Top Jobs for Coaches’ Wives

Updated May 2022 with new links and job opportunities

One of the most common questions I’m asked by other coaches’ wives moving to the area I’m living in is, “what do I do for work?”. When you’re a wife on the move because of your husband’s job, there are times when you find yourself considering a career transition just to save your sanity.

We’ve lived in two very small communities, which made finding local jobs close to impossible. Add in a need to be home with young kids or the inability to afford to work and pay for childcare, and finding the right career can become extra challenging. For many coaches’ wives, remote work is the best option for the transient lifestyle. This doesn’t mean wives should settle for a career that doesn’t fit their interests. I believe in chasing your dream job and thinking outside the box to thrive in the sweet spot of your calling!

I’ve developed a list of the top jobs for coaches’ wives based on recommendations from wives in many different professions and various interests. This list has become a trusted resource for women considering career transitions as well as a place to confirm the lead on LinkedIn is a legitimate source.

Although some families find it most convenient in the coaching lifestyle to remain a one-income household, many wives work out of necessity. Coaches at most levels aren’t paid well, and as costs of living rise, some wives work just to afford health insurance.

Still, I know several coaches’ wives who work because they choose to. They love having the extra income, but more so, their job is the place they aren’t “Mrs. Coach,” and they thrive because they have something they call their own.

The challenge the find the best job remains. What jobs are easiest for women who move every 18-24 months on average to obtain? When you answer the application question “Why did you leave your previous job?” with “a move for husband’s job” five times over, are you going to be marketable? Almost two decades in the coaching business has revealed the answer to that question is sometimes yes, and sometimes no.

Here’s my list of best jobs for career transitions for coaches’ wives:

Sales Jobs:

This is the most common area of employment for coaches’ wives. The virtual company has propelled this option to the forefront of many lists. Whether it’s clothing, cooking utensils, makeup, oils, or shakes, third-party marketing businesses seem to be popping up all around me.

Not everyone is cut out to sell something. In fact, it can actually be a hindrance in some places. As the new person coming in, being flagged as a salesperson can hinder relationships. For the introverted person asking them to sell something or even host a party could be considered a form of torture. In a small town, building your downline can be hard because you can oversaturate an area quickly.

The positives are numerous once you have built your business. First, you should have some of the flexibility that you seek. There are tax benefits to owning a business, and you can work from almost anywhere, so you shouldn’t have to start over with every move. This is especially true if you utilize social media and online sales options.

Etsy

If you love crafting or are a creative person, Etsy might be your thing. Having time to craft that earns you money can’t be a bad thing. However, the sales may not always be steady, so this might only be an option for those looking for something that provides some spending money.  On the positive side, you can take this business with you anywhere and work the hours you prefer.

Virtual Assistant Work:

The job that I added to my resume in September of 2016 is the one I always suggest first. My role as a virtual assistant was unique, even for the VA world, but my company paired me with someone who would utilize my experiences and strengths in our partnership. For example, one aspect of my job was to write blog posts.

My client and I worked together to identify how I could integrate into the company. I worked my way from 5 hours a week to 25 and eventually dropped the VA title and took on the responsibilities of an Account Manager and Content Strategist. 

At the same time, I continued to add virtual assistant clients and balance 35 hours of work each week between 3 contracts. The majority of my hours now are not focused on virtual assistant work. However, I find that organization and technology skills are ones that I continue to rely on. 

Although many people work independently as VA’s, I chose to go with a company because of the additional benefits. Ongoing training, salary collection, and client placement allow me to focus on being the best VA without any other concerns.

My job offers flexibility in that I can shift my weekly hours to accommodate my family. I can also take my work with me when we move or travel if needed. Our company also hires bookkeepers and web developers.

Learn more about Virtual Assistant Work here.

Companies to check out if you don’t want to freelance as a Virtual assistant are:

• Belay Solutions 
• VaVa Virtual
• Virtual Works LLC 
• We Recruit Well
• Airtasker
• Virtual Employee
• OnlineVATeam
• Hire My Mom  (this site has both paid and free aspects)
• Remote.co
• Pay Per Content
• My BTLR Virtual Assistants
• Priority VA

Writer/Editor

Are you looking to be a writer without all the extra? Freelance writing is a growing field. Zerys is a company I work with for my job as a Content Strategist. We seek out the same writers weekly who do excellent work.

I have picked up freelancing jobs for extra cash with WritersAccess, and Verblio; these sites come highly recommended  Hire My Mom Cella and Remote.co.

I also believe that there is a growing opportunity with the way LinkedIn is developing for writers and editors to build out excellent profiles and find remote work without going through third-party sites. If you’re going to go this route, do yourself a favor and spend time getting a free Content Marketing certification from HubSpot Academy first. This will only boost your negotiating power.

Digital Media and Communications

So many jobs within the digital media arena are remote these days. Cella is one of many sources for marketers to look for remote work in the following areas:

• Graphic Design
• SEO
• Web Designer
• UX Designer
• Content Marketing Designer
• Content Strategist
• Social Media Designer
• Social Media Manager
• Public Relations/Communications
• Advertising/Marketing
• Digital Media/Paid Media
• HR/Finance/Operations
• Tech Developers and Programmers

Are you interested in exploring this career niche? Check out free certifications on HubSpot, LinkedIn, SEMrush, and Google Analytics, as well as Lynda.com to build your resume.

Check out Kokua Group if you’re looking for clients in the fields above.

Transcriber

Rev.com and www.transcribeme.com are freelance transcription services. You will need to take a test to qualify to work for these companies.

