Working from home has grown more popular in recent times, especially with the advance of technology. You may have considered working from home yourself, perhaps to increase your family’s income, or just so you have more time to spend with your family. There are a lot of work-at-home jobs available, and many people have benefited from them.

Here are 5 factors you must consider if you want to work from home, so you can decide if it would be a good fit for you, and/or benefit your family financially.

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5 Factors You Must Consider if You Want to Work From Home

1.) Your Current Situation

Before you skip out of your day job, you should consider how your current employment is working out for you and your family. If you enjoy your job, have sufficient income, have enough time for your family, and/or get good benefits, you may want to stay put.

On the other hand, you may have some legitimate problems with your current occupation, or it may be negatively impacting your family in some way. In that case, you may want to look into another work environment, including the possibility of working at home.

If you are presently unemployed, or a stay-at-home parent, you may be looking into work-at-home opportunities. Something to think about, though, if you have kids at home, is how much time you will really be able to devote to working. It may be difficult for you to get much done while you are home with them, especially if you are caring for an infant or a child with special needs. If you still want to work from home, you may want to search out flexible or part-time options, so that you can still properly care for your family.

2.) The Type of Work You Want

There is a wide range of working-at-home options these days, such as making phone calls, editing, transcribing, writing, as well as a whole bunch of other occupations. You should take into consideration your own talents and experience, and the amount of income you are likely to generate from the work you choose. If you are determined, and find something that’s a good fit for you personally, you’ll be likely to succeed in your endeavor.

If you enjoy the type of work you already do, you should figure out if there’s a way for you to do some or all of it from home. You can ask your supervisor, but give thought ahead of time to reasons that would be of benefit to them, and a list of duties you’d be able to realistically perform at home.

Occasionally, certain companies are willing to create work-at-home positions if they see value in it, and/or if they have reliable employees they can trust to get work done efficiently. Granted, there are certain types of jobs where that just is not going to happen, but if there’s any way it could possibly work out, it can’t hurt to politely ask. If that option is ruled out, you may be able to find a work-at-home position that is similar to your current job.

3.) If You Would Start Your Own Business or Work for Someone Else

Decide if you would want to work at home being employed under someone else or be self-employed. If you don’t work for someone else, you will want to seriously consider the risks involved in starting your own business, and what it will cost you to get it going. Calculate every expense you would need to start and run your business- supplies, marketing, etc., and think about when you could realistically expect to start bringing in revenue.

You will also want to take into account any legal obligations and precautions you need to care for, some of which may add to your expenses, such as if you are purchasing a business license, liability insurance, etc. It’s also good to thoroughly research similar businesses and look at what makes them succeed or fail.

If your business would rely primarily on running out of a physical location (versus an online business where you aren’t really limited on where your income comes from), you will want to look at any competition in your area and consider if where you live is a good spot for your business.

Some people work from home doing things such as cutting hair, working as a massage therapist, or providing some other service where clients must travel to their home for them to get business, so location and competition could largely affect how well they do. If you don’t have an ideal location, but are determined to make it work, this may mean you have to budget more for such things as marketing expenses.

4.) How Well You can Realistically Handle Working at Home

It’s important to take into account how disciplined you would be working independently, outside of an organized work environment where you have others physically present that are relying on you. Some work at home jobs require you to work during certain hours, whereas others allow you to come up with your own flexible hours.

Additionally, some individuals that start working at home will start to miss working in an atmosphere with others. If you do work at home, you’ll want to make sure you allow yourself time in your schedule to socialize with others and get out of the house so you don’t go crazy.

5.) The Pros and Cons for Your Family and Finances

If you want to give up a job outside of your house to work at home, it’s possible you may make less than your current occupation, depending on your current wage, and the type of work you want to pursue. Some jobs will start out with lower pay, but the income increases as time goes on.

On the other hand, working at home, even for less pay, may save you money overall. This can be the case if you spend a lot in gas for a long commute, or lose a significant portion of your money paying for a babysitter or day-care costs. Of course, if you do take on the responsibility of watching your kids while you are working from home, this can affect the amount of income you make simply because it can decrease the amount of time you can work, as we touched on earlier.

You may find you are more productive working from home if you do so while your children are in school. Additionally some work-at-home parents take advantage of early mornings and late at night, when their kids are asleep. Some work-at-home jobs also pay you for the amount of work you do, and not an hourly wage.

If there are other family members home during hours you’ll be working, you will want to discuss with them the times you’ll be busy. You’ll have more success with getting things accomplished if you minimize interruptions. At the same time, it may be more of a challenge for you to ‘leave work at work’, during hours you shouldn’t be working, since your home would be where you work. It helps to figure out a definite schedule in advance, and follow it, as well as choose employment that’s not likely to intrude on your family time.

CONCLUSION

Working from home has benefited many families financially, and gives them more time to spend together. However, it’s not the best situation for everyone, so it’s good to contemplate the impact it will have on you, your family, and your finances. Additionally, be sure to thoroughly research any work-at-home opportunities prior to making contact with the company, to make sure it’s legit, and not a scam. As long as you go about it the right way, you can definitely find work that’s a good fit for you and your family.

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Note: I have discontinued work from home/self-employment related articles on my website as I am focusing on my other topics for now, BUT…

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