13 Jobs with Flexible Hours to Suit Your Lifestyle

As the pandemic spurred a shift in values, you may be one of the many people itching for a job that provides flexibility to enhance your work-life balance and leave more time to spend with children, family, or hobbies. Or, you might have realized that your commute is a burden on your time, money, and carbon footprint. 

If you are looking for more flexibility in your life, then you might start by exploring possibilities within your career. This could mean working remotely, requesting a hybrid work model, or pursuing jobs that let you choose your own hours. 

Whether you’re a student, working parent, budding entrepreneur, or aspiring digital nomad, you may find the flexibility you’re looking for in one of these career options.

Jobs with flexible hours

Flexibility means different things to different people. Perhaps you are looking for a work-from-home job, part-time work, a full-time role where you can set your own schedule, or freelance work. Keep in mind that your job’s potential to be remote or hybrid depends on your role, your company, and your seniority.

Here are some flexible jobs that fall into each of those categories, along with average salaries and typical entry-level requirements.

*All salary data represents average annual salaries from Glassdoor (December 2023) unless otherwise noted.

1. Financial manager

• Average salary (US): $108,064 [1]

• Typical entry-level requirement: Bachelor’s degree

Financial managers help organizations plan for their long-term financial goals and may work in a range of industries, from banks and investment firms to tech companies and startups. Financial management jobs, like many other corporate roles, are typically structured around a 40-hour workweek. Many of these jobs moved online during the pandemic, so there may be more flexibility in negotiating a schedule that works for you. 

2. Data scientist

• Average salary (US): $129,189 [2]

• Typical entry-level requirement: Master’s degree

Data scientists help companies make better decisions by gathering and analyzing data and building tools to analyze increasingly large and complex data sets. This, like many other jobs in technology, has the potential to be remote, or at the very least flexible, because most of the work is done on a computer. Many data scientists start their careers as data analysts. Developing your data skills could lead to a fully remote job, even if it operates on a traditional 9-to-5 schedule.

3. Social and community service managers

• Average salary (US): $65,329 [3]

• Typical entry-level requirement: Bachelor’s degree

Social and community service managers typically work for non-profit organizations, social enterprises, or government agencies, managing programs to support public health and well-being. These types of jobs tend to follow a structured workweek, but many offer flexible hours to suit your needs, as long as you get the work done. These roles are exciting for those who prioritize working toward a social purpose or mission.

4. Communications consultant

• Average salary (US): $85,293 [4]

• Typical entry-level requirement: Bachelor’s degree

As a communications consultant, you can help companies or non-profit organizations with their marketing, communications, and public relations efforts. In this role, you could choose to work as a freelancer, taking on project-based work that can be completed in your own time. 

5. Graphic designer

• Average salary (US): $56,319 [5]

• Typical entry-level requirement: Bachelor’s degree

Freelancing is well-suited for remote, project-based work, and graphic design is well-suited for freelancing. Since much design work can be done independently, freelance designers can often work remotely, communicating with clients by email or occasional touch-base meetings on Zoom or Skype. 

6. Translator

• Average salary (US): $57,602 [6]

• Typical entry-level requirement: Bachelor’s degree

Translation work can often be remote, contracted, or part-time. This type of freelance work is suitable for individuals who are fluent in another language. Translator and interpreter jobs are expected to increase by 24 percent by 2030, much faster than average. Translating could be a source of income as your main business or side hustle.

7. Fitness instructor

• Average salary (US): $61,526 [7]

• Typical entry-level requirement: Fitness training certification

Becoming a fitness instructor can allow for an exciting and flexible career that might even allow you to travel. You could teach yoga, Pilates, boxing, or any other type of exercise at a studio—in your town or perhaps an idyllic tourist destination—or build up a client base to teach at their homes on a weekly basis.

