you. You can read more about them in our post on Flexible Jobs for Mums who like Children.
Childminder
What’s involved? Looking after other people’s children in your own home, this can range from babies to before and after school care for older children.
Requirements for Success: You’ll need to enjoy working with children and pass the requirements to register with OFSTED which includes some training, potential childminders often do this course*.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Baby and Toddler Classes
What’s involved? Running classes, like music, sensory, dance or gymnastics for babies and toddlers. While your child is a suitable age, you can keep them with you. I ran a baby and toddler class for a while but it wasn’t for me, I’m just not into kids enough.
Requirements for Success: Enjoy working with babies, toddlers and their parents. Happy to stand up in front of a group. There are lots franchises available in this area.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
After School Classes
What’s involved? Similar to baby and toddler classes but for older children. You’ll need a particular skill that older children would be interested learning.
Requirements for Success: A good level of skill in your chosen area, some teaching experience/skills.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Nanny
What’s involved? Looking after other people’s children in their home. Taking your own child with you can often be negotiated.
Requirements for Success: There are less strict requirements to become a Nanny so it can be suitable for those who can’t meet the registration requirements for a childminder. I have a friend who is a Nanny and she has undertaken some specialist child development course and they have made her more in demand.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Hands on Jobs for Work from Home Mums
If you like to work with your hands then one of these jobs might be for you.
Baking
What’s involved? Baking cakes or other treats. Most home based bakers focus on celebration cakes but there is a growing market for afternoon teas and treat boxes.
Requirements for Success: As well as being a good baker you will need to complete a health and hygiene course and have your home kitchen approved the council. This course* can teach you about baking as a business.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Balloon Artist
What’s involved? Balloon artists create elaborate balloon displays for celebrations like birthdays and weddings
Requirements for Success: Creative skills to put together displays and marketing skills to get customers. One of the Mums at my daughter’s school is a balloon artist and she does the occasional display at school events to promote her work.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Creating Wedding Favours
What’s involved? Putting together wedding favours like the traditional bags of sugared almonds or boxes containing other small gifts. Some people also offer children’s party bags or sweetie cones.
Requirements for Success: Creativity to come up with fun and novel ideas for favours and marketing skills to sell your services.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Florist
What’s involved? Creating floral displays and bunches of flowers for a range of occasions. You can learn floristry via distance learning*.
Requirements for Success: Most florists have some training, you may also need to be willing to get up early to source flowers from markets.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Seamstress
What’s involved? Mending and adjusting clothes to people’s requirements
Requirements for Success: While you can probably learn to do simple fixes like dropped hems or missing buttons yourself if you want to alter clothes you’ll need to do some training.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Furniture Restorer/Upcycler
What’s involved? Buying old pieces of furniture and restoring them to their former glory and modernising them.
Requirements for Success: A creative eye to decide how best to upcycle. More complicated restoration will usually require some training.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Upholstery
What’s involved? You might choose to buy items that need to be upholstered and then sell them or offer your services to reupholster other people’s pieces.
Requirements for Success: While some upholsterers are self taught, most will do some kind of training. Upholstery can be quite physical and in my experience you’ll need strong fingers. I did an upholstery course a few years ago that was through our local adult education service, I loved it but it was physically quite hard work.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Microbrewer
What’s involved? Brewing beer! It’s not likely to earn you a huge amount unless you become really popular but can be a fun sideline.
Requirements for Success: You’ll need to invest in some basic equipment and do some reading up on the different techniques.
Earning potential: Some extra pocket money
Ideas for Creative Mums
If you’re the creative type there are plenty of options that let you express yourself.
Crafts
What’s involved? Making something using craft techniques for example, knitting, crochet, decoupage, glass painting, sewing, etc
Requirements for success: As well as skill at the craft you’ll need to do some research to find items that people want to buy and the skills to sell them, either online via sites like Etsy or face to face at events like craft fairs.
Earning potential: Some extra pocket money
Bespoke Items
What’s involved? Creating personalised items, like bears made from baby clothes or fingerprint jewellery or personalising items that already exist, like printing names etc onto water bottles or T-shirts
Requirements for success: Attention to detail to make sure the personalisation is correct and the marketing skills to sell your work.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Graphic Design
What’s involved? Designing images or logos for either printed materials like flyers or other promotional items or use online.