Be cautious; not all companies are legitimate. While it may pay less to work through a 3rd party service when starting out freelancing, it’s often best to use a service rather than work directly through Indeed or LinkedIn, where it’s easier to get scammed.

Bookkeeper

Depending on your level of experience, you can have a variety of jobs under the finance umbrella. Belay Solutions, Remote.co, LinkedIn, and Indeed are great places to start.

Virtual Medical Jobs

PRN Triage Positive Reinforcement Nursing (PRN INC PC) is a North Carolina-based professional corporation that provides doctors with after-hours assistance with patient calls. PRN was established in 1996 by Wendy Smith, MSN/MBA, Esquire, and Shelley Rogers, RN. These two entrepreneurs met over 24 years ago while working as RNs in a Labor and Delivery unit. After five years of hour-long commutes, twelve-hour shifts, and growing families, Ms. Smith and Ms. Rogers began looking for alternatives. Their vision soon became a reality with the encouragement and support of a few local doctors. PRN was born through faith in God, remarkable friendship, and a mission to provide after-hour calls for physicians and their patients.

Online Counselor BetterHelp provides marketing, technology, and additional income. You provide professionalism, clinical experience, and care. Join over 5,000 therapists on the world’s largest online counseling platform. Private practice with no doors and no overhead. Curious to know more? Read Is Online Counseling Right for Me?

Virtual Primary Care SteadyMD is on a mission to change how health care works by offering patients a long-term relationship with their doctor, completely online. Each SteadyMD doctor serves a limited number of patients, so they can give them the time and attention they deserve. We offer comprehensive, personalized, long-term care from anywhere in the world, on any device.

Haggai Health Care This fully remote company says, “We understand that many nurses and therapists want to work, but twelve-hour shifts and huge patient loads just don’t work for them anymore.”

Online Teaching and Tutoring

There has been a lot of transition in this area, but there are many legitimate companies that will allow you to stay in education and set your own schedule.

• Prima Connect Tutors
• Remote.co
• Prep Now Tutoring
• ihirepublishing.com
• Varsity Tutors
• Preply
• Skooli Tutors
• Are you a math wiz? Check out Prodigy Education
• Tutor.com
• Mathnasium
• Outschool allows you to apply to teach as an individual or an organization.

Temporary Work or Short Term Job Opportunities

Airtasker

Airtasker is a company with both US and Australian services. They have multiple positions that are virtual and in person. If you can work with flexible hours, there are opportunities for freelance work here as well.

Bark.com

Bark.com describes itself as “Bark is the Amazon of services.” Where millions of people use the service worldwide to find what they need every day.

Matchmaker!

Tawkify has discovered that a lot of people have the talent for matchmaking. Their matchmakers come from diverse backgrounds – lawyers, consultants, life coaches, entrepreneurs, teachers, and writers. As a result, they have built a matchmaker platform that makes their hobby of matchmaking a viable career.

Customer Services Reps 

Amazon

Hotels

Bite Ninja is a new company that pays you to take fast food orders from the comfort of your home! Jobs are listed here as well as job search sites. To learn more about Bite Ninja check out this Today Show segment.

Travel Agent

The Pana job description says: You will serve as the human touchpoint for most people who interact with Pana. You will message users, identify and react to user needs, and perform requested research and bookings. Your work will include regular elbow grease to help improve our supply systems, technology integrations, and content team to deliver the best possible information, options, and experiences to our users. You will also actively make our product better by collecting and effectively communicating user feedback to the rest of the team.

Disney Travel Agents are experts in their craft and get to talk about the magic of Mickey Mouse all day long!

Online Stylist

Cabi and Stitch Fix allow you to stretch your creating fashion muscles and earn a commission for clothing sales from the comfort of your home.

Local Job Options:

Babysitting:

This is a great option for a stay-at-home mom or for someone who loves little kids. I spent years watching other kids in addition to my own. The positives were numerous. My kids had built-in friends. They had to learn to share sooner and to be flexible about where they napped. We got out of the house to explore a bit more than I think we would have otherwise because a crowded place encourages outside adventure. I didn’t have to work nights or weekends, and I could always take time off that I wanted.

The hard part was that I didn’t make a huge amount of money. It was nice extra cash, but still less than minimum wage, which made some days challenging. Further, I couldn’t run out and do many errands, so there was a good amount of schedule shifting that needed to be done.

Besides babysitting, most communities will offer several local options for you to consider. Temporary work can often be the best option to provide flexibility. These are all jobs coaches’ wives I know have obtained.

• Substitute teaching
• Translator
• Adjunct Professor
• Seasonal employment at local stores
• H & R Block
• Real-Estate
• House cleaning
• Private lessons for skill development (instrument, sports, singing)
• Tutoring (see my list of sources for online companies above!)
• Seamstress
• Shipt
• Instacart
• Walmart Grocery Delivery

How Do You Know Which Remote Job is for You?

Weighing out the pros and cons of any job situation can be a stressful thing. Coaches’ wives are often the most tenacious people I encounter. Their lifestyle has exposed them to many personalities and conditions that make coaches’ wives ideal for various jobs. Most remote jobs involve someone who can learn on the go. Others require a specific skill set and educational background. The process of finding a new job with every move can become frustrating. Considering an option that will move with you may be a helpful way to continue to pursue your passions, calling, and contribute to the family income. Regardless of your decision, know any company would be lucky to have you!

Buy Lessons from the Sidelines Today!