Is Working Part-Time a Practical Alternative to Working At Home?
Ask many working moms or stay at home moms what the idyllic jobsituation would be and most will say, "If I could only work athome, make some extra money and still spend time with myfamily." With all the scams in the home based business industry, manystay-at-home moms have a very difficult time finding legitimateand well paying home employment. It can be a costly experience,when you think you have found a great job opportunity only tofind that you have been scammed by an unscr...
...upulous individualyou can’t contact. Hundreds of these so-called work-at-homeschemes exist, and it can be very frustrating trying to weedthru them and find legitimate opportunities. Many legitimate companies do hire stay-at-home moms. However,these jobs do tend to be scarce and many of them require thatyou have a great deal of experience or education to performthem. No one will "get rich quick" working at home. It will nothappen. And those ads that guarantee that you will are false.Remember the old saying "If it sounds too good to be true, thenit probably is"? Well it does hold true! So be careful whenconsidering one of these opportunities. So how is a mother supposed to do what she feels is the best forher family and still contribute financially? Many of us stay at home moms, climb aboard the guilt train whenwe even consider doing something for ourselves; taking a littledown time, finding a hobby or anything that we feel takes awaytime and energy from our homes, children, & husbands. We tend toforget that we too are human beings and day in day out “same olesame ole” can get very old, very fast. There is an alternative to working at home, that takes up a verysmall portion of your time, can make you a little extra incomeand can get you out of the house for a few hours. A part timejob may just be the answer you are looking for. Most part-timejobs require less than 32 hours per week and some require lessthan that. Now if you need to actually earn a living, then parttime work would probably not be a wise choice for you. Part timejobs may have other drawbacks that make them bad choices aswell. A few things to consider: Part-time jobs rarely pay more than$6-$8 per hour depending on skills required, and the type of jobyou will be doing. Some jobs pay as much as $11-$12 per hour,but they are rare. Be prepared to earn just a little aboveminimum wage for most part time jobs. Most part time jobs do not offer benefits. There are those thatdo, however. If you have the time to do your homework, you mayjust be able to find one that does. You will be better off, andmore apt to find a good part time job, if you do not make this atop priority. Many part time jobs are evenings and weekends. Many companiesneed people that are willing to work evenings throughout theweek, weekend days and evenings, and even holidays. Cost of childcare. This can be the biggest obstacle for thoseseeking part time work. Many centers or individuals that providechildcare either do not care for children on a part-time basis,or they charge full-time fees for part-time care. Okay, so you have weighed all the options, and you are ready togo to work. Where do you begin? Here are a few ideas and places to find part time work, alongwith benefits that some will provide for their part timeemployees: Day Care Centers, Church Daycares, & Church Nurseries: Many willlet you bring your own children free of charge! Home Day Care: Even with one child (depending on where you live)you could earn $80, $90 up to $125 in many areas for caring forone infant in your home. That translates to utility bills, carpayments, groceries, and many other monthly bills. Mall Stores Are the Ticket! Visit your local shopping mall,primarily clothing stores, craft stores, and other “womenrelated” stores. These places hire of lot of part time help,especially during the holidays Discount Stores: Many discount stores such as Wal-Mart or K-marthire TONS of part time workers in MANY areas; in their stores,offices, warehouses and more. Home Reps for Avon, Home Interiors, Tupperware, etc.: Try yourlocal yellow pages or a web search to find info about thesebusiness opportunities. Put Your Creative Abilities to Work for You! Flower arranging,crafting, tole painting, quilting, and more! Sell yourhandicrafts or teach others! Many craft stores offer areas orrooms in their stores for this type of thing. How Talented Are You? If you play an instrument, sing or are awhiz at geometry, start your own small business, by giving pianolessons, voice lessons, or tutoring. House/Office Cleaning Advertise in your local paper for house oroffice cleaning, running errands or yard work. Small officecleaning is a great way to earn extra money for just a few hoursper evening. NOTE: For any type of job listed above(where you are notreceiving a paycheck from an employer) make sure that youresearch the laws and regulations in your city and state inregards to zoning, sales taxes, insurance etc. before you start. Search your local newspaper classifieds. Many companies nowadvertise for employees on the internet and you can search thruhundreds of job listing databases, most of them free of charge. Working part-time might not be the ideal option that many momsdream about, but it can be a practical and rewarding alternativefor many of us. Keep your options open, stay flexible. Happy jobhunting!
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