How to make money from home as a mum
The most realistic ways to make money from home as a mum are a remote job with an employer (customer service, admin, virtual assistant work), a skill you can sell by the hour (bookkeeping, tutoring, design, writing), or remote sales such as appointment setting and closing. None of them are instant: expect a few weeks to a few months before steady money comes in, and be wary of anything that asks you to pay to start or promises big income fast. Pick the option that matches the hours you actually have, not the hours you wish you had.
First, get honest about your time and your money
Before you scroll another job board, answer three questions. They will save you weeks.
- When can you work, really? School hours (roughly 9:30 to 2:30), nap times, evenings after bedtime, or weekends when your partner is home. Write the actual blocks down.
- How soon do you need money? If you need income this month, a paid hourly role beats anything built on commission or clients you haven’t found yet.
- What do you already know how to do? Teaching, nursing, retail, hospitality and office work all leave you with skills people pay for at home: explaining things clearly, staying calm with upset people, keeping things organised, and talking to strangers.
You’re not alone in wanting this. In Australia, 36% of employed people usually worked from home in August 2025, and women were more likely than men to name childcare or family responsibilities as a reason, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Working from home is normal now. The trick is choosing work that suits a mum’s day.
Realistic options, compared
Here’s how the main options stack up on pay basis, time to first income, and how well they fit around kids. Pay varies a lot by country, employer and experience, so treat these as starting points to research, not promises.
| Option | How you’re paid | Typical time to first income | Fit around kids | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remote customer service | Hourly wage | 2–6 weeks (application, interview, training) | Medium: often fixed shifts, sometimes evenings and weekends | Rigid rosters, call-quality monitoring |
| Virtual assistant / admin | Hourly or monthly retainer | 2–8 weeks (finding first clients) | Good: much of it can be done any time | Undercharging, scope creep |
| Freelance skill (bookkeeping, design, writing, tutoring) | Per hour or per project | 1–3 months to build a client base | Good once established | Feast-and-famine months |
| Appointment setting (remote sales) | Base plus commission, or commission-only | 2–8 weeks to land a role and ramp up | Good: many roles are part-time and work in blocks | Commission-only offers with no leads or training |
| Remote closing (remote sales) | Mostly commission, sometimes a base | 1–3 months, often longer to earn consistently | Medium: calls are booked, but often in evenings across time zones | Income swings month to month |
| Selling products from home (Etsy, markets, reselling) | Profit per sale | Varies widely; stock costs come first | Good, but it’s a small business | Upfront costs, slow early sales |
For a deeper look at specific roles and how each one fits around the school run, see our guide to work from home jobs for mums.
What the pay looks like (from public job data)
Real numbers, from real sources, with one big caveat: these are averages and ranges, not what you will earn. Your result depends on your location, experience, hours and employer.
- Customer service (US): the median pay for customer service representatives was $21.53 an hour in May 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, which also notes some companies let reps work from home.
- Appointment setting (US): Payscale lists an hourly range of roughly $12.74 to $20.85 for appointment setters (2026 data), not counting commission.
- Appointment setting (AU): on SEEK, SEEK puts the typical appointment setter salary in Australia at $65,000 to $85,000, based on salary ranges employers disclose in full-time job ads (checked October 2026). Many of those ads quote “OTE” (on-target earnings), which includes commission you only get if you hit targets.
Notice the pattern: hourly jobs pay less but predictably, while sales roles can pay more but depend on results. Neither is better. It depends on how much risk your household can carry right now.
Why remote sales is worth a serious look
I’ll be upfront about my bias, because I’ve lived it. I started as a primary school teacher in a small town. My first taste of sales was network marketing in 2014. In 2017 I was a fitness coach and moved to Sydney broke. In 2020 I moved into remote sales, and in my first month I made $440. That’s my own result, not a typical one, and it was hardly life-changing. But it was a start, and since then I’ve generated over $10M in online sales.
Here’s why remote sales suits a lot of mums:
- It’s skill-based, not degree-based. Businesses care whether you can have a good conversation and follow a process, not where you studied. If you’ve calmed a classroom, a ward or a queue of grumpy customers, you’ve already practised the core skills.
- It works in blocks. Appointment setters often work set blocks of messaging or calls. Closers take booked calls. Either can be planned around pick-up times.
