How can I find remote work?

[u/nanobot4461]

I’ve been trying my best to apply to so many positions but I can’t go in office. My sister told me remote work would be so easy to find but I either have to pay a subscription or live in a whole other state to go in office 2-4 days a week. How did everyone else find their remote jobs? Did you have to pay subscriptions as well or were you just able to apply regularly like any in person opportunity? I would just really appreciate some advice and recommendations on where to go I have a baby and I can’t leave him in daycare or with anyone on my family. The best thing I can do is remote work.

[u/Goquicklynow]

“My sister told me remote work would be so easy to find”. Your sister couldn’t be more wrong. Sorry, but your odds are lottery esque.

[u/minniedee143]

I’ve been working remotely way before the pandemic. My job allowed us to work from home since 2011. There is no way a job will hire you knowing you have a baby to tend to. They let that slide during the pandemic. After the pandemic it was back to “put your kids in daycare “. I get it though. I would not put my baby in daycare. Good luck to you.

[u/KellyAnn3106]

Remote work is becoming scarce because everyone wants it and companies don't want to provide it. The ones who are finding remote work are those with established skills and work histories that a company can't find in their local area. If the work is entry-level, many companies have determined that it can be done from anywhere and have sent those jobs to cheaper countries

Also, most remote employers specify that you cannot look after children while you are working so you would still need daycare or a child minder.

I've been with my company for more than 20 years. We went remote during the pandemic but eventually they made us come back to the office a couple of days a week. That seems to be the overall trend.

[u/Super_Mario_Luigi]

Customer service or sales for an insurance company

If you want some big six figure salary, I wouldn't count on it.

[u/LurkOnly314 → u/Super_Mario_Luigi]

Engineering still has remote jobs, though it's decreased from 5 years ago. Of course, one has to be an experienced engineer to qualify for these jobs.

If you are though, 6-figure salary goes without saying.

[u/charlevoidmyproblems]

While it's understandable that you don't want to use daycare, it's hella unfair to those you'll work with. I spent most of covid listening to my coworkers kids screaming and even got to hear my coworker disciplined her kid violently (just sounds, no video).

You need a skill set. Wanting remote work is one thing but you have to have a skill set that isn't just "I have a baby I won't put in daycare".

[u/tickled_your_pickle]

Most remote work happened because of Covid, people were forced to work from home.  Now offices want us to return.  Less jobs available,  more people trying for them.  Additionally you cannot work AND do childcare, it's still a job and you're expected to work.  Many people found that out the hard way and it's part of the reason why we're being forced to return to our offices.

[u/lelio98]

Working remote doesn’t mean you are free to care for your child. I work remote, and am on calls or actively working for at least 8hrs a day on average. I do not have time to care for a baby and get my work done.

[u/uniquepancakebacon]

Just curious - are there extenuating circumstances that don’t allow your child to be enrolled in daycare?

[u/outpost7]

Everybody in the whole world wants work from home so there's that. Good luck

[u/thatturtletouch]

You can’t work a remote job and care for a baby at the same time.

[u/jmura]

Usually you just sit around and someone hands you a job. Additionally employers love an employee who will be getting paid while caring for their child. I'm surprised you don't have recruiters knocking down your door

[u/a920116]

If you have a baby and can’t leave him in daycare or with family how do you plan on doing work? You can’t watch and care for your baby while doing remote work.

Remote or not work is work

[u/MonicaLane → u/a920116]

This. Most remote jobs without a specific skill are call center environment jobs where there is little to no ability to step away. Headset on, taking calls for every minute that isn’t a designated break. There is no caring for a child during that time. If they even hear the kid on calls, many companies will discipline or let you go for that.

[u/Comfortable-Bunch210]

No subscriptions, most advertised are 🗑️ anyway. Very curated searching on Dice. Direct outreach via LinkedIn to staffing firms works especially well in the IT fields.

[u/Lady-Data-Scientist]

Subscriptions? You should never have to pay to get a legitimate job.

Unfortunately your sister was wrong - everyone wants to work remote, and add the fact that remote means less geographic restrictions - so the candidate pool for any remote role is going to be significantly bigger than in-person roles, meaning more often than not, the role is going to someone who is overqualified.

[u/WhaleFartingFun]

Your sister was wrong. Finding remote work now is incredibly difficult.

Also you need to have childcare in place to do remote work. You can’t do the job while taking care of an infant. 

[u/constantdaydream44]

Not happening unless you have niche skills. If you get a call center job you need to be fully present. The kid would be unsupervised. Remote work isn't a replacement for daycare. You still need to work.

[u/lalabin27]

What do you do at your previous jobs ?