I have exciting news if you want to stay home with your precious babies, but still need a weekly paycheck. If you think you can't do both, I'm here to tell you that you can! The official word for what I'm talking about it "Telecommuting", but it's also known as a work at home job.

If you're brand new to the concept let me tell you a quick overview of the meaning. Basically, a telecommuting job is much like a job outside the home. You work for an employer, you have assigned duties, you often make an hourly rate, receive a paycheck and do this all from home.

The differences from outside the home to inside is that you often do not receive any type of benefit such as you would outside the home. For instance, you won't receive health insurance, paid holidays, paid sick leave or vacation time. The benefit you do receive is the luxury of working inside your home and being with your kids.

First Steps To Breaking Into This Field

If telecommuting does interest you there are some basic things you need to know in order to get started. First, you need to know where to find the legitimate jobs. The internet is filled with scams and it's important that you know where to find the legitimate jobs. The following are just a few of the great resources online that provide many legitimate job listings.

FREE SITES:

www.TelecommutingMoms.com

www.WAHM.com

www.Craiglist.org

www.ABYZNewslinks.com

www.Workaholics4hire.com

FREE NEWSLETTERS:

www.TelecommutingAnswerLady.com (which is my weekly newsletter)

www.Workoptions.com

Paid Membership Sites

You certainly don't have to pay to access legitimate job leads, but there are two websites that are legitimate and offer many leads and those are:

HomeJobStop.com

TeleworkRecruiting.com

What Jobs and Pay You Can Expect

Often, I'm asked what types of jobs are available and what one can make at home. First, I'm excited to say that there are just as many types of positions available for telecommuters as those who work outside the home. Anything from customer service to sales to marketing to data entry to medical transcription and much more!

The pay is going to vary from position to position, but the average pay seems to range from $8.00-$14.00 an hour. There are exceptions to this and it will honestly depend on your experience in a particular field and what company you get into. And there are chances to move up in many telecommuting companies so keep that in mind as well.

Read This BEFORE Applying

It's so important that you realize getting a job at home is not easy and will take time. Not only that, but your competition will be tough and you need to stand above the rest. Being professional with your cover letter and resume and any follow up is key.

Make sure you spell check like a maniac and tailor each and every cover letter and resume to that specific job you're applying to.

I would highly recommend you have a professional rsum writer craft a winning cover letter and resume for you. You can find an affordable and creative resume writer at www.resumeasap.com.

And in a final note with this topic, please remember to always be professional in all correspondence. If you don't happen to receive a job you applied for don't email the employer angrily because you did not receive the position. I received this great tip from an employer on this topic. And believe it or not, this does happen all too often.

"Don't burn bridges. When you receive a letter saying you didn't get the job, send a polite reply asking that your information be kept on file and express your interest in being considered for future openings. There is nothing to be gained by voicing any anger or resentment at not being chosen."

Linda Stacey

What Equipment Is Needed

Just like working outside the home you'll need certain things to do the job. You often need either all or some of the following:

Home Office

Computer

Printer

High Speed Internet (in most cases)

2nd Phone Line (sometimes)

Fax Machine (sometimes)

Quiet Environment

Depending on the job you might need something that I didn't list. For example, if you're a transcriptionist you might need a foot pedal or something of that nature. And there are also instances in which you won't need all of the equipment I mentioned. The one obvious thing you will need in all cases of legitimate employment is a computer and internet access.

Final Thoughts

Please keep in mind that it often takes much longer to find and get a telecommuting job then a job outside the home. The market is very competitive and although there are many more jobs now then a few years ago there is also much more competition. So please don't think that you will get a job tomorrow as that is not likely to happen.

Persistence is the key. Don't give up on this happening. I firmly believe that where there's a will there's a way. It could take months, but when you do receive the welcome letter to a great telecommuting position it will all be worth it!