Life as a stay-at-home dad can be pretty challenging, especially since finding people who can relate to your challenges is hard. One major issue you’re likely facing is making a living while spending as much time as possible with your kids.
Thankfully, plenty of jobs and side hustles suit stay-at-home dads very well. You can find a wide range of roles that fit any personality type, whether you’re an extrovert who likes talking to new people or an introvert who prefers creative work.
This guide will walk you through 20 different jobs and side hustles that you can explore to improve your life. Along the way, you’ll discover how many people are in the same position as you and how you can all benefit from taking on home-based jobs and side hustles.
Key Takeaways
How Many Stay At Home Dads Are There?
The life of a stay-at-home (SAH) dad is challenging in many ways, which can make you feel isolated at times. However, one thing that you might find comforting is the knowledge that you’re not alone.
According to Pew Research Centre, the number of dads in this role has climbed significantly since the 1980s. Back in 1989, dads only accounted for 11% of stay-at-home parents.
However, that number has jumped up to 18% now in 2023 and is projected to increase. In other words, stay-at-home dads are a lot more common now than many people might think, even dads themselves.
This information is helpful in many ways. Firstly, many people find it comforting to know that others are going through the same challenges as they do daily.
More importantly, it also means much more information about how dads can navigate their challenges. That’s especially true thanks to the internet and online support groups where stay-at-home dads can share information.
What Are the Benefits of Work from Home Jobs?
The challenges of recent years have forced many people to work from home. Despite how many restrictions have been lifted, workers worldwide refuse to give up their remote work arrangements because of the unique benefits they offer.
Some of the most essential benefits of work-from-home jobs include the following:
These benefits have been enough to make many male and female parents want to work from home to be closer to their kids.
Still, dads used to traditional 9-to-5 work arrangements might need help finding where to begin searching for a home-based job.
There are plenty of options out there for jobs and side hustles that you can choose from to make additional side income. Many of them are flexible, allowing you to try them on as part-time work before committing to doing them full-time.
So, check out how to make money with these 20 stay-at-home dad jobs and try to find the ones that suit you the best:
Suppose you like interacting with new people and don’t mind speaking on the phone. In that case, the first role you’ll want to consider is that of the customer service representative.
These jobs are flexible, meaning you can find part-time and full-time opportunities with many organizations. They enable you to earn by answering calls and emails right from the comfort of your home.
Dads who are more introverted and prefer not to deal with people all the time can also consider working as a data entry specialist.
In this kind of role, you focus on updating various databases with information. For example, you might spend time keying customer names, phone numbers, and other details into a system so other employees can access them easily.
Large organizations always look for new people to hire across many different roles. As such, many of them hire recruiting coordinators who can work from home instead of having to come to the office.
Your primary responsibility in this role is to work with job candidates and hiring managers. For example, you’ll contact them to schedule an in-person interview with someone from the company.
As you’ll see throughout this list, many work-from-home jobs for dads involve the field of writing. In this first example, you could work as a proofreader who checks other people’s work.
You are responsible for looking for grammatical mistakes and other issues, and highlighting them so they can be corrected.
Of course, you can also make money by being the person who does the writing in the first place.
You’re truly spoilt for choice regarding the type of media you want to write for. For instance, you could write novels, contribute to newspaper or magazine columns, or start a blog.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to writing, as every field you can think of requires written content in some shape or form!
Being a writer requires a certain degree of creative thinking, and only some enjoy doing that. If you prefer a writing job that doesn’t need much original thought, you can consider working as a transcriptionist.
Simply put, this job requires you to listen to recordings of people talking and writing down what they say. So, to be good at this role, you’ll need to be more of a good listener rather than a creative thinker.
Remember: there are countless people out there working from home. Some work remotely for large organizations, while others run their own businesses.
What many of them have in common is that they need assistants, and that’s another type of role you can take on!
As a virtual assistant, you’ll work from home and help them set up appointments, make phone calls, and do everything else an assistant might do.
Believe it or not, you can turn almost any skill or specialized knowledge into a job. Thanks to the internet, the online teacher or tutor role has grown significantly.
