10 Work From Home Jobs in Singapore That Are Ideal For Stay-at-Home Mums (SAHMs)

Contrary to what some believe, SAHMs or Stay-At-Home-Mums don’t spend all their time watching Korean dramas.

In fact, some are practically working 24/7 looking after their kids, keeping their households up and running and running errands—all without getting paid. On top of that, many SAHMs also take up side jobs so they can contribute to the family income.

When there are young children to look after, being able to work from home is a must for many SAHMs. Here are some part-time jobs that enable you to work from home in Singapore.

10 work-from-home jobs in Singapore for SAHMs

Job	Salary
Writing, proofreading, editing, translation	$5 to $100 per article
Customer service	$7 to $9 per hour
Data entry	$7 to $9 per hour
Designing	Around $50 per hour, or ad-hoc
Making websites and programming	From $2,000 per project
Photography	From $1,000 for a full-day wedding shoot
Baking	From $100 for a customised cake
Accounting	From $100 a month per client
Legal services	From $100 per hour
Babysitter	$800 to $1,000 a month

*Remuneration depends on experience and complexity of tasks.

Writing, proofreading, editing, translation

Some jobs require you to meet clients face to face and sit through lots of meetings. Others can be done primarily behind a computer screen. Writing, proofreading, editing and translation are examples of jobs that can be done from the comfort of home with nothing more than a laptop and an internet connection.

Many companies now outsource these jobs, which can be found on online marketplaces like Freelancer.com, or skill-specific sites like ProZ for translators. Fees wary wildly—work for a content mill and you could see yourself getting paid $5 per article. On the other end of the scale, companies are often willing to pay thousands for copywriting of a brochure or translation of a contract, for instance.

Customer service

If you are good with calling and customer service, there are customer service positions that allow you to render service support from home via chatbots or phone.

You might need to devote some time to go for product training, but otherwise, this is a job that can be done remotely.

Bonus points if you are able to speak a third or fourth language. For instance, Apple is currently hiring “AppleCare At Home Advisors” that are able to speak Cantonese or Korean.

Data entry

Okay, it’s not the most exciting job out there, but the repetitiveness of data entry can be a plus if you have to keep one eye on a rambunctious toddler at all times.

More and more data entry jobs are now home-based, as employers realise that what counts is how fast you can submit the work rather than how many hours you spend sitting under their noses.

One key advantage is the ability to touch type. If you can type fast without looking at your fingers, you’ll be able to boost your per-hour earnings considerably.

Also, if you are able to do data entry duties coupled with other tasks such as calling and surveying, you can get paid between $10 to $14 an hour.

Designing

Don’t let anyone tell you artistic skills are useless in Singapore. Freelance designers can actually make a very decent living, and command hourly rates that can be multiple times higher than those of their salaried counterparts.

If you’ve got web design, graphic design, illustration or UX design skills, it’s worthwhile to start building a portfolio now. To start out, bid for jobs on platforms like Upwork, and reach out to personal contacts. Your husband might have a friend whose business needs a new website or logo.

Fees vary tremendously depending on the project, client and your own skillset, and you’ll probably have to accept much lower fees than you’re worth at the start when building a portfolio. But once you’ve got some experience, you’ll be able to charge thousands for a simple five-page website.

Making websites and programming

Are you a web developer or programmer? Then you’re the envy of the millions of people all around the world who wish they had the skills to work from home. The demand for home-based web developers and programmers is huge right now, and you should be able to charge a decent four or five figure sum for each project you take on.

The tricky part is getting your first few jobs. Look on websites like Fiverr, Upwork and Freelancer.com and remember to spread the word on social media and through your personal network that you’re going to work as a freelance developer or programmer. Once you’ve gotten a few jobs under your belt, you’ll be in a good position to take your home-based business full-time if you so desire.

You should be able to charge anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 for developing a simple e-commerce site, although charging well over $10,000 is occasionally reasonable for complex websites.

