When you’re looking for a serious work-at-home job that replaces (or complements) your 9-to-5 job, one frustrating thing can pop up time and time again:
Many work-at-home jobs require you to be available to work nights and weekends.
Whether you want to preserve as much of your non-working life as possible, you want to maintain family time or it’s just your personal preference, finding the right job can be a little difficult.
A tip to get you started
When you don’t want to work nights or weekends, don’t look for jobs at companies that are open on nights and weekends. Or look for jobs there, but don’t apply for roles in departments that run outside of traditional workday limits. This includes things like customer service and many types of sales.
So where are some places you can start looking? I’ve dug up a bunch of options for you. Let’s see!
Do what you’re doing remotely
This tip is not for everyone, but it is good for many! If you’ve got a traditional office job, look for ways to do the same kind of work remotely (or even move up a level) without going to another office.
There are all kinds of companies hiring managers and directors from home remotely. So whether you’re starting out as an administrative assistant or a vice president, chances are good that with enough scouting, you’ll be able to find something you can do remotely.
Finding such jobs can take some time, but you can get a shortcut by looking at job boards. My favorite is FlexJobs because it specializes in remote work and is highly respected in the corporate world, so many large companies will post their remote jobs there. (If you want more information, you can read my FlexJobs review here.)
Sales and Support
While most sales and support roles require you to be available nights and/or weekends, there is one area where this is not the case and it’s called B2B.
B2B stands for “business to business” and refers to businesses that market products and services to other businesses (as opposed to consumers, for example). A B2B business sells catering services to large offices, custom machinery to manufacturing companies, and donor tracking software to nonprofits.
When you’re looking for a customer support role, keep an eye out for companies that do business with other companies Since both parties operate during normal business hours, your support hours are more likely to occur during normal business hours as well. Look for that information in the job description, where it’s likely to appear.
The other side of B2B work is in the sales department. Whether you’re an appointment setter or an actual sales call, you can be pretty sure these work hours are going to be between 9am and 5pm in one of the major US time zones. That’s when your potential employer’s client will be operating, and it doesn’t make sense to call a business that’s closed for the day. I know cold calling isn’t for everyone, but if you’re someone who’s willing to go for it, there’s a big opening for you to call during the day instead of dealing with people who aren’t happy to hear from you during dinner. from
These are some of the companies that are known for hiring domestic workers in both B2B and B2C (Business to Consumer) industries:
- NexRep – This well-known company specializes in outsourced customer service. Some of their clients include Red Bull, Priceline and more. For those who want to work weekdays only, look for openings Republic Wireless line among others. Bonus: You don’t need a landline for this and you can work on a Mac computer.
- Frosch – This company specializes in travel. Some positions they have available for virtual workers include employee benefits – dental, health, vision and more.
- ABC Financial – This is another company that serves a wide variety of clients. Sometimes, those clients only need service on weekdays.
Virtual assistance
One of the great things about being a virtual assistant is that many clients are happy for you to work regular business hours, so if you’re in it for the flexibility, and by “flexibility” you mean working during the day, there’s definitely a place for you in the VA world.
There are two routes to virtual assistance: being your own boss, or working for an agency. You may be able to do both, if that’s something you want. I have a lot of information on the blog about becoming a VA (and I highly encourage you to consider starting your own VA business). If striking out on your own isn’t for you, however, you can check out these companies that hire virtual assistants and pay fairly decently:
- time etc. – This company requires a 20-hour commitment per week with hours being worked Monday through Friday. You need 2 years of relevant work experience (eg scheduling appointments, arranging travel, taking phone calls, typing, writing, etc.). Pay starts at $11 an hour.
- Worldwide 101 – This VA firm specializes in customer service, marketing, administration and project management. They are currently looking for active agents with a minimum of 7 years of experience. Pay $18 to $22 per hour with a maximum of 25 hours per week. You must be able to commit to 20 hours per week during business hours.
Flexible work that is really flexible
Many work-at-home companies advertise their flexible work hours, but they still require you to be available on weekends and/or evenings. You can pick your hours (which is why they get away with calling themselves flexible) but you don’t have complete autonomy.
Not so with every company though! These are some of the companies that allow you to be truly autonomous with your hours, meaning you can work regular business hours if you want!
- Leapforce – This company offers Search Engine Evaluator and Advertising Evaluator positions. This is project based work so work availability will come and go.
- Liveops – This customer service company sometimes has clients who don’t work on weekends. their Current job board Breaks everything down nicely.
I also explore a ton of flexible-hour work options in this post. Some of them are with traditional companies, some are after hours, and many of them let you decide when to work.
Be your own boss
If none of these ideas inspire you and you don’t want to mess around surfing job boards and endless Google searches, you might want to consider working for yourself. If you have 8 hours a day to build your business, you can turn it into something in a few months.
I’ve covered several great ways to start working for yourself on the blog. The things that will give you the most flexibility, though, usually have to do with starting an online-based business. This may include any of these models or services:
Sounds intriguing but not right for you? See more ideas here.
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