- It’s portable. Many online businesses in the AU and US hire remotely, so your location matters less than your time zone.
And here’s the honest part. Many remote sales roles are commission-heavy, and some are commission-only. The first few months are usually the slowest, while you learn the offer and build your confidence. Some months will be better than others. If you need certain money next Friday, start with an hourly role and build sales skills on the side. If you’re new to all this, our guide on how to get into sales with no experience walks through the first steps.
Want to see if remote sales could work for you? Book a free call with the She Sells team and talk through your hours, your experience and your options.
A step-by-step plan for your first 30 days
- Week 1: Pick one lane. Choose one option from the table above based on your hours and how soon you need money. Trying three at once is how mums burn out.
- Week 1: Set up the basics. A quiet corner, reliable internet, a headset if you’ll be on calls, and a simple CV or LinkedIn profile that translates your past work into transferable skills (communication, organisation, handling objections).
- Week 2: Apply or pitch daily. Aim for a handful of quality applications or pitches each day, tailored to the role. Quality beats volume.
- Week 3: Practise the interview. For sales roles, expect a role play. Practise out loud with a friend or record yourself. It feels awkward. Do it anyway.
- Week 4: Negotiate the terms before you say yes. Get the pay structure in writing: base, commission rate, when you’re paid, and whether leads are supplied.
If remote sales is your lane, our breakdown of appointment setter jobs from home covers what the day-to-day really looks like.
Red flags: how to spot a scam or a bad deal
Mums looking for flexible work are a favourite target for scammers. The US Federal Trade Commission puts it simply: honest employers will never ask you to pay to get a job, and an offer claiming you can make a lot of money in a short time with little work is almost certainly a scam. Watch for these:
- Pay to join. Starter kits, “registration fees” or compulsory paid training before you can start.
- Recruit to earn. If the main way to make money is signing up other people, walk away. The FTC notes that most people who join multi-level marketing companies make little or no money, and some lose money (FTC guidance on MLMs). I started in network marketing myself, so I say this with love: know the numbers before you join.
- Promises of a set income. Nobody can promise what you’ll earn, especially in sales.
- Cheque or payment-forwarding requests. Being asked to deposit money and send some on is a classic scam.
- Commission-only with nothing behind it. No leads, no training, no product you’d recommend to a friend. Commission-only can be legitimate, but only with a real offer and real support.
Where She Sells fits
If you’ve decided remote sales is your lane and you want structured training, that’s what I built She Sells for. She Launches is the foundation: live coaching, role play and frameworks so you learn to set and close properly (it doesn’t include direct placement). She Soars is the career program, run through the She Sells Cert III in Remote Sales certificate. Once you’re certified, our recruitment team works with you to land a role within 90 days, or your money back. You can compare both on our programs page, or start free in our community and on the She’s Not Selling podcast.
Not sure which path suits your family? Book a free call with the She Sells team. No pressure, just a straight conversation about your options.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to make money from home as a mum?
An hourly remote job, such as customer service or admin support, is usually the fastest route to predictable pay because you’re paid for your time from your first shift. Freelancing and remote sales can pay more over time but take longer to ramp up. If you need money quickly, start hourly and build other skills alongside it.
Can I make money from home with no experience?
Yes, but “no experience” rarely means no skills. Teaching, nursing, retail and hospitality all build communication and problem-solving skills that remote roles value. Entry-level customer service, virtual assistant work and appointment setting are common starting points, and training helps you get hired faster.
Is remote sales commission only?
Some roles are commission-only, many are base plus commission, and a few are mostly salary. Commission-based pay means your income can change month to month, especially early on. Always get the pay structure in writing and ask whether leads are supplied before you accept.
How do I know if a work-from-home job is a scam?
Be cautious if you’re asked to pay to start, told you’ll earn big money fast with little work, pushed to recruit others, or asked to deposit a cheque and forward money. Legitimate employers pay you, not the other way around. Check the company’s details and reviews before sharing personal information.
How many hours a week do I need to make money from home?
It depends on the work and the pay structure, and there’s no set number that locks in an income. School hours alone give you roughly five to six hours a day, which is enough for many part-time remote roles. Start with the hours you can protect consistently, because consistency matters more than squeezing in extra late nights.
Results vary. Nothing here is a promise of income — see our earnings disclaimer.
