Facing Up to Lower Pay When You Work at Home

Working at home has many advantages. You often have a more flexible schedule, you don't need to drive to work and you have a better chance that you can be there when your children need you. But there are some disadvantages.

Low pay is one of the big ones. Many work at home jobs don't pay what they do when you do the same job outside the home. They often don't even come with benefits.

At first glance, this sounds bad. You're doing the same job in what can be a rather demanding environment (Mommy!!), but you don't earn the same money. It can feel unfair.

However, you do save quite a bit of money. You don't need to maintain the same kind of wardrobe in many cases. You probably don't have to drop so many clothes off at the dry cleaner's. You may wear less makeup and get your hair done less often. You drive less. You may or may not need daycare for the kids.

The lower pay may not seem fair to you when you think about what the employer is gaining. If you're hired as an independent contractor, your taxes may be your problem. They're probably not paying for benefits. They don't have to pay for office space for you.

It can be hard to reconcile these, but you have to remember how badly many people want to work at home and that what is low pay in one area may be excellent in another. Companies that hire people to work at home aren't likely to care that you live in a place with a higher cost of living. They'll pay you the same as those with a lower cost of living.

If you aren't satisfied with the pay, consider going a freelance route. That means all the work of finding work is on you, but you can earn significantly more. Freelancing is challenging, but many people do quite well in a range of fields.

Being a virtual assistant is one option for those who want to use their office skills from home but feel they can do better on their own. Similarly, you can freelance as a writer, website designer, transcriptionist or one of many other jobs.

You'll have to decide which is more comfortable for you. Finding an employer who will provide you with work at a possibly low rate of pay or finding you own work, with all the risk of not finding enough work, but being able to set your own rates. There are advantages to each, and you will have to decide what works best for you.