Home based jobs—and the one you didn’t think of

Home based jobs and remote jobs are becoming more common, especially since COVID-19. And it’s not surprising–we’ve all had a taste of the flexibility remote work brings. Less time commuting means more time with family, which is really appealing. If you live in the London area and want to work from home, the competition can be tough–especially where it comes to clerical roles. But not all home based jobs have to keep you tied to your desk (or sofa). Read on for some common work from home jobs, and finally, the rewarding role you haven’t thought of until now—childminding.

First—what are some common home based jobs? 

Here are some jobs you can do from home, depending on your skills.

Call centre agent—This is a good entry-level role if you like talking to people on the phone. However, the income can be unsteady, often based on commission instead of a real salary. And a lot of the time, you’ll deal with being hung up on by people who are fed up with cold-calls.

Customer service—Another job that’s good for people with less experience in other fields. Many customer service roles only offer minimum wage, and you’ll be seated most of the day, helping people with issues over live chat or on the phone. Pro: chatting if you’re sociable. Con: Angry people taking out their frustration on you!

Social media assistant—Working in social media is great if you’re creative and enjoy a fast-paced environment. Equally, if you’re only working on one or two social channels, it can get repetitive, and sometimes stressful. Your income will vary, but it’s usually not generous unless you have prior experience.

Content creator or writer—This is a good job for anyone with video-editing skills or copywriting skills looking for a home based job. It can be a lot of fun, but your income might not be stable, especially if you freelance. It’s also a very crowded field–you need to make your work stand out in a world flooded with content.

Data entry—Data entry is perfect for someone with a head for figures and experience working with Excel looking to work from home. It is detail-oriented so you need to be really focussed all day. There’s a chance you’ll experience health problems due to repetition and screen-time. 

Tutor—If you speak a second language or have a qualification in maths, physics, history or biology, there are always plenty of children and adults looking for help with their education. Just remember the pay can be deceptively low, and you’ll have to decide whether to work ad-hoc or join a tutoring agency.

Our favourite home based job: childminding

Childminding might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re seeking a remote role, but it’s a really rewarding job. In fact, there are so many pros to this home based role that we had to list them!

• Home-based job. Any work from home job means cutting out lengthy commutes and traffic jams, cutting down on your carbon footprint, and giving you control over your own ‘office’. Childminding is no different–you’ll work from the comfort of your own home.
• Earn more than you might think—depending on how many days you work and if you take on an assistant, childminders in inner London can earn as much as £37,000–£70,000 per year with Koru Kids. Yep, really!
• If you have children of your own, you can look after them at the same time! Not a lot of jobs let you spend time with your own children while you’re working. For parents with their own childcare worries, this is a huge pro.
• That also means you’ll save on childcare costs—if you have a little one, you don’t have to pay for them to go to a nursery! Keep them home with you and the children in your care.
• Spend time outside in the fresh air—very few home based jobs let you be active, out and about. An outdoor learning approach means daily adventures in the open air.
• Get creative—Childminders run the show in their own home, quite literally. Decide on fun activities to do with children, put on a living-room panto, or get painting a multicoloured masterpiece!
• Shape the future of the children in your care—development during the first five years are absolutely vital for a child’s entire life, and you get to be part of it.
• Cut down on clerical work— If you decide to work with a childminding agency like Koru Kids, we deal with the admin. All the taxes, paperwork, and insurance are taken care of for you.
• Benefits beyond running your own business—Koru Kids make sure you have a pension scheme and time to take a paid holiday!
• No qualifications needed—you do need some training to become registered as a childminder. Koru Kids provide you with the training, for free! As long as you love working with children, and you’re ready for something new, we take care of the rest.

The best thing about childminding is making an impact where it matters—in the early years. Koru Kids want families to flourish, and children to flourish. We also want our childminders (we call them Early Educators) to flourish. If you are unhappy in your home based job, you’re not going to be very productive–so choose something that you’re passionate about! 

Why become a home based childminder?

Help other families

During lockdowns in 2020, many nurseries were forced to shut down. The UK, and London, are in serious need of dedicated childminders who can fill that childcare gap. Why not work from home doing something you love, and make it possible for other parents to get back to work?

Be with your own kids

If you have your own children, you can be with them whilst you are working. Koru Kids keep Home Nurseries small, so you’ll care for a maximum of 3 children under 5. That means if you have a child of your own, you can still look after 2 others and earn a decent income.

In control

Childminding means working from home and being your own boss. You decide how many hours per week you work, and what days. You decide how big your income will be, depending on your schedule and rates. A Koru Kids Early Educator working 4 days a week, looking after 2 small children, will earn around £27,000 per year.

Support

Just because you are running the business, you don’t have to do it alone. Many childminders are put off by all the admin—they just want to spend time with children. Koru Kids deal with most of the business side for you. Being your own boss doesn’t need to be scary.

So if you want to work from home, make a difference, and have fun while you’re at it, childminding is the home-based job you were looking for all along!