Working while on maternity leave might sound like a crazy idea. But if you’re in that awkward period where your baby is too young to go to daycare but you’re ready to get back into the workforce, it’s time to start thinking about freelance options.
Freelancing can give you the flexibility and extra income your family needs, whether it’s just a part-time side gig or something that will eventually replace your full-time job. This guide will give you all the information you need for your next steps.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Freelancing during maternity leave offers flexibility and the opportunity to maintain income while caring for your child. |
| Planning ahead and communicating with clients about your maternity leave is essential for a smooth transition. |
| Time management and setting realistic expectations are key to balancing freelancing and motherhood during maternity leave. |
| Exploring resources and support networks specifically designed for freelancing parents can provide valuable guidance and advice. |
| It’s important to prioritize self-care, establish boundaries, and seek help when needed to maintain your well-being while freelancing on maternity leave. |
Write Blog Posts For Other People
You can also consider editing or proofreading blog posts for other people. If your schedule is flexible, you may be able to help out busy bloggers who are looking for someone with your skills and experience. You can also try writing blog posts for yourself.
The more content you have available online, the easier it will be to attract clients when you have time again!
You might want to pursue freelance writing on a part-time basis while working full time as a freelancer in another field (like web design). For example, if you’re an expert in search engine optimization (SEO).
Then it’s possible that there are some companies that might want your services but don’t want to hire someone full time just yet because they aren’t sure whether or not their current budget will allow them room for growth in this area over the next few years.
This could work well if there was enough flexibility within their budget so that they could afford some freelance help at first – perhaps with fewer hours than full-time employees require – then scale up based on its success rate once proven results were achieved.”
If you’re a freelance writer looking to continue your career while on maternity leave, our guide on How to Be a Freelance Writer on Maternity Leave provides valuable tips and strategies to help you maintain your freelance work and balance motherhood.
Edit Videos Or Compile Photos For Other People
If you have a background in video editing or photography, there are plenty of ways you can use those skills to make money while on maternity leave.
You could edit videos for other people and then sell them on sites like Fiverr or Upwork. If you’re not interested in editing videos.
If but want to use your photography skills anyway, you can find opportunities online where companies will pay people by the hour (or by the photo) to take photos of their products and services.
This is especially true if they’re looking for someone with a specific style for example if they want Instagram-worthy images that show off their product in an artistic way.
It’s easy enough to learn how to do this kind of work from home; just Google “how to edit videos” or “how do I become a freelance photographer?” The internet has tons of tutorials on both topics!
Edit Photos Or Videos For Other People
Editing photos and videos are the perfect freelance gig for new moms. Not only is it something you can do remotely, but it also puts you in contact with other people.
When editing photos and videos, you’re going to be working with people who just want their content to look good on social media or in blog posts.
This means that your clients will be happy if they like how much money they’re spending on having their content edited by someone halfway around the world!
If you’ve ever used Photoshop’s “auto correct” feature (the one that usually makes everything look like crap), then this might not seem like a big deal at first glance.
But trust me editing photos and videos requires more than just clicking on an icon or two. It’s much more technical work than just clicking “auto-correct.”
The best way for beginners to get started would probably be Google Photos, which already does all of this automatically for free!
However, there are other options such as Lightroom CC or Luminar 3: both programs have many similar features without costing anything at all right now either because they’re still beta versions being tested out by users before official release dates come up again next week.
When they’ll start charging monthly fees instead of yearly ones as usual; both cost less than USD 100 per year once released officially though priced differently depending upon the service bundle size selected during the checkout process (more expensive packages offer additional benefits including better quality prints).
Transcribe Videos Or Podcasts For Other People
Transcribing is a great way to make money while you’re on maternity leave. There are several ways you can do this, like transcribing videos or podcasts for other people or transcribing audiobooks that have been recorded by the author or narrator of the book.
Some people also hire transcriptionists to work in person at their office.
If you choose to work as a transcriber from home, start by looking at your local Craigslist ads and websites such as Upwork and Mavensboard that offer freelance opportunities. You may find some clients right away!
Balancing freelancing and maternity leave can be challenging, but our article on Tips for Freelancing While on Maternity Leave offers practical advice on managing your workload, setting boundaries, and optimizing your productivity during this unique time.
Manage Social Media Accounts For Other People
You can also manage social media accounts for other people. Social media management is a great way to make money while on maternity leave because it’s flexible, doesn’t require much time, and you don’t have to maintain a physical location.
You’d be surprised at how many people need help with their social media accounts! Social media marketing is a popular career path for freelancers.
So if you’re good at it and have some experience under your belt, this could be the perfect opportunity for you to make some extra cash while still taking care of your baby.
