Contributed by Rosemary O’Brien, Catalogs.com Info Guru

If you are a woman who wants to stay at home with your children, but still need an income, you are not alone.

Even the strongest-minded career women turn to mush when they meet their new baby. It can be done, but you have to proceed with caution. There are tons of scams out there for unsuspecting moms who are doing their best to juggle motherhood with a career, and the internet makes them very easy prey. With that being said, there are many positions that can be done from home, especially with the renewed interest in outsourcing.

Below are the top ten jobs for SAHMs (stay-at-home-moms) in the order only that they appeal to me, with #1 the best.

Your DREAM stay-at-home job might be very different!

10. Accounting professionals

The reasons people go into business are to make money and feed their families. Accounting professionals such as accountants and bookkeepers are always in demand for even the smallest of businesses. It is much easier to hire someone to do your taxes correctly than it is to try to do your work and learn an entire new set of skills, especially when there is a danger of auditing.

9. Transcriptionists and data entry

Like accountants, people who type fast are in demand. Many companies have documents or even books that need to be transcribed from tape. They also need to keep track of data, such as those to give to the accountant at the end of the year. If you can type, you have a very marketable skill right at your fingertips. (Pardon the pun!)

8. Virtual assistant

Busy professionals would give anything to have someone to do the little things that need to be done such as internet research, blog management and even searching for airline tickets for an important trip on a budget. Virtual Assistants, or VA’s, provide valuable services such as these along with pretty much anything a good secretary can accomplish. A one-person office will hire someone else to do a chunk of their administrative tasks so that they are free to concentrate on their business.

7. Photographers

Websites, e-zines, newsletters and all types of online venues need pictures to make their product pop and keep readers interested. If you like to take photographs, you may find a place taking photos to populate the internet. Pictures of people performing simple tasks, inanimate objects such as coffee cups, even a picture of the sky can earn you money by selling them through one of the many photography sites on the internet. An image search will take you to a variety of websites eager for your photographs.

6. Writers

Just as websites need images, they need words to put on their pages and draw in customers. Writers have been always been prone to freelancing. If you write well, you can not only offer website copy, but you can also write articles, marketing collateral such as press releases, even books for companies eager to preserve their history on paper.

5. Web Design and Development

With all of this talk about the internet, there have to be websites to begin with, right? Web development positions are always in demand. You can swing a stick and find someone these days who can build a website for you, and you can even build one yourself, but would you want to? Most business owners would prefer a professional and that is where your design skills can shine. Developing jobs can be done from anywhere. If you develop a great website and think you could market someone else’s products online, affiliate marketing can be a long term investment and a great way to generate income.

4. Customer Service

Call center operators are always in demand. When companies go home for the night, they used to send their phones to answering services. These were people who answered their phones after hours so that the client got a real person on the other end of their call. While many companies rely on voicemail to pick up their calls, many still want that personal touch to be available to their clients. If someone calls for a hotel reservation or needs to be connected to the correct department, a customer service agent is there to help them with their request. The best part is that many of these positions can be done from home.

3. Online Tutors

There are a number of online colleges and specialty schools that hire out instructors. Many offer teleclasses which are conducted by telephone, others by email. Regardless of how it is done, an instructor of virtually any subject can find a place in a program. A number school systems around the company also promote online tutoring for their students. Children log into a website with a password after registering, then get help with their homework or a special project. This is often a relief for the parent whose specialty is not the subject in which the child needs help. (Mine is Math, by the way.)

2. Direct Sales

You have undoubtedly heard of the Avon lady or Tupperware parties. These were the first companies to offer home parties at which they sold their products. Now you can sell anything from cleaning supplies to specialty foods. If you have an interest in a particular area or a hobby you would love to share, you need only find the company that matches your interest. There are people who sell stamping and scrapbooking supplies, wine merchants, even specialty jewelry and handbags. If you have an interest, there is a product you can sell at a home party.

1. Online Auctions

Ebay is not only for disposing of the contents of your garage. People have built businesses by offering handmade creations, collectibles and yes, even the contents of their garage. All they do is set up a store, maintain good customer service practices, and they can run their own store virtually. If you collect Americana or military memorabilia, or are good at finding children’s clothing for a bargain, you can make a decent profit by selling your wares in online auctions.

More thoughts on money-making propositions for SAHMs …

Some of these jobs sound too simple to believe, but they are true. If you detest a task enough to have someone else do it and have the funds to pay someone else to do your dirty work, you can find someone who likes the task and will do it for a price. That someone can be you! Figure out what you like to do, or what you do well, and turn it into a job you can do at home. By working from home, you create your own schedule and sometimes can create your own rules! If you are a businessperson, even better. Turn that skill into a business and run it on your own terms – from home.

There is nothing like being able to tend to your sick child without having to ask your boss if you can leave work to do so. It is right up there with working in your pajamas.