A growing number of Filipino moms are looking for ways to generate additional income streams to augment the family income.
Thankfully, the exponential growth of virtual job opportunities in recent years has made earning extra income online more feasible for Filipino stay-at-home moms.
The record number of traditional businesses shifting to digital platforms resulted in a growing demand for online freelancers. A boom in the digital economy has spawned a myriad of online job opportunities for Filipinos of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and skills.
Such a thriving digital landscape has become a boon for those seeking a viable home-based job, especially during severe economic downturns when most households’ incomes are decimated either by job losses or reduced working hours.
Note: Online job hiring may also stagnate due to the economic crisis. The good thing is, the world is now your oyster in terms of job opportunities. You can now find a side hustle at the touch of a button.
Side Income Jobs for Filipino Moms
1. Graphic Designer
You don’t need to be a professional graphic designer to sell your crafts. If you have a knack for design and a passion for creating stunning visuals, offering digital design services can be a viable side-business option for you.
In fact, many Filipino moms are engaged in this creative business despite having no professional background in the field.
How is that even possible? Consider the following tips to help you get started.
Tips:
- You can access free and easy-to-use software tools for creating designs such as Canva, Crello, Fotoram, Snappa, and many more.
These software devices allow you to create digital products or publish eye-catching visuals on the web using their intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
Canva, for example, is so simple to navigate that even high school students are using the software for school projects. However, there can be a steep learning curve if you want to create intricate graphics.
- You can learn how to use these different design tools for free on YouTube. Almost all graphic design software providers offer free tutorials to users.
- Once you learn how to use the software, start selling practical things your family and friends are already buying elsewhere, such as journal notebooks, daily planners, custom stickers, birthday cards, calendars, and so much more.
- You can sell your items on your social media accounts and different online selling platforms such as Etsy, Lazada, Shopee, Kofi-ko, etc.
I myself purchased personalized journals from a Filipino seller on Facebook as Christmas gifts for my nieces. You might want to do the same to support Filipino moms running small businesses online.
The demand for graphic designers will continue to grow as more businesses move their operations online. So, if you have a flair for design, don’t let this opportunity pass you by.
2. Beta Reading Jobs for Filipino Moms
If you enjoy reading and are adept at finishing a book quickly, beta reading can be a lucrative side gig.
Beta readers are not necessarily professional editors. Clients don’t require beta readers to demonstrate the same level of editing skills that seasoned editors provide.
However, it’s vital to check the client’s requirements before submitting an application. Some clients require an exceptional level of expertise, while others only require feedback from an average reader.
Tip:
If you don’t have any work experience as a beta reader, you can write an opinion piece about your favorite book. You can then use it as a work sample for prospective clients.
Check out this guide for tips on writing a book review.
Where to get beta reading jobs?
- Upwork
- Zip Recruiter
- Indeed
- Guru.com
Rate: $40 or more depending on the client’s budget
3. Virtual Assistant
As brick-and-mortar businesses shift to online transactions, the demand for virtual assistants will take a steeper adoption route for years to come.
Tip: If you’ve ever worked in an office, it’s likely you’ve got some office skills you can leverage for a virtual assistant position.
Some Services You Can Offer Are as Follows:
- Scheduling meetings
- Make travel arrangements
- Email management
- Handling phone calls
- Managing social media
- Booking appointments
Here is a link to a helpful article if you want to know more about virtual assistant work.
Rate: $10 or more per hour depending on experience.
Where to find work?
- Upwork
- Freelance.com
- ZipRecruiter
- Indeed.com
4. Affiliate Marketing as a Part Time Job for Filipino Moms
Affiliate marketing can help make ends meet in times of financial hardships. However, it must be done the right way.
Credibility and honesty are essential to affiliate marketing success.
One thing to keep in mind is to ensure that your followers are at the core of your affiliate marketing efforts. Ensure you only promote products your readers will find valuable.
Otherwise, your reputation as an affiliate marketer will be tarnished, and the number of your followers will plummet far more quickly than you can anticipate.
How to start?
Steps:
- You can set up a free website using blogger for a start if you don’t have the means to set up a paid hosting website.
- You can promote good quality products via your social media accounts if writing content for a website isn’t your strong suit.
- Promote your product with valuable content. You will be more credible, helpful, and in-depth in your reviews if you have used the product yourself. The items you already own can serve as a starting point for your reviews as a beginner.
- Publish relevant affiliate links with your content to promote high-quality products.
At no additional cost to your audience, you will earn a commission or percentage of a sale once someone clicks on the link you provided.
Rate: Average affiliate commission is between 5-30%
5. Coach / Consultant
Earn a living by offering consulting services relevant to your skills.
To break into the consulting field, you can leverage the skills you already have by giving expert advice online. People are looking for expert opinions on a wide variety of issues and topics, making this side hustle a feasible option to earn extra income.
The consulting profession operates within a wide range of industries and fields. Here are some of the different types of consulting one can provide:
- Financial Consulting
- Consultancy services in marketing
- Strategy Consulting
- Providing IT consulting services
- Consulting services in management
- Business Consulting
- Consulting services in sales
- Providing consultation on brand development
- Consultative legal services
How to Start?
- Make an inventory of your skills and write them down on a sheet of paper
- Provide details about your qualifications and experience pertinent to specific skills to gain clarity on what services to offer.