If this sounds like something that interests you, contact me immediately!
Create A Newsletter For Other People
Create a newsletter for other people. If you’re new to the freelance world and don’t have any clients yet, start by creating a newsletter template that you can sell to other businesses and use as your portfolio piece.
You’ll be able to create an editorial calendar for each issue and learn about SEO along the way.
Learn how to design a newsletter that converts. Once you’ve launched your first issue and established yourself as an expert in this field, take on projects from companies looking for help with their newsletters or marketing materials in general.
Use their feedback to improve upon future issues of your publication!
Manage Email Marketing Campaigns For Other People
Email marketing is a powerful tool that businesses can use to grow their brand. It’s an essential part of any digital marketing strategy, and it’s becoming more important than ever due to the proliferation of mobile devices.
You might already be familiar with email marketing: It involves sending out regular updates about your business or products via email.
The goal is for users who receive these emails to take some sort of action, such as purchasing something from your website or signing up for a mailing list.
Email marketing campaigns are typically managed by software you’ll need access to software that allows you to create automated email templates and send them out on a predetermined schedule (such as daily).
There are many services available online that allow you to set up an auto-responder series (or “autoresponder”) in just minutes with no coding experience required!
Autoresponders are useful because they give visitors an immediate response without taking away from time spent on other tasks at hand and they’re also easy-to-use tools if you’re just starting with freelancing work!
Format Ebooks, Printables, And PDFs For Other People
Formatting ebooks, printables, and PDFs for other people is a great way to make money while you’re staying home with your new baby. To format an ebook or printable file, you need to know how much space each page takes up.
You also need to know what type of font and size the client will want it in. For example, if they want a 6 x 9-inch book using Times New Roman 12-point font.
They also want each page to be set up so that there are two columns side by side with no margins on the right-hand column but a 1-inch margin at the top of every page (for easy binding) and 2 inches at the bottom of every page (for easy binding).
Ebooks are usually sold as PDFs (portable document files), which means that whoever buys them can view them from any computer or mobile device without having to install anything special first!
Printables tend towards being offered as JPEG files because these can easily be opened in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint programs on most computers without downloading anything extra first.
Both types require some formatting knowledge before uploading to popular sites like Etsy.
Maintaining creativity during maternity leave is essential for freelancers. Learn effective techniques and strategies in our article on How to Stay Creative While Freelancing During Maternity Leave and discover how to nurture your creative mindset amidst the demands of motherhood.
Create Website Graphics And Templates For Other People
A template is a pre-designed website that can be customized by the site owner. A graphic is a visual element on a website, such as a color scheme or logo.
A graphic template is a collection of graphics and other elements that come together to create an entire theme for your site. You might think of it as the blueprint for your design.
A website graphic template builder creates or helps you create these templates from scratch, to build websites faster and easier than ever before! You can use this builder to:
- Create custom designs for sites like yours
- Save time by using prebuilt parts instead of having to recreate them yourself every time you start over (and waste even more time)
Create Content Upgrades And Opt-In Freebies For Other People’s Email Newsletters
Content upgrades are a great way to grow your email list, drive sales and build your brand. They’re freebies that you give away when someone opts into your list.
They can be written articles, PDFs, templates, or any other sort of information product that will help the recipient (or non-recipient) do better work.
For example: if you’re a writer, a content upgrade could be an ebook on how to write better headlines for your blog posts.
If you’re a photographer and want more leads from people who want their photos taken professionally, then offer them an e-book of tips on what makes their photos look professional.
If you know how to create high-quality content upgrades using one or more of these methods then consider this option for earning money while taking maternity leave!
Optimize Pinterest Boards And Pinterest Accounts For Other People
To optimize your Pinterest boards, follow these steps:
Add a relevant board description. The first thing people see when they land on your board is the description field in the lower-left corner of the screen.
Make sure it’s clear and concise, so visitors know what to expect when they click through to view more pins from that particular board.
For example, if you’re creating a board for recipes, write something like “Delicious vegetarian recipes!” or “10-minute meals that are healthy AND delicious!”
You can also take advantage of hashtags by adding them to your descriptions so that other people who search for those terms will be able to find them easily on Pinterest as well (more on that later).
Select relevant categories for each pin uploaded onto your boards and make sure those categories match up with the ones already assigned by default by Pinterest! When choosing categories for each pin, ask yourself: Would someone else search this term?
If yes, then go ahead and categorize accordingly; otherwise, leave it blank until you think of something better later on down the road when brainstorming ideas about how best to serve potential customers’ needs within their specific niche market(s).
