<h3>Question</h3>
<p>
Hi Victoria,
</p>
<p>
I'm a mother of a five year old daughter and three month old twin sons. My maternity leave is up next week and I'm thinking of working from home as a customer service rep so I can spend more time with my children. I've read about companies that hire moms to work from home for them. I want to avoid work at home job scams; do you know of any reputable companies where I can have a flexible schedule and make a decent income?
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<p>
Julie C. Nutley New Jersey 
</p>
<h3>Answer</h3>
<p>
Julie,
</p>
<p>
Congratulations!
Welcome to the club for moms of three little ones.&nbsp; While I've never
worked from home as a customer service rep, there are plenty of moms who
supplement their household income or support their family doing just that. The
good news is ... since we have the Internet at our disposal, there are
several <a href="http://www.work-at-home-forum.com/">work at home forums</a>
out there that can tell you which companies are worth signing up with and which
ones aren't worth your time.
</p>
<p>
There is also
an e-book available by Melissa Brewer called <a href="http://littlewhiteebook.com/">The Little White Ebook of Homeshoring Jobs</a>
that provides detailed information on virtual call center employers. Within its
234 pages, it provides information on companies interested in hiring home based
workers like 1-800-Flowers and LiveOps and also includes the amount of
compensation you will receive if you work with that company (some pay hourly
- others yearly salaries).&nbsp; One of the best things included is the
Better Business Bureau website link so you can check up on the company before you
sign up and in some cases, links to forums where current or former work at home
workers for that company talk candidly about their experience with the company.
Believe me, reading some of the comments on those forums are worth the ebook
cost!
</p>
<p>
You didn't
mention what career you were in before your maternity leave but you may also
want to look at the <a href="http://www.hiremymom.com/">Hire My Mom</a> website
which was started by Lesley Spencer Pyle (the founder of <a href="http://www.hbwm.com/">Home Based Working Moms</a>).&nbsp; At Hire My Mom,
talented mom professionals are connected with businesses looking to outsource
work to women working at home. That could also be an option for you.
</p>
<p>
Hope this
helps! Let me know how everything goes.
</p>
<p>
Victoria
</p>
<p>
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