For many families, mothers have no choice but to go back to work pretty soon after having a baby. Maternity leave is something many people can only dream of having, and just a matter of weeks after giving birth to your little bundle of joy, your back on the daily grind.
For some women, it is not just a need but a want to. While parenthood can be incredibly fulfilling and an amazing experience, it is not unusual for new mothers to crave some time to themselves and to do something for themselves; that something often being work.
The problem is that many careers and jobs are not family-focused. Fortunately though, many are the complete opposite. While working unsociable and crazily long hours might have been great when you didn’t have kids, it can be a lot different when you do have them. The cost of childcare alone can be prohibitive and women find themselves pitted against each other to find jobs that fit in with their families. To help you out, here is a mom’s guide to getting a work-life balance.
Here, is a look at some of the jobs that lend themselves perfectly to family life.
Self-Employment
When you work for yourself, the only person that you have to answer to is yourself. As long as you are above board when it comes to taxes and welfare departments, you can make up your own rules – and your own hours. You may want to do some freelance work – writing, marketing, web design. You might want to set up as a domestic house cleaner or dog walker. You could even look at courier work. There are plenty of places to find work – the Shiply load board, for example, is a good place to start.
Childcare
You are already pretty qualified to look after children – you have them yourself! While daycare centers or at-home daycare may require you to hold some formal and official qualifications that involve checks and other authorization, there is nothing stopping you from offering ad-hoc and informal childcare, perhaps babysitting. There are many families who need someone to look after their children while they pop to appointments and so on.
Tutoring or Instruction
Do you have a talent, ability, or area of expertise that you can pass on to others? If that is the case, tutoring or private lessons may be a good fit for you. There are plenty of resources at G2CS or tutoring websites to get you into the teaching mindset.
Local schools are a good place to start looking for tutors, or you can advertise your services on neighborhood Facebook pages or Craigslist. If you live in a prosperous city, you might be able to make more money from your lessons than just pocket change. Because these lessons tend to be on evenings or weekends, they are ideal for doing around the kids.
Mystery Shopping
Mystery shopping is great because you take the kids along with you and fit in around other parts of your life. Ok, so it doesn’t pay a fortune but it is possible to make money with the right companies. Just be aware that if a company asks you to pay anything upfront with the promise of you getting it back, it may be a scam.