Pin content regularly because this will keep viewers engaged while providing an easy way to track progress over time too – although there haven’t been any studies yet that show exactly how many times per week frequency rates must increase.
Just realize that if increase then decreases too much then others might get bored easily so try not to go overboard yet still give enough incentive such as getting followers excited enough.
So they’ll want more coming back again soon after seeing results which means business value increases significantly too!”
Make sure there aren’t any duplicates either across different accounts or within each account itself since this could potentially lead some users checking out only once before leaving forever since some people don’t like having options where nothing seems unique anymore.”
Are you considering transcription work as a freelancer? Our article on Tips to Work from Home as a Transcriptionist provides valuable insights into setting up your home office, acquiring the necessary skills, and finding transcription opportunities to kickstart your freelance career.
Update WordPress Plugins And Themes On Websites That Belong To Other People
WordPress is the most popular content management system on the planet. It’s free and easy to use, with a large community of users, developers and designers.
If you have any experience coding websites or plugins then this could be a great way to make money while staying home with your baby.
If you’re not familiar with WordPress, here are some basic instructions for updating plugins and themes:
- Download the latest version of the plugin from its website (if available). If there isn’t an update available yet then check back in a few days/weeks.
- Upload it into your “plugins” folder in your WordPress installation directory via FTP or SSH access (i.e., through WinSCP on Windows).
Run Facebook Ads And Boost Facebook Posts That Relate To Services Or Products That You Sell, Not For Someone Else’s Business
While on maternity leave, you should only use your own money to run Facebook ads and boost Facebook posts that relate to services or products that you sell.
If you decide to freelance while on maternity leave, make sure not to use anyone else’s money. That means no one else should be paying for your ads or boosts! Using only your funds ensures that this is still a profitable venture for the family.
Create Youtube Thumbnails, Youtube Titles, And Descriptions That Help Youtube Users Find And Watch The Videos Of Your Clients In The Search Results
YouTube is the second most popular search engine, social network, video platform, video site, and video streaming site in the world. If you can’t find your client’s videos in YouTube’s search results then their content is not getting found.
On top of that, videos with a thumbnail that looks interesting will be more likely to get clicked on than one without an eye-catching image.
If you can design a beautiful thumbnail for your client’s videos then they’re more likely to get watched which means they’ll generate more views for themselves and therefore more money for you as well!
Time management is crucial for freelancers, and our guide on How to Time Block and Increase Your Productivity as a Freelancer offers practical tips and techniques to help you optimize your schedule, prioritize tasks, and make the most of your freelance working hours.
Conclusion
Freelancing while on maternity leave isn’t easy, but it is possible. If you take the time to plan and create a realistic schedule, you can make freelancing work while you’re on leave from your day job.
As long as you set boundaries and work at your own pace, it won’t feel like work it will be a way for you to stay engaged and keep up with your passions as you adjust to your new life with the baby.
Further Reading
What Work Can You Do During Maternity, Adoption, and Parental Leave?: This article provides insights into the types of work you can undertake during maternity, adoption, and parental leave, offering guidance on legal considerations and permissible activities.
Guide to Freelance Maternity Leave: Discover essential information on freelance maternity leave, including rights, benefits, and practical tips to navigate the complexities of balancing self-employment with becoming a parent.
Planning Maternity Leave as a Freelancer: This resource outlines strategies for planning and managing maternity leave as a freelancer, including financial planning, client communication, and transitioning back to work after childbirth.
FAQs
Q: How does freelancing while on maternity leave affect my entitlement to statutory maternity pay?
A: The impact on statutory maternity pay can vary depending on your specific circumstances. It’s advisable to consult relevant governmental guidelines or speak with an employment specialist to understand the implications for your situation.
Q: Can I take breaks or reduce my freelance workload during maternity leave?
A: Absolutely. Maternity leave is a crucial time for self-care and bonding with your child. It is important to prioritize your well-being and establish boundaries that allow for rest and recovery.
Q: What steps should I take to prepare financially for freelance maternity leave?
A: Planning ahead is crucial. It’s recommended to review your finances, create a budget, explore any available government support or benefits, and consider setting aside savings to cover expenses during your maternity leave.
Q: How can I communicate with clients about my maternity leave and ensure a smooth transition?
A: Open and transparent communication is key. Inform your clients in advance about your upcoming leave, discuss any ongoing projects, and consider offering alternative arrangements such as referring them to trusted colleagues or discussing project timelines.
Q: What strategies can I implement to ease the transition back to freelancing after maternity leave?
A: Gradual reintegration and setting realistic expectations are important. Consider starting with a reduced workload, easing back into work gradually, and seeking support from family, friends, or childcare services to help manage your professional and personal responsibilities effectively.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.