7 Flexible Jobs You Can Have As a Full-Time Mum

Working as a full-time mum can be hard work. There is a lot to achieve in the average day, such as childcare, housework, and running errands. You might also need to navigate school pickups and drop-offs, not to mention extra-curricular activities.

Even though parenting is a full-time job in itself, many mothers want or need to take on paid employment. As you might imagine, finding a job that offers flexible hours can be challenging. However, you might be surprised at just how many jobs there are to suit your unique needs.

If the time has come to start considering your employment options, some of the following job types might pique your curiosity.

Custom Merchandise

If you’ve always been interested in fashion, but the timing never felt right to pursue it as a career, now might be the right time. You can align yourself with a print on demand service, choose high-quality garments, and come up with fun screen-printing options.

Such a job might be easy to fit in around taking care of children, since you’re able to outsource all the hard work to another business. Once the garments turn up at your home, you can spend time marketing and selling them online for a profit. There’s no need to worry about working particular hours or not being available when your children need you the most.

When you get involved in custom merchandise sales, you might also benefit from an entirely scalable business model. When your children don’t require as much of your time, you can expand your offerings and potentially increase your profits.

Data Entry

Even if you don’t think you’ll have much spare time as a busy parent, there are plenty of jobs that offer complete flexibility in the hours you work each week. For example, data entry is a highly desirable job that many companies require and don’t have time to perform themselves.

Data entry involves typing, editing documents, transcribing information, and digitizing forms. While it’s straightforward work, it’s traditionally time-consuming, which means many time-poor business owners would rather outsource this work to someone else.

Data entry is also something that many people can perform in the comfort of their homes. There’s no need to worry about childcare, long commutes, and managing work-life balance. You might also find an abundance of these job types on freelancing platforms.

Grocery Store Night Fill

If you can rely on your spouse to remain at home with your children in the evenings, you might be able to apply for jobs that don’t require you to work from home, such as grocery store night fill. Such a position requires you to fill grocery store shelves at night, ready for customers to shop the following day. Night fill positions can generally be quite desirable for parents who might have spare time at night once the kids have gone to bed.

In-Home Childcare

If you love children, have a child-friendly home, and don’t mind dedicating time to training, in-home childcare might be something you consider to earn extra money and ensure your children have many new experiences.

Many parents prefer in-home childcare over childcare facilities due to the more personable approach, home environment, and, sometimes, more affordable fees. Taking on such a job also means you don’t need to worry about paying for childcare for your own children since you will be able to look after them in your own home.

However, it’s important to note that most home-based childcare businesses do limit how many children you can safely care for in your home.

Mail Delivery

Many businesses run promotions and sales and want as many people as possible to know about them. While flyer drops are far less common than they used to be, there is still money to be made in pamphlet and flyer delivery.

Such a job can be ideal for mothers who don’t feel like they get outside in nature as much as they would like and love the idea of being able to exercise while pushing a pram, delivering mail, and earning money simultaneously. Mail delivery isn’t the most well-paying job, but the many other benefits aside from earning money might make it worth your consideration.

Remote Work

The COVID-19 pandemic made remote working more popular than ever before. Any employee who could work from home was often encouraged to do so, and some made the move permanent even once many of the dangers associated with COVID-19 had passed.

You might have taken time off work when you had your children or given up your job altogether, but getting back into remote work, even if only part-time, might be an option if you believe you can manage it around caring for your children.

Even if you’re unable to return to your old job, you might find a variety of remote tasks available on freelancing platforms, such as content writing, graphic design, administration, and more. Most available freelancing jobs have flexible working hours, which means you don’t have to sacrifice precious time with your family.

Drop Shipping

Drop shipping can be a lucrative money-making option for many people. It involves purchasing products directly from manufacturers and warehouses, marketing them as your own, and hiring a logistics company to manage packaging, shipping, and most customer-related tasks.

While you might need to establish an eCommerce website, put time and effort into marketing, and work hard to build up a name for yourself, such a business can be ideal for busy parents who may like to scale up or down at any time.

The beauty of drop shipping, rather than starting your own business in a physical location, is that you don’t need to carry stock, invest in hundreds of products, or accept a great deal of risk.

There are a few setup costs associated with drop shipping in the beginning, along with the ongoing costs of a logistics company, but it’s otherwise a relatively cost-effective business option for anyone looking for limitless profit potential while still maintaining a desirable work-life balance.

Being a parent is a full-time job in itself, but that doesn’t mean you can’t balance a job and earn money to support your family. If you’re ready to re-enter the workforce but need flexible hours to suit your new way of life, any of these job options above might be worth exploring further.