Search for Jobs

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Children at Home While Working?

Many people wonder what it's like to telecommute. Parents sometimes think telecommuting will save on the cost of daycare because their children will be home. I can tell you that both of these statements are highly unlikely.

Telecommute jobs are just like normal jobs. The only difference is that you're at home and you do not need to go out and face traffic. It takes the same amount of concentration and low noise level as an office job would. In fact, many call center jobs will deny your application if you do not have suitable child care or if during the interview they hear a child or any kind of residential noise in the background. Residential noises are cars, lawn mowers, televisions, etc.

I suggest that you really do some soul searching and find out if telecommuting is for you if you're using it just to be at home with the kids. If you're doing it to "spend more time" with them then you should be at the office instead because they won't understand why mommy or daddy cannot come help them while they're working until you can make them understand. All they will believe while they're infant to 6 or 7 is that you're so busy at the computer that you love the darn thing more than you love them--which isn't true, but try to explain that to a 3-year old. At least at a day care they are getting the needed attention by other kids and possibly the day care provider.

That isn't to say that all telecommuting jobs are bad for families. Some allow the worker to choose the time they work or allow fair breaks. I know of some that are so low key that the parent can sit in the same room with the children and work and make it seem like they're paying attention.

Whatever you do make sure your decision is fair to both the employer and your kids. Your employer expects you to spend the time working and your kids expect you to spend time with them. Try to balance the two if possible or let your kids play with other kids in a supervised environment while you're working. Both deserve it.

Companies that Hire Work at Home Moms

Product Reviews for Work at Home Moms