Top 5 Careers for Single Parents: Flexibility & Money Together

As a single parent, it is difficult to make a 9 to 5 commitment a full-time job usually requires. Here are some of the most popular careers for single parents that allow flexible work schedules and still offer adequate pay packages to provide necessary financial support for your family :-

• Tutor (or Online Tutor)

Pay Range: Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 per month (for an hour 3 to 5 times a week)

Essential Skills: Good academic record (and a college degree), knack of teaching, familiarity with computers and chatting (for online tutoring).

Tuitions are always in demand almost everywhere. If you don't have much space to seat kids, consider online tutoring. Many websites help online tutors to connect with students of all classes at a time convenient to both of them. Through online classes, you can teach lessons to students or earn money by helping them with their homework.



• Medical Transcriptionist

Pay Range: Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 per month

Essential Skills: Understanding medical terminology, comprehending physician-patient interaction and accurately maintaining the patient's health record including medical history, physical exam details and treatment plan etc. Knowledge of MS Word and Excel is expected while a good typing speed is an added advantage.

Medical transcriptionists may also require some kind of training to enter the field. Home-based transcriptionists are often hired by big companies and are offered flexible hours and a full range of employee benefits. Individual doctors with big clinics also hire freelance transcriptionists to maintain patient records.



• Freelance Writer, Editor, Translator and Proofreader

Pay Range: Rs 100 to Rs 300 per hour

Essential Skills: Good command over language and grammar, good at using computer and Internet.

Freelance writers, editors, translators and proofreaders can easily find jobs at various websites, web portals, magazines, newspapers, and book publishers. Other related career options are Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts, social media specialists and bloggers.



• Concierge, Travel Desk Executive, Customer Care Assistant, Virtual Assistant

Pay Range: Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000 per month

Essential Skills: Gift of gab, good at using computer and Internet. For travel desk or concierge careers, graduate in Hotel Management is desirable. For Virtual Assistant positions, stenography training is an advantage.

Work-at-home jobs, freelance jobs and full-time employee positions with flexible work timings are available in these career options.



• Designing or Creative Career Pursuit

Pay Range: Vary from person-to-person

Essential Skills: Creativity and artistic ability.

Besides interior designing, fashion designing, jewellery designing, and website designing, you may go for website designing, logo designing or wedding card designing too.

You may also start your own tiffin services. Offices and residential areas where students and bachelors abound are ripe areas for businesses related to home-made meals. In neighbourhoods with a number of working parents, day care centres for kids are also in demand.

You may also like to read '48 days to the work you love' by Dan Miller to peg an ideal job for you perfect to maintain a work-life balance.