- By Condition
- Best Jobs For Single Parents
- Best Jobs For People With Adhd
- Best Jobs For Introverts With Anxiety
- Best Jobs For Autistic Adults
- Best Jobs For People With Depression
- Best Jobs For Women Over 50
- Best Jobs For Artists
- Best Jobs For People With Bipolar Disorder
- Best Jobs For New Moms
- Best Remote Companies To Work For
When you are a single parent, finding a job with a great work-life balance is essential. You need to look for a job that fits your kids’ needs and schedules while also allowing you enough time and energy outside of work for your responsibilities, hobbies, and relationships.
If you’re a single parent, read on to find advice on what kinds of jobs to look for to maintain a healthy work/life balance.
Key Takeaways:
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The top three best jobs for single parents are real estate agent, sales representative, and social media manager.
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Look for a job with a good work-life balance, good pay and benefits, and company culture you are comfortable with.
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You should consider a flexible schedule to accommodate your own personal needs in addition to your child’s, no matter what kind of job you get.
11 of the best jobs for single parents
Here are some examples of jobs that fit well with single parents’ work/life balance needs.
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Average Yearly Salary: $99,000
A real estate agent job is great for single parents because they don’t sit behind a desk from nine to five. They often spend most of their day meeting with clients and showing homes. You can do a lot of the desk work at home, and your schedules are flexible since you often set it yourself.
Additional benefits to being a real estate agent as a single parent are that it pays well, and it’s relatively easy to get a license. Depending on the state, getting a real estate license takes about four to six months, and you usually don’t need a degree.
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Average Yearly Salary: $56,000
Sales representative positions are great for single parents because many of these positions can be done remotely or with a hybrid work schedule, and many don’t require a degree.
Sales representatives have a variety of responsibilities that change depending on the company they work for. In general, they help customers find and purchase the products they need.
One of the benefits of this position for single parents is that you can often find remote and flexible roles and choose what type of company you want to work for. This allows you to work in an area that you’re interested in and fit your personality and scheduling needs.
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Average Yearly Salary: $58,000
Social media manager careers can be beneficial to single parents because they often offer flexibility. Organizations often offer these positions so you can choose the best fit for you and your family.
Social media manager jobs are essential because companies of all sizes and industries need someone to handle their social media pages, and many of these positions are remote (or at least partially remote).
In addition, as long as you can demonstrate that you know what you’re doing with your own social media page, some companies, especially smaller ones, don’t mind a lack of previous experience in this field.
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Average Yearly Salary: $46,000
Teaching can be a great career for a single parent because your schedule will likely match your kids’ schedule. You’ll also save money by either being able to have your kids join you in your classroom while you work after school or by getting discounted child care in addition to other perks.
You’ll generally need a degree to be a teacher, but if you don’t have one, you may be able to find an opportunity as a preschool teacher, a teacher’s aide, or an office administrator.
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Average Yearly Salary: $50,000
Copywriting can be one of the most flexible jobs for single parents if you want a good work-life balance. While you likely won’t earn as much as in other careers, the tradeoff is that you can easily work from home in this field. You can also work as an independent contractor, which gives you even more flexibility.
If you have strong writing skills, this can be a great career for you as a single parent because companies need copywriters to write blog posts, website pages, articles, instruction manuals, advertising materials, and more.
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Average Yearly Salary: $45,000
Graphic designers can work for companies or as freelancers which is excellent if you are a single parent. This opens up a wide variety of remote and in-person work opportunities. If you’re trained in this field, you’ll likely be able to find a role working for a company that offers you the flexibility you need.
If you choose to freelance or be an independent contractor, your clients will only care that you get the end product to them on time so that you can control your schedule. Having a lot of options is sometimes key to finding a job that fits your lifestyle as a single parent and graphic design offers this.
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Average Yearly Salary: $72,000
If you know computer codes, there are almost endless opportunities to create and improve websites, apps, and software for companies. You also have the option to work either as an employee for a single company or as an independent contractor, both of which have benefits for single parents.
As organizations and customers become increasingly reliant on digital platforms, they need experts to make their goals a reality, which means there is no shortage of work in this field.
You’ll likely need a degree or professional certificate to get a job as a coder or web developer, but once you’re working, you can often work remotely and earn a generous salary.
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Average Yearly Salary: $69,000
Being a physical therapist can be a relatively flexible job and you are often able to match your appointment times to your schedule, especially if you do home visits.
