You have spent years working towards your career goals and then you have a family. All of a sudden, everything changes. You’re juggling a job you may have once enjoyed along with kids who are sometimes poorly or require more attention than the standard child. You have weekly appointments for you, the kids, the dog and the fish. Buying shopping is a military operation and you are struggling to cope with the cost of living crisis, winter arriving and a shedload of rain.
Over a third (37%) of UK parents say they have cut working hours or taken time off work due to high childcare costs.
So how can we as a parent have that perfect work-life balance?
First, let’s look at the ideal situation:
- Have a career you enjoy and feel competent in.
- Enough hours in the day to come home from work and spend quality time with your children.
- Not feeling guilty for working or not working.
Hayley, Director for Learn Now College has explored several careers which may work well with parenting.
Website Designer / Software Developer
If you are working as a website designer or software developer for a company, sometimes the employer is flexible. You might be able to fit the job around school pick-up or childcare.
Skills for this career are in demand and therefore you should have options when applying for jobs.
Education / Tutoring
Within a school, most job roles will allow you to have the school holidays off. This can work well with children attending school. You might prefer tutoring individuals and therefore, you could create your own schedule or work evenings if this works better for you.
Accounting / Bookkeeping
Becoming an accountant or bookkeeper can be flexible especially if you work from home. Training for the role can be done by distance learning by gaining certifications like AAT, SAGE or ICB.
Occupational Therapist / Speech and Language Therapist
Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists are in high demand and this will continue for a long time. The amount of young children being diagnosed with disorders such as Autism has increased and this is likely to continue. Many children with Autism can have a speech and language delay and sensory processing difficulties. This has put these two occupations in great demand. You might find you can work flexible hours with these two roles and even on a self-employed basis from home. You will need to gain a degree at university and currently there is help with funding due to demand.
Freelance / Self-employment
Going self-employed will give you the greatest flexibility. You don’t necessarily need to have qualifications depending on the line of work you choose and you can set your own days and hours. There is so much choice beginning your own business and you can choose a field that you enjoy. Here are some ideas (some may require training):
- Web designer
- Photographer
- Online e-commerce store
- Gardener
- Counsellor
- Life coach
- Driving instructor
- Delivery driver
Whatever option you choose, it is important to set clear boundaries. If you choose to become self-employed, you don’t want this taking over family life. Also at home and work, ask for help if you are struggling. Learn to delegate and share duties.
Working and parenting are both full-time jobs. The aim is to find a career that is best for you and your family. Things change so quickly and a job that may work with pre-schoolers could be completely different when they’re at school or teenagers.
You may struggle with the idea of the perfect job but the most important part is that it works with your schedule and becomes flexible when you need to it.