5 Ways to Make Money on Care.com
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Making money through a side hustle has become increasingly popular as people seek to supplement their regular income and achieve greater financial stability. Indeed, 45% of Americans have a side hustle, according to Zippia, but the average monthly income is only about $480. This information, of course, comes against the backdrop of stubbornly high inflation and talks of a looming recession.
Whether you're looking to save up for a specific goal or simply want to earn more money on the side, part-time side hustles offer a flexible way to earn extra money on your own terms. Want your side hustle to become a full-time career? That's entirely possible, and there are many paths to choose from. Side hustles can take many forms, from freelance work to selling products online.
In this article, we'll do a deep dive into one such opportunity presented by Care.com.
In this article
What is Care.com?
Founded in 2006, Care.com is an online platform that aims to make it easier for families and individuals to find care services. Put simply, the website connects individuals and families with care providers for various services such as child care, including babysitting, senior care, pet care, housekeeping, and more. With over four million members across more than 17 countries, Care.com is one of the largest online care platforms.
Its website wants you to know the magnitude of its impact on the care market and how it fits within. According to Care.com's website, $340 billion is spent annually on care, and over 50% of families in the U.S. live in communities that don't have enough childcare nearby. So, how does Care.com fit in? By providing a platform for families looking for reliable care services and for care providers looking to connect with new clients and grow their businesses.
To use Care.com, you can simply create an account and search for care providers in your area. Care providers can create a profile highlighting their experience, qualifications, and availability. Care.com runs background checks on each caregiver. The platform also offers tools for managing and scheduling care, including a messaging system and a secure payment option called HomePay.
Care.com offers a free basic and premium membership, which requires a monthly subscription.
In addition to matching individuals with care providers, Care.com also offers a range of resources and tools to help families manage their care needs. On the Care.com website, you can find articles and advice on child development, elder care, and household management topics.
For care providers, Care.com is a solid option for finding new clients and growing your business. The platform boasts a large user base, providing tools for managing and scheduling care and access to training resources. Overall, Care.com is a robust platform for anyone looking for reliable care services and for care providers looking to connect with new clients and grow their businesses.
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How to make money on Care.com
The "care" in Care.com would make you think you can generate income only by providing care services, but that's not true. Here are a few ways you can leverage Care.com to make money online.
Offer care services
The most obvious and popular way to make money on Care.com is to offer caregiver services. This can be in child care, senior care, pet care, or home care for care seekers. Care.com's platform shows care jobs, and you can choose the one that makes sense to you in your area.
If that sounds appealing to you, head to their website to create a caregiver profile that highlights your experience and qualifications, like any certifications, previous experience, and relevant education. As is common with such jobs, you can set your own rates, and if things work out between you and any potential employers, the process is completed on the Care.com platform. You can find jobs in your area on Care.com, and if you can cater to people with special needs, you may be able to command a higher rate.
Don't know what your asking rate should be? Care.com offers online calculators to ensure you’re making what you should be. It also offers a few tips: consider your experience, the length of service, and responsibilities before quoting a price. It would also be good to compare your rates with other caregivers in your area to ensure you're being paid appropriately.
Indeed.com says caregivers make an average hourly rate of $15.22 on Care.com.
Tutoring
Uh, what?! You can offer tutoring services on Care.com? Yes, you can. If you have experience and expertise in a particular subject, you can create a profile, offer your services to students needing tutoring, and give your bank account an extra boost.
The setting-up process looks the same as offering care services — you'll have to create a profile, highlight any experience, education, and certifications, and set your pay rate. The Care.com platform allows tutors, like caregivers, to communicate with students and their parents through its messaging system. Once the terms are ironed out, you'll be hired via the platform.
If you're considering offering tutoring services on Care.com, there are a few best practices you should keep in mind. First, it's important to be clear about the subjects you can teach. You should be clear about your availability; you wouldn't want to get a job and decline it due to unavailability during the course of the contract. In addition, it may be a good idea to consider offering your services in person and online to maximize your potential client base.
