The last decade has seen a large increase in the number of people choosing to work from their homes. There are lots of possible reasons for why this is the case, including better encouragement from the government, better access to insurance for small business and greater flexibility being given by businesses to their staff. The list of other motivations probably goes on for miles, but the evidence suggests less people are no longer satisfied with the traditionally 9-5 any more.

Now the government has released new figures that show the amount of children in home-working households that are being home-schooled is also on the rise. There is no law against home schooling as long as parents can prove they are teaching the curriculum to their children. The amount of children being home-schooled in 2001 was 13 million in the States and 3.5 million in the UK. In 2007 the levels of home-schooling were recorded at 20 million and 8 million respectively. It is thought that as one of the biggest motivations for working from home was being able to spend time with family, including children, many thought they would get more benefit if their children stayed at home also

There are have been a number of individuals and groups who have criticised the increasing amounts of home-schooling taking place, claiming that children should be developing among their peers and learning important social skills at the same time. One study conducted back in 1990 showed that whilst home-schooled children performed better in strictly academic tests, they showed lower levels of social intelligence. This study has since been discredited by many since and education experts largely agree that home schooling can be the best choice for some children, and there is no overruling argument to say otherwise.

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