25 Work From Home Jobs for Parents to Do While Kids Are at School
If you’re a parent looking to earn extra income without giving up your evenings and weekends, the school day can be a surprisingly useful work window.
From freelance writing and bookkeeping to online tutoring and virtual assistance, there are plenty of jobs that can be done from home in a few focused hours. The key is choosing work that fits your skills, schedule and desired income.
The hourly figures below are estimated Canadian-dollar rates. Actual earnings vary considerably with experience, location, specialization and whether you work for an employer or freelance. Current Canadian freelance-rate data, for example, puts virtual assistance around $25–$45/hour for beginners and intermediate workers, while specialized skills can command considerably more.
1. Virtual Assistant
Estimated rate: $20–$45/hour
Where to find work: Upwork, Indeed Canada, LinkedIn
Virtual assistants help small businesses and entrepreneurs with email, scheduling, research, spreadsheets, customer follow-up and general administration. It’s particularly well suited to parents because many clients need only a few hours of help each week.
2. Online Tutor
Estimated rate: $25–$60/hour
Where to find work: Tutor marketplaces, Indeed, local tutoring companies, your own network
If you’re comfortable teaching math, reading, science, languages or another subject, tutoring can fit neatly into the school-day schedule. Canadian private tutoring rates commonly fall around $30–$80/hour, although employed tutoring positions may pay less.
3. Freelance Writer
Estimated rate: $25–$60/hour
Where to find work: Upwork, LinkedIn, freelance job boards, local businesses
Businesses constantly need blog posts, website copy, newsletters and articles. If you can write clearly and meet deadlines, you can start with smaller assignments and build a portfolio.
4. Copywriter
Estimated rate: $30–$75/hour
Where to find work: Upwork, LinkedIn, marketing agencies and direct outreach to businesses
Copywriters create sales pages, advertisements, product descriptions, emails and other persuasive content. This can be especially lucrative if you develop expertise in a particular industry.
5. Proofreader
Estimated rate: $20–$45/hour
Where to find work: Upwork, freelance marketplaces, publishers, students and local businesses
A good option if you have a sharp eye for spelling, grammar and consistency. You can proofread articles, websites, resumes, newsletters and business documents from your home office.
6. Bookkeeper
Estimated rate: $30–$60/hour
Where to find work: Indeed, Upwork, local accounting firms and small businesses
Bookkeeping can be an excellent fit for parents who have accounting experience or are willing to learn software such as QuickBooks. Current Canadian listings show part-time remote bookkeeping positions around $30–$35/hour, with some experienced roles paying more.
7. Social Media Manager
Estimated rate: $25–$65/hour
Where to find work: Upwork, LinkedIn, local businesses and marketing agencies
Many small businesses don’t need a full-time social media employee. You might create posts, schedule content, respond to comments and prepare monthly content calendars for several clients.
8. Graphic Designer
Estimated rate: $25–$65/hour
Where to find work: Upwork, LinkedIn, local businesses and design agencies
If you know Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud or similar tools, you can create social-media graphics, flyers, presentations, brochures and other marketing materials.
9. Video Editor
Estimated rate: $25–$70/hour
Where to find work: Upwork, LinkedIn, production companies, YouTubers and local businesses
Short-form video has created demand for editors who can turn raw footage into TikToks, Instagram Reels, YouTube videos and advertisements. Upwork’s published beginner ranges span roughly $10–$60/hour, with experienced specialists potentially earning more.
10. Website Designer
Estimated rate: $35–$80/hour
Where to find work: Upwork, local businesses, LinkedIn and your personal network
You don’t necessarily need to be a programmer. Parents with experience using WordPress, Squarespace, Wix or Shopify can build and maintain straightforward websites for small businesses.
11. SEO Specialist
Estimated rate: $30–$75/hour
Where to find work: Upwork, LinkedIn, digital marketing agencies and direct clients
SEO specialists help businesses appear in search results. Tasks can include keyword research, optimizing website pages, updating old content and analyzing search performance.
12. Email Marketing Assistant
Estimated rate: $25–$65/hour
Where to find work: Upwork, LinkedIn, marketing agencies and small businesses
Businesses need people to write newsletters, organize email lists, schedule campaigns and monitor results. It can be done in short, concentrated blocks of time.
13. Customer-Service Representative
Estimated rate: $18–$30/hour
Where to find work: Indeed Canada’s remote jobs, company career pages, LinkedIn
Remote customer-service jobs can provide more predictable income than freelancing. The downside is that many require you to be online at specific times, so look carefully for positions offering daytime shifts.
Indeed’s Canadian listings currently include numerous part-time remote positions, including customer support, administrative and sales roles.
14. Data Entry Clerk
Estimated rate: $18–$30/hour
Where to find work: Indeed, LinkedIn, staffing agencies and legitimate freelance marketplaces
Data entry involves entering, checking or organizing information in spreadsheets and databases. It’s relatively accessible, although legitimate jobs should never require you to pay an upfront fee.