- Look for people who might benefit from your skills and experience and reach out to them.
- Participate in social media groups and answer questions from your target market as a means of building trust and credibility.
Where to find work?
- Upwork
- Indeed
- Guru.com
- Simplyhired
- Flexjobs.com
Using social media to find clients is also an option.
The process of finding clients online has never been simpler. Whether you’re using a mobile device or a desktop computer, there are many opportunities to explore.
- You can use social media to find clients. Showcase your expertise by joining Facebook and Instagram groups relevant to your industry.
- If you can afford it, create a website that showcases the services you can provide to local and overseas clients. Promote them through your site or on social media.
You can also use white hat SEO strategies to funnel traffic to your website. There are plenty of free online resources you can explore to learn more about SEO.
Rate: Here is a link to valuable information regarding consulting fees in the Philippines.
6. Freelance Writer
You can become a freelance writer if you excel at putting ideas into words.
You don’t need to be a wordsmith to be a writer since there are different types of content that require different levels of writing skills. Besides, using simple terms is encouraged to keep readers glued to your content.
People want to read with ease, so using simple words in crafting your sentences is a must if you want to captivate the reader’s attention.
Remember, using complicated and unfamiliar terms will just drive readers away.
Tips:
- Take on writing projects that allow you to leverage your education, skills, and experience.
Your existing experience and expertise will enable you to enter the writing field not as a greenhorn, but as a seasoned professional.
If you are an accountant, write for accounting firms online. If you’re a carpenter, find carpentry websites online that need writers to churn out blog posts for them.
Should you be a nurse, look for websites that sell supplements. If you’re an architect, look for architectural design websites and reach out to them to offer your writing services.
- To catch those unsightly grammar errors, use free writing tools such as Grammarly. You don’t have to pay for the premium feature, the free version will suffice. You can also use the Hemingway App. Using this tool will enable you to compress long-winded sentences into a more concise form.
Rate: $ 20 – $ 100 or more depending on the type of writing projects and qualifications
Where to find clients?
You can find clients on different online job platforms like Upwork, LinkedIn, and Freelance.com, among others.
There are also sites that cater specifically to applicants looking for job postings related to writing, like the following:
- ProBlogger
- Guru.com
- Writer Access
- Blogging Pro
- Constant Content
7. Buy and resell stuff
A bit of a learning curve in getting into the buy-and-sell business is a must. However, you can start as small as you want to mitigate potential risks.
And with the help of technology, selling stuff online has never been as convenient and as lucrative as it is now.
How to start? Here is a helpful beginner’s guide to getting you started: How to sell items on Facebook Marketplace?
The Best Marketplaces to Sell Items in the Philippines
Facebook Marketplace
Lazada.com.ph
Shoppee.ph
Amazon.com
Carousel Philippines
Etsy
8. Apps reviews
The rapid pace of technological innovation has paved the way for the creation of apps that aim to make life extra convenient.
And start-up companies creating these apps need to test them first before launch.
That’s where you come in. Companies will pay you to test the apps’ functionality on your computer or mobile device.
All you have to do is to screen-record yourself while using the software so that companies can observe how you interact with the app’s interface. The test results will give them ideas on how to make the apps more intuitive and user- friendly.
Some companies require qualifications for this task. Others don’t require you to be an expert. They sometimes prefer to hire non-techies to get accurate information on how intuitive the apps are to consumers who aren’t tech-savvy.
Rate: $10 per 20 minutes
Where to apply?
- Upwork
- Fiverr
- Online jobs.ph
- TryMyUi
- Userlytics
9. Voice-Over Artist
You might consider working as a voiceover artist if you’re often complimented on your pleasant voice. A voice-over artist can find work dubbing advertisements, foreign-language films, podcasts, apps, and YouTube videos.
For this side job, you may need to invest in some audio production tools. Here is a link to a valuable article on how to succeed as a voice-over artist.
Where to find jobs?
Aside from online job platforms like Upwork, Freelance.com, etc., there are some companies that cater only to applicants looking for voice-over jobs, such as the following:
- Voices.com
- Voice123
- Vodalgo
- Voices US and Voices UK [if you have a U.S or a U.K accent]
Rate: It depends on where you’re from, but if you’re good at doing voice-over, clients will pay you a fair wage for your services [provided you have a generous client]
Voice artists in the United States earn an average salary of $33.06 per hour, while those in the Philippines earn a salary of ₱250 per hour.
Extra Income Ideas for Moms Abound
Filipino mothers are known for their self-sacrificing nature, always striving to make life easier for their families. Thus, it is not uncommon for Filipino women to work overseas in order to provide financial support for their families.
Hopefully, this will soon be a thing of the past. With the burgeoning freelance economy, the possibility of working from home is no longer a pipe dream.
Disclaimer:
- Rates and requirements can change and may vary depending on the company, location, and work hours.
- Each person’s freelancing journey yields different results. Some succeed, while others fail.
And as a home-based freelancer myself, here is one thing I have learned from this journey. A winning streak in the world of freelancing is not always a product of talent but of hard work, perseverance, and determination to succeed. You can, however, alleviate the pressures associated with freelancing through the appropriate use of technology and by leveraging the skills you already possess.