Gone are the days when you could only teach languages online (though you can still make a living doing that!). These days, people are looking for online tutors in music, accounting, cooking, and more.
Whatever skill you have, someone out there wants to learn it from you!
Accounting and bookkeeping are now tasks that are often done remotely. If you have qualifications in this area, you can turn it into a side hustle or a full-time job.
For example, you can work remotely for an established company or sell your skills on a freelance basis.
Remember: even regular people need an accountant’s help regarding their taxes!
Aside from being a writer, another popular work-from-home job is that of a graphic designer. This is a popular side hustle for creatives who already work full-time and want to work on more exciting projects in their free time.
However, stay-at-home dads can also take this on as a side hustle after gaining the basic skills needed to get started!
Graphic designer jobs can range from straightforward tasks like designing logos and business cards to more complex jobs like designing apps and billboards.
Despite how much information there is for getting healthy, people still need more help and support. You can come in as a health coach to provide guidance and encouragement.
Remember: you’re not replacing doctors and genuine medical advice in this role. You provide customers with helpful information and help them stay on track with their personal goals.
E-commerce, or the business of selling things online, is an incredibly lucrative industry. It also requires people with many different skills, including marketing specialists.
Here, you’ll help clients with their marketing strategy to make more potential customers aware of their products and services.
You’ll love this role if you’re a big fan of social media. Businesses of all sizes require social media specialists to help them build the right following and capture people’s attention.
As a stay-at-home dad, you’ll find these roles are doable from wherever you are, even if you’re at home taking care of your kids.
Let’s suppose you’re someone in the travel industry or you’re an avid traveler yourself. In that case, one side hustle or full-time job you’ll want to consider is being a travel consultant.
In a nutshell, you’ll help travelers plan their ideal trip, including planning their sightseeing, transportation, accommodations, and more!
Another skill that you can pick up with minimal time and turn into a job is web design. This role requires you to design websites for clients that look good on both computer screens and mobile devices.
You don’t need a degree to become a web designer, as you can take plenty of online courses to get started.
Male stay-at-home parents with a knack for sales can also consider side hustling as an Amazon reseller. In this role, you’ll find popular products that people buy on Amazon.
Then, you’ll source the product from manufacturers or sellers and make it available on your own Amazon store.
Naturally, you can also make your own products instead of reselling something someone else made. Etsy is a perfect platform, especially if you enjoy making arts and crafts.
Etsy is an excellent place to find buyers interested in handmade goods and vintage items.
So far, you’ve seen that many side hustles are based on people needing help. Another area you can help with is pet sitting.
You can find clients both online and in-person for this. For example, you can advertise your services online or work for your neighbors directly.
Pet parents hire sitters to keep their animals company and feed them while they’re unavailable, perhaps while traveling.
Have you watched a YouTube video or something on Netflix and seen subtitles? Those are prepared by transcribers who watch those videos and write down what’s being said.
That is another work-from-home role that you can take on as a dad, both in full-time and part-time positions.
Last but certainly not least, you can also make a living as a website tester. As the name suggests, your job is to test a website for technical errors while proofreading for mistakes in the content.
No matter which job or side hustle you choose above, there will be a transition period that you’ll want to prepare for. This is when you’re adopting a new way of working and must balance your family responsibilities with your new job.
So, there are a few things you’ll want to remember as you adjust to your new side hustle or job.
Firstly, set clear boundaries between your work life and your family life. For example, designate a specific area as your home office and only use it for work.
Besides that, set and maintain strict working hours. Doing that will prevent your work from taking over time spent with your kids.
In conclusion, the life of a stay-at-home dad comes with its unique set of challenges, from feeling isolated to juggling parenting responsibilities while making a living. However, the increasing trend of stay-at-home dads, now comprising 18% of stay-at-home parents, offers a sense of solidarity and a growing online community for shared support.
The transition to a side hustle requires careful consideration of boundaries, both physical and temporal, to ensure that work commitments do not encroach on quality family time. By embracing these opportunities and strategies, stay-at-home dads can navigate the challenges and reap the rewards of a fulfilling work-from-home lifestyle.
Further Reading:
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