15. Transcriptionist
Estimated rate: $15–$30/hour of working time
Where to find work: Transcription companies, freelance marketplaces and direct clients
Transcription involves turning recorded audio or video into written documents. Your effective hourly rate depends heavily on typing speed and audio quality.
16. Translator
Estimated rate: $25–$60/hour
Where to find work: Upwork, translation agencies, LinkedIn and local organizations
If you’re fluent in two or more languages, translation can be a valuable school-hours side job. French-English translation is particularly relevant for Canadian clients, but demand varies by language pair.
17. Resume Writer
Estimated rate: $30–$75/hour
Where to find work: LinkedIn, Upwork, local networking groups and direct referrals
If you have HR, recruiting or strong writing experience, you can help job seekers improve resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles.
18. Online Researcher
Estimated rate: $20–$40/hour
Where to find work: Upwork, LinkedIn, small businesses and consultants
Researchers gather information, compare competitors, build lists, check facts and organize findings. It’s a good choice for someone who enjoys working independently and paying attention to details.
19. Presentation Designer
Estimated rate: $25–$60/hour
Where to find work: Upwork, LinkedIn, business networks and marketing agencies
Businesses, consultants and students regularly need polished PowerPoint, Google Slides or Canva presentations. If you’re good at turning complicated information into attractive slides, this can become a profitable niche.
20. Online Language Conversation Partner or Instructor
Estimated rate: $18–$40/hour
Where to find work: Online language schools, tutoring companies, Indeed and private clients
Speaking another language can open doors to online teaching and conversation-practice work. Current Canadian listings include remote, part-time French tutoring positions around $18–$22/hour.
21. Appointment Setter
Estimated rate: $20–$40/hour
Where to find work: Indeed, LinkedIn, local businesses and sales agencies
Appointment setters contact potential customers and arrange consultations or sales calls. It can work well during school hours, provided you’re comfortable making phone calls.
For example, current Ontario listings include remote part-time appointment-setting positions advertising $20–$40/hour.
22. Recruiter or Talent Sourcer
Estimated rate: $25–$60/hour
Where to find work: LinkedIn, recruiting agencies, Upwork and contract job boards
Recruiters identify candidates, conduct preliminary interviews, schedule interviews and help companies fill positions. Recruiting experience is useful, but some companies hire contract sourcers for specific projects.
23. AI Trainer or Evaluator
Estimated rate: $20–$40+/hour
Where to find work: Indeed, specialized AI-work platforms and freelance marketplaces
AI companies sometimes hire people to evaluate responses, check facts, write examples or assess language quality. Opportunities can be irregular, so this is better viewed as supplemental income than guaranteed employment. Current Canadian listings include part-time remote AI-training roles.
24. Online Sales Representative
Estimated rate: $20–$35+/hour, sometimes plus commission
Where to find work: Indeed, LinkedIn, company career pages
Sales jobs can be done remotely through phone, email or video calls. Look for positions specifically advertising part-time or daytime schedules so the work doesn’t spill into family time. Current Canadian listings include part-time remote sales roles paying $25/hour and up.
25. Freelance Consultant
Estimated rate: $40–$100+/hour
Where to find work: LinkedIn, Upwork, former colleagues, professional associations and your own network
Don’t overlook the skills you’ve already developed in your career. A former teacher might offer educational consulting; an HR professional could advise small businesses; a project manager could help startups organize their operations.
The more specialized your knowledge, the easier it can be to charge for expertise rather than simply for hours.
How to Choose the Right School-Hours Job
The best option isn’t necessarily the one with the highest advertised hourly rate. Consider how predictable the work is, whether you need to be available at a specific time, how much unpaid time goes into finding clients, and whether the work requires you to be on the phone.
For maximum flexibility, freelance writing, proofreading, graphic design, bookkeeping, research and virtual assistance are worth considering. For more predictable employment, search for remote part-time positions on job boards such as Indeed Canada and LinkedIn Jobs. Current Canadian job boards show a substantial number of remote and part-time listings, although individual jobs may still have fixed schedules.
And if you’re freelancing, remember that your advertised hourly rate isn’t necessarily your take-home rate. Time spent pitching clients, doing admin, learning new software and handling taxes isn’t always billable.
Also read: 35 Side Hustles At Home: work from home jobs for Moms
A Simple Way to Start
Pick one skill you already have, rather than trying to learn five new things at once.
Create a short description of the service you can provide, decide what hours you’re available—perhaps 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.—and start looking for small projects. Once you have a few happy clients or strong reviews, you can gradually increase your rates.
The goal isn’t to build another full-time job.
It’s to find a realistic way to turn a few quiet hours while the kids are at school into useful income without sacrificing the time you want to spend with your family.