Work at Home Moms: Decide if It's Right for You
http://workathomemoms.about.com/od/gettingstarted/ss/gettingstarted.htm
So you think that you want to join the ranks of successful work at home moms who make money but stay home, but you have some questions:
•How so I avoid work at home scams?
•Where do I find work at home jobs that pay well?
•How do I know if I'd like being a work at home mom?
All good questions. As work at home moms who've done it know, it's tough to go from working outside the home to a home-based job. Look here for a step-by-step plan for work at home moms who just getting started.
The first step to joining the ranks of successful work at home moms is not finding a job or starting a business. It is taking a long hard look at yourself, your family, your employer (if you have one) and your resume and deciding if being a work at home mom is what you want.
Think about whether you have the personality traits of work at home moms, what you'd like to gain from working from home and what you might have to give up. Then consider these:
•Work at Home Moms Benefits
•Work at Home Moms Drawbacks
•Family Ground Rules for Work at Home Moms
•Getting Back to Work After Pregnancy
There's no single way for work-at-home moms to be successful. There are many careers for work at home moms. Do some research and take a look at how other work at home moms manage. Perhaps, you could
•telecommute the job you already have,
•become a consultant or freelancer,
•start your own business,
•find a new telecommuting job in your field of expertise or
•dive into something entirely different.
Whether you're in the workplace now or you're a stay-at-home mom, the best place to start is with your own resume. If employed, can you negotiate a flexible work schedule that includes working from home?
If you've already left the workforce, look back at your last job. Network with your former co-workers. They may know of openings or freelance work that could be done from home. Search national job listings for that type of work with "telecommute" or "work at home" as additional keywords.
If your skill set or current career is not a good match for working at home, consider breaking out into a new field. Online learning is one approach. Starting a home business is another. If you do opt for a new career, keep in mind that you may need to hone your skills in a traditional workplace before becoming a home-based worker.
You've probably figured out by now that no work/home situation is perfect. But to get as close as possible to your own ideal, you and your family must set priorities. For work at home moms this means, breaking down the reasons to work at home into two groups: reasons to work and reasons to work from home, then rank them. Here are a few, but you may have more.
Reasons to work:
•Financial need/security
•Career advancement
•Save for retirement/college
•Personal fulfillment
•Pay debt
Reasons to work from home:
•Spend more time with kids
•Eliminate commute
•Save money on childcare
•Leave unpleasant work environment
•Reduce stress
As you look at job possibilities for work at home moms, think about how they fit with these priorities. While you're setting priorities is a good time to review the drawbacks of working from home. Most work-at-home moms don't start out with a full-time telecommuting position right away. The work-at-home lifestyle is usually something you build over time. In fact, you may need to build up your savings first. Plan to start small. If you're moving from the office to telecommuting, maybe try just a couple days a week at first to see how it works for you and your employer. And, of course, if you're building a business that takes time.
•Child Care - Figure out how much and what kind of childcare you'll need.
•Ground Rules - Adjusting to working from home can be a difficult transition for you and your family. Clear rules and expectations can ease the way.
•Home Office - Find a place of your own, somewhere within your house, and set it up with all the home office essentials.
•Organization - Systems for organizing for both life and home may have to be created or tweaked to make working from home go smoothly.
•Building a Nest Egg - Starting small can mean a reduction of income in the short term, so you must plan for this.
If after mulling all your options and thinking out the practical aspects of becoming a work at home mom, you've decided to start looking for a work-at-home job, then here are some job listings for work at home moms.
•About.com's Job Search - Search this database of national job listings for your field of work with "telecommute" or "work at home" as additional keywords.
•Companies Hiring for Work at Home Jobs - Alphabetical directory lists companies hiring people to work from home in fields ranging from customer service and data entry to PR and travel.
•Resources for Finding a Work-at-Home Job - Alison Doyle, About.com's Guide to Job Search, gives tips on finding legitimate jobs to do from home as well as list employers.
•Find a Freelancing Writing Job - About.com's Guide to Freelancing maintains this listing of job sites for freelance writers and editors.
•List of Work-at-Home Call Center Jobs - These companies hire home-based call center agents.
•Determine a Work at Home Job is Legit - Many ads and job postings targeted at work at home moms are scams. Know how to tell what's for real.
•Telecoa's List of Companies that Use Virtual Call Centers - Nonprofit organization maintains a list of companies that hire work-at-home agents for their call centers.
But do your research and be sure opportunities are legitimate. Learn how to spot a work-at-home scam.
MY THOUGHTS
i am seriously looking into work at home opportunities. no traffic, more time for family,less stress (?). i'm sure this will work.
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