According to Indeed.com, tutors on Care.com earn an average of $16.55 per hour.
Errand running
Care.com also allows you to take on odd jobs. This could be a great option if you're organized, detail-oriented, and don't mind running errands for others. You can find area-specific job postings on the platform.
As always, you'll need to create a profile highlighting relevant information like driver's licenses or car insurance. This job requires someone efficient, reliable, and trustworthy. During the course of this gig, you may be asked to complete all sorts of errands like grocery shopping, picking up dry cleaning, or dropping off packages. To ensure you're fairly compensated, you should maintain a log to track your time and expenses.
The errand runners section on Care.com lists the average hourly rate for the region you're in. For example, the average rate as of April 2023 was $14 per hour in Omaha, Nebraska. Of course, you're free to set your rate higher or lower, depending on the task you're being asked to complete and your personal traits as an errands runner.
Transportation gigs
As the name suggests, this job entails ferrying people in your car. You could be transporting kids, adults, or seniors to and from appointments one day, taking them to after-school activities, going to the doctor, or visiting family and friends the next day.
But before you go down this road, it's important to invest some time into pay rates. The more you know about the going rate in your area, the more it allows you to negotiate from a position of strength. In this regard, the national pay average can be your North Star. Also, it's important that you track your mileage and related expenses for tax purposes.
Care.com affiliate program
In affiliate marketing, a business rewards affiliates (aka you) for each customer brought by your own marketing efforts. In other words, you can make money by directing people to Care.com. Here's how it works: If you have a website that pulls many monthly visitors, you could sign up for the Care.com affiliate program. As part of this program, you'll run ads promoting Care.com on your website. You earn a commission when a visitor clicks on this ad and signs up. This can be a potentially lucrative way to generate passive income, especially if you already have a website.
Care.com's website is scant on details about the program. However, companies tend to take on affiliates within their line of business. For example, if you're an e-commerce blogger or your website provides coupons and deals, you can sign up for an e-commerce company's affiliate marketing program. Similarly, if you run a website related to caregiving or healthcare, Care.com may take you on.
Care.com doesn't say how much you can make, but it does say that it employs a varied commission structure based on action and traffic source. The platform is currently only accepting publishers who drive U.S. traffic.
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Pros and cons
Pros
- Flexibility: With Care.com, you can set your own schedule and choose which jobs to take on. This makes it a great option for those who want to earn extra money on a part-time or flexible basis.
- Many ways to make money: Care.com offers a wide range of opportunities, including caregiving, housekeeping, tutoring and more. This variety of money-making options means you can choose to offer the services that you enjoy and are skilled at.
- Large network of potential clients: Care.com has a large user base, and there will likely always be families in need of one service or the other.
- User-friendly platform: Care.com's platform is easy to use and navigate, making it simple to create a profile, apply for jobs, and communicate with clients.
Cons
- Lack of benefits: Because you'll be working as an independent contractor, you won't have access to benefits such as health insurance, retirement savings plans or paid time off. You will have to pay for these out of your pocket.
- Background check: Care.com runs a background check on anyone using its platform to offer a service. Some potential service providers may find this intrusive.
- Competition: Care.com's large user base means getting a job won't be a walk in the park. If you don't have the appropriate experience, it may be difficult to stand out and get hired for certain jobs.
- Safety concerns: In this job, there is always a risk of safety because you'll be working with strangers. While Care.com does offer background checks and secure messaging, it's still important to exercise caution when working with new clients.
The bottom line
If you often find yourself helping others, perhaps it's time to take it up a notch and get paid for it. You can leverage Care.com to bring in extra money in several ways to pad your bottom line. The platform boasts a user base in the millions, which might make it easy for you to land new clients and build a steady stream of income. Whether you're looking to offer care services, tutoring, or errand running, Care.com can help you monetize your talents and achieve your financial goals.
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Writer
Jasir Jawaid is Joy Wallet's Assistant Editor. He has more than 13 years of experience as a journalist covering Wall Street, equities, financial policy and regulation, and cryptocurrency and blockchain.
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