I have encountered many mums looking for part time jobs.
Ever since I wrote How to Afford Time off with your Baby people have talked to me about their finances, often just wanting to talk but sometimes asking advice. Not just here but over at Family Budgeting too.
Many mums who wanted to stay at home with their babies end up looking for part time jobs to try and make ends meet. Some mums want part time jobs because they need to socialise, use their brain differently for a while or to keep their hand in career wise.
Mums looking for part time jobs have to weigh up what they want though. When I was in this position it was definitely for financial reasons that I needed to work but I wanted/needed a couple of things in place for any job I was to take:
I wanted to have my son with me (I was breastfeeding) and I wanted to only work one day a week. I found the perfect job for me running a baby signing franchise. I could take my son with me and I ran 3 classes on one morning a week. I made loads of new friends, earned good money and got to know a lot of mums in my local community. It was the perfect part time job for me.
Workingmums.co.uk is a great job & community site and has lots of part time jobs on the site to inspire mums looking to get back out there. It is well worth a look and it has lots of good advice too.I think my top tips for mums looking for part time work would be
1. Writ e down what you wants from a part time job (e.g money, pride)
2. Write down what you need from a part time job (flexibility, specific days)
3. Get your CV sorted
4. Tell people you are looking and start scouring web pages and newspapers. If you frequent specific places that are usually hiring (like Costa Coffee) then ask if they are taking applications. You need to be actively seeking to find the right thing.
5. Explore child care options and build up your child’s familiarity with carers and yours with being away from you child. This will help to reduce separation anxieties for both of you later.
6. Courage is important; this may be the time to try something new. Being a mum trying to make a few pennies landed me with a book deal, a singing job and a blog. I used to be a social worker so who would have though they would be career options!
Good luck to all you mums looking for part time jobs. Go for it!
Great advice for mums who are looking for a fresh start. Sometimes you just need a bit of courage to take the leap into something new and it can change your life forever!
I know this is an old post, but came across it when reading your site. and found it really interesting. I used to work full time in HR, pre-children. As I had no job to go back to (my fixed term contract ended while I was on maternity leave) and not wanting (or able to afford) to leave my chiildren in full time childcare, I had to be creative with earning money. I turned my jewellery making hobby into a business, and also became a freelance writer, concentrating on writing CVs for people, as my background was in recruitment. Though I’ve finished doing the jewellery business (overheads and making jewellery in a conveyer belt type fashion put a dampner on my passion for it!) the writing is keeping me going. I wanted to share this as I know how hard it is being a mum and trying to make ends meet; hopefully I can inspire others to think creatively too in seeking work!