Working (as in earning!) and home ed

[caitlinohara]

Ok, I have posted already in AIBU about the fact that I am considering changing ds2's school because of the problems in his class - it's a large Y2 class with some very challenging kids in it and even the ones who are ok seem to fall out constantly so the whole atmosphere is very stressful. They have been like this since Reception so it is not a case of one bad teacher, and although I have kept telling myself that they will settle down as they move up the school, that does not seem to be the case and if anything it is getting worse. I volunteer at the school when I can so I do have first hand experience of what it is like and each time I couldn't wait to get the hell out of there! ds1 on the other hand has had a very positive experience of the same school, and I have no reason to think that ds3, who is due to start next September, won't either.

I have to consider that just because ds1 was ok does not mean that ds2 should be and I am looking at alternatives. My first thought was to look at other schools but the only viable alternative would be a faith school, which I am uncomfortable with, so the other option is to home educate ds2 for the remainder of Y2, then Y3 and Y4 and then let him go to middle school in Y5 since the middle school takes kids from all over so the children he is with now would be mixed up with them.

Dh is not crazy about the home ed idea, partly because the idea was that when ds3 starts school next Sept I would be able to go back to work. I would be working from home anyway so that's not the issue, but I don't know how I would realistically be able to concentrate on building a client base and doing the actual work if I was also home educating. I still plan to send ds1 and ds3 to school.

What do others do that enable them to work and home ed at the same time?

[fidel1ne]

Mother's help or tutor for 2 or 3 days per week?

[ommmward]

Does your money earning have to happen at the same time of day as your Dh? If not, then you could work out something of a shift system.

I work flexitime, so I can be with my home educated children until about 2pm each day, and then work through till about 9pm, and catch up when needed at weekends.

I know lots of people who use childminders

I know some cheeky mares who always seem to be dropping their children off with another home ed family so they can go and work... personally I think it's best if that kind of situation is reciprocal, but you might think about getting to know families with whom you could leave Ds2 for a morning while you go home and work, and then you return the favour next week. It took us a while to build up friendships that close, but we certainly have them now.

Mother's help is an excellent idea - they can interact with your child in one part of the house while you skulk elsewhere mumsnetting working very hard.

[Saracen]

Tell us more about your work. Do you need to work particular hours? How many hours a week do you have in mind? When you are working, do you need to concentrate, are you interruptible, will you be meeting clients...?

[caitlinohara]

Hi there. My work is proofreading, so in theory I can do this any time of day any day of the week, but concentration is pretty vital. Work comes in fits and starts so not necessarily a set amount of time each week, which has its pros and cons. Dh runs his own business which seems to mean he pretty much works constantly and he is often home quite late or working late at home. With my work, adhering to deadlines is obviously pretty essential and it's not the most time efficient way of earning money since an awful lot of time can be spent looking for the next job. HOWEVER I should not need to earn x amount in order to pay the mortgage etc since we manage currently on one salary as my youngest is still at home with me until he starts school next September.

Childminder not possible since there are only one or two round here and I know they are massively oversubscribed and would require a regular arrangement whereas my work will be ad hoc.

Would love to enlist the help of my lovely (ex teacher!) parents but I am wary of relying on them too heavily as they are getting on a bit. I do love that idea in theory though, although I can imagine my other kids resenting it (I do still intend to send ds3 to the same school).

I am not sure we could cover the cost of a tutor and can't find any mother's helps anywhere nearby (semi rural).

[BarbarianMum]

Have you spoken to ds2 about HE? If he is open to the idea whatever you come up with will work better than if he is resistant.

[foxy6]

hi i have just take ds4 who is 8 out of school as although the school he went to was great with him he was still struggling a lot( it was welsh medium school so they do everything in welsh) we were unsuccessful with our application to go to a different school. so we are going to home educate him. DH works full time 8 till 5 most days, its an outside job so dependent on the weather, i work 30 hr a week 2 x 12 hr shifts and one 6 hr shift a week. my parents have said they will help with childminding while we are both working, i'm hoping i can arrange my shifts so that they don't have too do too much of the childcare.

[FrancineSmith]

I would be very interested to hear how other people manage this. We are currently trying to figure out a way to home ed our DS, who is 12, ASD and intelligent but just not suited to traditional schooling. DH works full time and I part time, both fixed hours and out of the home. We need both incomes to pay the bills. I'm a little worried about adding on the costs of home ed to an already tight-ish budget, so need to find a way to keep our income at least what it is now.

[Saracen]

Do your hours allow one of you to be with your son all the time, if that is necessary to his safety and well-being? That's the real challenge IMO. The direct costs of HE can be negligible. People who can afford to spend more will find things to spend their money on, but the rest of us make do on less.

IGCSE exams do cost, so if you think you'll be going that route then you may need to start setting a little aside now.