Photography

If you’re over the age of 25, logging into Facebook usually means getting flooded with pictures from pre-wedding, wedding or pregnancy photoshoots. Despite the low birth rate, Singaporeans are determined to document their marriage and baby milestones with nice, professionally shot photos.

Professionally-trained photographers and even proficient amateurs can make a very good living as freelance photographers. Wedding photographers can charge at least $1,000 for full-day wedding shoots, with reputable ones charging two to four times the price. Commercial photographers can make even more if they manage to find big clients.

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In the photography business, a good portfolio is the most important thing to have. Being social media savvy to get your pics shared also helps.

One consideration for SAHMs is that unless you set up a home studio, you’ll need to be able to leave the house when you’re on your photo assignments, so this job option is definitely better for those who have a helper or parent who can look after the kids, or for mums with school-going children. Photo editing, which can be even more time consuming than the actual shoot, can be done from the comfort of home.

Baking

Singaporeans are very open to ordering cakes and other pastries from home bakers, so if you’re a fiend in the kitchen, consider setting up your own home baking business. The most popular home bakers tend to be those who do elaborate cakes in line with the latest trends. You can charge at least $100 for an elaborate customised cake, though most home bakers charge at least $200.

The key to finding success as a home baker is to have a good Instagram account with lots of followers, and to be very contactable and responsive. Providing a Whatsapp number and responding quickly is often the key to securing an order.

Wondering if you’d need an NEA food handling license? According to HDB/URA’s Home-Based Small Scale Business Scheme, as long as you only sell to a small clientele and not sell to food establishments or temporary fairs, you do not need an NEA license.

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Accounting

That accounting degree or ACCA qualification need not go to waste after you have become an SAHM. Accounting is one job that can be done on a part-time basis or even at home. Every business needs help with their accounting, so there is always demand.

You’ll primarily be helping companies maintain their accounts, but depending on the job might have other responsibilities such as preparing and submitting GST or CPF payments, filing documents and liaising with auditors.

You can charge an hourly or monthly rate depending on the type and amount of work you get from a company. For simple bookkeeping for a very small business, you should charge a bare minimum of $100 a month. Businesses with more transactions or that require services such as GST submission will of course have to pay more.

Legal services

Are you one of the many lawyers in Singapore who’s dropped out of the profession due to poor work-life balance? You might not be able to work as full-fledged lawyer without renewing your practising certificate, but you can still earn some spare cash on the side doing legal work for businesses.

Many businesses need people with legal-training to write or review contracts and give them in-house advice. You can even find Singapore-based legal work on Upwork from time to time. You probably won’t be able to charge as much as a law firm would, but you should still be able to rake in a decent hourly rate of at least $100 per hour, or even more depending on your level of expertise.

Babysitter

This one is for mums with older toddlers and children. You still want to stay home, do household chores, and personally guide your child when it comes to homework, but now that your child is older you find that you have more free time.

You may consider doing freelance babysitting for a neighbour.

These days, young Singaporean parents cannot afford to stay home and look after their baby, but may be wary of leaving the baby at home with a domestic helper. That’s where you can step in to do what you already have experience in – taking care of babies! To get a babysitting job, either ask around or list your services on Find a Nanny SG.

The pay can range from $800 to $1,000 per month for full-day babysitters (8am to 6pm). But if you can do ad-hoc babysitting, then you may set your own price.

How to become a work-from-home SAHM

Here are some tips that will enable you to work effectively at home.

• Set up a home office – If you don’t have a spare room, at least have a designated workspace that is free from distractions. You might want to put up a screen or curtain to separate your workspace from the rest of the house.
• Establish rules – You might be at home, but making yourself available 24/7 to every family members’ demands will ensure you get nothing done. Make it clear when you are working and have your household understand that you are not to be disturbed during that time except in an emergency.
• Define your working hours – Decide from what time to what time you will work each day ensures your work doesn’t bleed into your everyday life and enables you to spend quality time with your family once you knock off.

Have you ever worked from home as a SAHM? Share your experiences in the comments!