Taking Your Side Hustle Full-Time
(Written by Emily Thomas)
Calling all sitters! Have you ever wondered how to make the most out of your side hustle as a sitter and work gigs into your schedule to maintain a full time work week? This month we are going to talk about what the gig economy has to offer and how to make it work for you as a career through Napp!
What exactly is the gig economy and how does it work? The gig economy is a work environment in which temporary positions are the norm and companies contract with independent workers for short-term employment. Instead of a traditional, in-office, full-time job with a single company, gig workers work as short-term, temporary, or independent contractors for one or more employers. Though the term “gig economy” is relatively new, these nontraditional work arrangements have been around a long time. A study by the American Staffing Association found that the majority of Americans (78%) see the gig economy as a new way to describe the participation in this longstanding independent workforce.
This work model goes by many names: the sharing economy, the gig economy, the side hustle, the on-demand, peer, or platform economy. Call it what you will - the popularity of this type of work is increasing. Here are some jumping off points to help you gain the most from your gig work with us at Napp.
Work/Life Balance: Flexibility may be the most attractive benefit of the gig economy. Gig jobs provide more autonomy in when, where, how long, and the way people work. By creating your own schedule, you are able to work around other obligations such as family, school or other jobs. Not to mention, being your own boss. That’s a bonus in and of itself! You are in control of which families you want to work for, the days and hours you want to work and even your pay rate in some cases.
Money and Time: Typically the amount of time gig workers want to put into their jobs factor into how much they make - obviously, the more hours you work, the more you will be paid. Deciding how much you make can be based on the difficulty of the industry of work you choose to enter. For example, pay within the childcare industry would factor in a sitter's overall experience and the number of children in their care. In some cases it may even be determined by how urgently a family needs to find childcare. Income can also be offset by the priceless time and freedom you have to shift between life and work such as vacation time, extended leave of absence, ability to work around school or other obligations. Because gig work can often be done in addition to traditional employment, people are leaning toward this type of work to help tackle financial obligations such as loan payoffs, daycare expenses, medical bills, and much more.
Be Strategic: Though different from traditional employment, it still requires a plan. Being conscious of booking sitting gigs that fit your schedule, awareness of family’s schedules, responsibilities, etc. all come with working in the childcare industry.
Income from gig work can ebb and flow week to week depending on your schedule. Consider monitoring your expenses for a few months using a budgeting app, so that you have a clear picture of how much you need to earn each month to maintain while building your full-time schedule as a Napp sitter. Maintaining multiple sitter gigs with different families can seem challenging because it involves balancing more than one position. However, successfully managing multiple gigs can illustrate a positive work ethic and effective multitasking is an important skill in any work environment.
Love Your Work: Making the conscious choice to be a part of the gig economy typically comes from the desire to get paid doing what you love. By working in a field that you are experienced in, with a skill you excel at and truly enjoy will equal more job satisfaction along the way. Moving your side hustle of evening or weekend sitting into a steady job and income will be your best move yet! Bottom line, you are passionate about caring for children and there’s high demand for you as a sitter. Flexibility and planning are key in the next steps. Having an open schedule allows for you to take on last minute sitting gigs as you plan out your week with previously scheduled ones.
Though building a career with multiple gigs is a more ‘outside the box’ approach, it can help you continue to expand your skills and knowledge, respond with flexibility to the ever-evolving world of work, and lead a more fulfilling and balanced professional life because you are working in the area you are truly passionate about.
But don’t just take our word for it. Here is what some of our amazing sitters have to say about building a career with Napp!
“Napp has helped me earn an income by piecing different gigs together, while doing so I have been able to work with over 20 different amazing families. Through my time with Napp I have built great connections with these families and still keep in touch with several of them. I have had such a positive experience with Napp and would highly recommend it to anyone.” -Taylor L.
"Napp has given me the opportunity to frequently connect with many different families while also allowing me to plan around my own schedule!" -Grace D.
“I have been a nanny for 12 years and am in the process of finishing school, in addition to being a single mom. My schedule is usually very busy and it was becoming difficult to maintain a 9-5 with all of my obligations. Napp gave me the opportunity to use my skills as a childcare provider while maintaining a super flexible schedule. I have enjoyed meeting different families and connecting with new children. I would highly recommend Napp to families looking for top quality sitters, and to childcare providers who love their work and could use a flexible schedule.” -Kathleen D.
“I love Napp because I've been able to connect with multiple families! I love being able to sit for many kids of different ages. It's also wonderful having my weekly "regulars," but also being able to do one-time date nights for other families on Napp. My favorite part is the flexibility it offers me. For about a year and a half, sitting on Napp was my full time job! I was able to choose gigs according to what worked with my schedule, and I was able to work as many or as few hours as I wanted to. Since transitioning back to grad school, I've been able to cut back on my hours without too much guilt because I know my regular families can find other sitters on Napp when I'm unavailable. Overall, the Napp community is amazing, the families are the most fun, caring, and loving people you will ever meet, and sitters can generally make their schedule what they want it to be!” -Natanne N.
“Working as a sitter for Napp has been a blessing to me as a stay-at-home mom with 3 children. I am able to pick up gigs at my convenience and work as little or as much as I would like. As a former teacher I am thankful that I have the opportunity to continue working with children of all ages and meet wonderful families along the way. The families I have met through Napp have all been amazing and I love that the network continues to expand, therefore I know I will continue meeting new families time and time again!” -Tierany L.
“I have had a wonderful experience with Napp over the years and have made connections with the sweetest families. I love knowing that all of our families are local to Maryland and have felt totally safe using Napp, especially during the pandemic. The app is great because I can check out family profiles to find the best fit and I appreciate the flexibility that it provides. I am looking forward to many more happy Napp experiences!” -Quinn P.
Your friends,
Claire & Katie, Co-Founders, Napp
info@nappnetwork.com