Requirements for success: You’ll need excellent design skills and access to design software. You can learn graphic design by distance learning.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Illustrator
What’s involved? Drawing pictures to illustrate a book, it could be pictures for a children’s book or images to illustrate a text book.
Requirements for success: Excellent drawing skills.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Tech Based Jobs
For most of these you’ll need to already have some knowledge but you could consider some trading and there is plenty of earning potential in these roles.
Website Designer
What’s involved? Designing websites, usually for businesses, this might be from scratch or improving a current website. I love building websites because it’s a creative outlet that doesn’t require me to be able to draw!
Requirements for success: You’ll need skills in a web design software like Wordpress or be able to write your own code. You’ll need to understand information architecture, user experience and have an eye for design.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Search Engine Optimisation Consultant
What’s involved? Search Engine Optimisation consultants help businesses optimise their website to appear in search engine results
Requirements for success: A good knowledge of SEO practices and an understanding of how websites work.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
App Developer
What’s involved? Designing phone apps that people will engage with, this might be a fun app that make a money by charging or through advertising, or apps to help businesses connect with customers.
Requirements for success: The tech knowledge and skill to design and build apps, an understanding of what users want from apps.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Digital Marketer
What’s involved? Marketing businesses in the on,I’ve World, this might be through social media, their website or digital public relations
Requirements for success: A good knowledge of how the main social media platforms work, networking skills if you want to cover digital PR.
Earning potential: Full time wage potential
Jobs Involving Animals
If you’re an animal lover there are lots of work from home mum jobs you could consider. A few are below but you can find more in the work from home animal jobs post.
Dog Groomer
What’s involved? Grooming people’s dogs, washing, brushing, trimming and cutting nails.
Requirements for success: You’ll need some space at home to dedicate to the business and some training in dog grooming. There is a huge shortage of dog groomers in my area so it would definitely be a winner here.
Pet Sitter
What’s involved? Looking after people’s pets when they are away, this could be having the pet at your home (common with dogs) or visiting it at their home (common with cats and small animals like rabbits)
Requirements for success: Good with animals (you can evidence this by getting an animal care qualification*) and a criminal records check can be useful if you’re going into people’s homes.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Beekeeper
What’s involved? Keeping bees in order to produce and sell honey. If you’re new to beekeeping you learn more here*.
Requirements for success: You’ll need some training in beekeeping as well as space for the hives. You’ll also need to be able to sell your honey.
Earning potential: Some extra pocket money
Pet Breeder
What’s involved? Breeding pedigree animals, usually dogs or cats, and selling the offspring.
Requirements for success: A good knowledge of the animal you’d like to breed, initial finds for vets fees, being comfortable saying goodbye to animals. It’s important that you check there is a market for what you’d like to breed and make sure you find good homes for them.
Earning potential: Some extra pocket money
Miscellaneous Work from Home Mum Jobs
This is mixed bag of roles that don’t really fit anywhere else and people often don’t consider but have the potential to be great for work at home mums.
Mystery Shopper
What’s involved? Buying an item or using a service and reviewing it for the business owner. A friend was a mystery shopper for a few years and really enjoyed it.
Requirements for success: You’ll need to be comfortable with potentially acting as a difficult customer and submit reviews by the required deadline.
Earning potential: Some extra pocket money
Matched Betting
What’s involved? It’s complicated but essentially you use the free bets that bookmakers give away to make a guaranteed profit
Requirements for success: Unless you’re super confident it’s best to sign up with a matched betting service. The maths is complicated but if you are good at following instructions it’s not a problem if you don’t have a head for numbers, I certainly don’t and I made plenty of money from it for a few years.
Earning potential: A decent part-time wage
Survey Taker
What’s involved? Filling in surveys in exchange for money or vouchers
Requirements for success: Attention to detail, willingness to keep an eye out for when new surveys are posted.
Earning potential: Some extra pocket money
So there you have 50 different work from home jobs for mums. If you can’t make your mind up, you might also want to consider combining a few into a portfolio career which can work well for mums who need to manage their own schedule. Whatever you decide, good luck with your job search!
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