If you choose to work for an office, you can also usually work part-time if you want to only be at work during the hours your kids are in school. This option for flexibility is key to balancing your professional life with your family life.
Becoming a physical therapist does require quite a bit of schooling, the payoff is significant.
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Average Yearly Salary: $59,000
While you can’t generally work remotely as a nurse, you can often pick your hours and will likely get paid well, which is excellent if you are a single parent. Hospitals are almost always in dire need of nurses, so if you have any experience, they’ll often be more than happy for you to work part-time. Many nurses who do this plan their hours to match their kids’ school hours.
If you can’t work part-time, nurses’ shifts are often 12 hours long, so you only have to go in a few days a week. You can also work a few nights a week if that works best for your schedule.
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Average Yearly Salary: $41,000
A medical coder can be an excellent career for single parents because it is generally low-stress and has some remote work opportunities. You might have to start out working on-site, but often medical coders can do at least some of their work remotely.
Your responsibilities in this position are to record and communicate to the patient’s insurance provider when someone comes into a hospital or doctor’s office and has a procedure done.
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Entrepreneur
Average Yearly Salary: $86,943
An entrepreneur is someone who starts a business to make a profit. If you dream of creating and selling your product, an entrepreneur career is right for you.
In the early stages of the company, you are responsible for handling most of the duties, such as managing employees, running day-to-day operations, and managing sales and marketing. As the company grows and expands, then you can hire more people to handle these duties.
What to look for in a job as a single parent
As a working single parent, some aspects of positions will make your life easier or harder. While these won’t necessarily make or break your happiness or the success of your career in these roles, they are helpful to be aware of as you consider your employment options.
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An excellent work-life balance
As a single parent, you need a job that allows you to have the time and energy required to take care of your children and other responsibilities.
This may look like finding a position that allows you to work from home, or it could mean simply finding a family-friendly organization that won’t mind if you have to adjust your schedule so that you can pick up a child from school or take them to the doctor.
Having a good work/life balance can also mean finding a job that isn’t high-stress. It won’t do you any good to technically have some flexibility in your schedule when you have so much work to do that you can’t take advantage of it.
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Pay and benefits to match your needs
Since you only have one income, finding a job that pays enough to meet your family’s needs is important. This may not always require a high paycheck, though: The benefits companies offer may be enough to offset some of your expenses or financial stressors, making a smaller paycheck doable.
For example, if you work for a school, you likely won’t have to arrange transportation or after-school care for your kids, and you may even get an educator’s discount on many of your everyday purchases.
Some companies may have onsite childcare or provide family benefits such as affordable healthcare coverage, paid time off to take care of sick children, or employee discounts. All of these perks can add up to create a little more room in your budget.
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Company culture you fit in with
Company culture is an important facet to pay attention to for anyone looking for a job, but it’s especially important for single parents.
Working under leadership that prioritizes family can make all the difference in the world, as they’ll be more likely to understand your needs for flexibility.
Your coworkers can also make a big difference. A job at an organization full of ambitious, competitive 20-somethings may not be as great of a fit as a job with a team full of parents who work to support and cover for each other.
No workplace is perfect, and you can be successful anywhere as a single parent, but paying attention to these factors during your application and interview processes can help you decide if a position will be a good fit for you or not.
Jobs for single parents FAQ
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What is the best job for single mothers?
Th best jobs for single mothers include teaching, sales representative, or real estate agent. These jobs allow you to have a flexible schedule to work around your personal and kids’ schedules. Being a teacher allows you to either work in your child’s school or work close by in their school district.
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How can you succeed at your job as a single parent?
To succeed at your job as a single parent you should seek out friendly companies that offer flexible schedules. You should also look for any remote positions to allow you to be at home and take care of your kids.
It’s also important to look for a job that has pay and benefits that meet your needs. Since you only have one income, make sure you earn enough to cover your and your kids’ cost of living.
- By Condition
- Best Jobs For Single Parents
- Best Jobs For People With Adhd
- Best Jobs For Introverts With Anxiety
- Best Jobs For Autistic Adults
- Best Jobs For People With Depression
- Best Jobs For Women Over 50
- Best Jobs For Artists
- Best Jobs For People With Bipolar Disorder
- Best Jobs For New Moms
- Best Remote Companies To Work For
Author
Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.