8. Dietitian

• Average salary (US): $67,770 [8]

• Typical entry-level requirement: Bachelor’s degree and license in some states

Dietitians and nutritionists help their clients plan and implement healthier food choices. In this role, you might work in a hospital, clinic, cafeteria, or for a government agency. While you may keep a 9-to-5 schedule, it’s also possible to build your own practice with steady clients for a more flexible lifestyle. 

9. Home health care provider

• Average salary (US): $40,751 [9]

• Typical entry-level requirement: High school diploma or equivalent

As a home care provider, your job is to monitor the health conditions of people with chronic illnesses or disabilities to help them with daily living. These types of jobs can be full-time, but they may also operate on part-time shift schedules that allow for more flexibility. Home care providers are in high demand—openings are expected to grow by 33 percent over the next decade.

10. Online language tutor

• Average salary (US): $52,460 [10]

• Typical entry-level requirement: Bachelor’s degree

Tutoring online could be a rewarding way to make money while working remotely. Through sites like VIPKid, where you can tutor English to children in China, and iTalki, where you can choose from many languages to teach adult learners, both are one-on-one and offered on an online platform. Earn your income by working from home and creating your own hours.

11. Rideshare driver

• Average salary (US): $44,089 [11]

• Typical entry-level requirement: Must be 18 years of age with a valid driver’s license

As a driver for companies such as Uber or Lyft, you can work as much or as little as you like. Like other types of gig work, this allows you to work or go to school during the day and drive in the evenings and on weekends if that is the type of schedule you desire. 

12. Food delivery courier

• Average salary (US): $40,887 [12]

• Typical entry-level requirement: Must be 18 years or older, ability to drive car or ride bike/scooter

As food delivery has tripled globally since 2017, delivering food has become popular gig work. This type of work is ideal for students and aspiring entrepreneurs because you have the benefit of choosing when you work. It tends to be especially busy on weekends and evenings when demand for food delivery is higher. All you need to do is turn on the app and you are ready to go—by bike, scooter, or car.

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13. Errand runner

• Average salary (US): $41,517 [13]

• Typical entry-level requirement: High school diploma or equivalent

Like food delivery, running errands is another type of gig economy work that can fit easily into a learner’s schedule. With apps like TaskRabbit, you might take on tasks such as cleaning, moving, and handy work. For creative- and business-related tasks, Upwork and Fiverr are popular app options.

Types of flexible work

As you think about what flexible job might be right for you, consider these common types of work:

• Structured work: This type of flexible work—typical of roles in corporations, non-profits, and government agencies—is ideal for those who prefer structure but want more wiggle room, perhaps for a weekday morning to run errands or to pick up their children from school. When it comes to structured work, flexibility tends to take the form of remote or hybrid work environments, which allow you to complete your 40 hours from home and perhaps even outside of the typical 9-to-5 schedule.

• Project-based work: Sometimes called freelance or consultancy, this type of work depends on the completion of specific projects. Freelancers or consultants generally work contractually to complete projects in their expert area over a few weeks or months and may get paid by the hour, day, or project. This type of work often lets you work remotely and choose your own hours.

• Client-based work: Jobs that require working with the same clients or customers over a period of time can be considered client-based. These types of jobs typically exist in health care, wellness, therapy, and teaching, including sports, yoga, and languages. In these types of roles, you may work on an agreed-upon schedule, for example, hosting yoga classes at lunchtime or after work, or hourly, such as morning or evening shifts at a wellness or education center.

• Gig economy work: The gig economy is synonymous with flexibility since most of the services provided are task-based and assigned to you at your request. Whether you are a student looking to earn extra cash or hoping to start your own business, gig economy work can be your answer to earning a supplemental income on your own time.

Benefits of flexible hours

With jobs that offer more flexibility, you may gain time and energy to pursue your personal goals outside of work. You might be able to:

• Spend more quality time with family and friends

• Reduce stress and improve work-life balance and mental health

• Increase time dedicated to hobbies or starting a business

• Save money by cooking your meals at home, avoiding childcare costs, and having a simpler wardrobe

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