Win the gift of #WorkthatWorks - a place on the Digital Mums Social Media Management Course worth £1,800 [NOW CLOSED]

[JennelynMumsnet]

Digital Mums are firm believers that flexible work - or ‘work that works’ as they call it - should be seen as the norm and not the exception. It shouldn’t be a luxury only afforded to a lucky few, so they’ve teamed up with us to give two lucky Mumsnetters the opportunity to win the gift of #WorkThatWorks - two FREE places on their popular online Social Media Management Course (worth £1,800)!

All you have to do to get your hands on the prize, is comment on this post with why #WorkThatWorks is important to you. Please note, good things don’t come easy and this course is not for the faint-hearted. You’ll need to be prepared to put in 15 hours a week for 22 weeks, but will have plenty of support along the way in the form of the fab Digital Mums Guides as well as your very own Digital Mums cohort - a group of seven sympathetic mums who are all doing the training at the same time as you and have your tired back! One winner will be selected from this thread and the second will be selected from this competition page

If you’d like more information on what their fantastic Social Media Management Course involves, visit the Digital Mums website or check out what some of their graduates have to say about it. Alternatively, if you have any questions, feel free to comment below and DigitalMums1 will get back to you.

Competition closing date: Friday 3 February, 2017

See the full competition page here for more details plus T&Cs here

[Stripeyblanket]

A dream come one true to spend More time with my little family. Working nights, evenings, weekends and even holidays like Christmas wasn't too bad before I had my little boy. Now I'd like the chance to change career to facilitate spending more quality time as a family. #WhyThatWorks

[MissMrsMsXX]

Last year was the first year we haven't had holiday and when our car blew up we couldn't replace it. Life is getting expensive and my DH's company is making it harder and harder to earn. He carries the entire financial burden on his own.

I would love to get back into work, I had a fantastic job before DCs but circumstances meant, and lucky for me, that I stayed home with them. I am ambitious but in no position to flex those muscles, having been out of work for so long the only job I could get would be rubbish hours, low pay and impossible due to having four children.

#workthatworks is important because it will enable me to work at a time and pace that is right for me and my family. It will give me me back! It will also enable me to support my DH with his career, a real family effort.
I'm already relatively active on SM and have acquired a decent, 3000+, twitter following but that doesn't make any money! I am an intelligent woman who only manages to exercise my grey matter when helping with GCSE homework! Please help me get back in and get on with my working life.

[WannaBe]

When I gave up work to be a SAHM I never even considered that it would be impossible for me to go back. But after looking extensively for work for the past five years I have begun to realise that it's more than just an uphill battle.

As well as being a SAHM I am also visually impaired, meaning that the opportunities I have open to me are significantly reduced due to accessibility issues. Added to that, a recent survey concluded that nine out of ten employers wouldn't employ someone with a visual impairment.

Workthatworks would mean that I would be able to regain my financial independence while at the same time being able to be here for my teenager, as no-one seems to tell you that having teens is in some ways harder than having babies. At least they're portable. ;)

[Trills]

Do you think it might be better to state what the prize is in the title?

#WorkThatWorks is a nice slogan but not very illuminating.

[Pinchydowling]

I would love to spend more time with my family. I have a little girl who's 6 next week and a baby boy who is 4 weeks old. We tried for 3 years to have him, 6 miscarriages and thousands of pounds on treatment to sort my overactive immune system, the last thing I want is to leave him and return to working at my old work and missing out on both my children development #WorkThatWorks

[whizzlepuff]

Not entering - just wanted to say I studied with digital mums and it was great. Got work at the end of it too... would recommend!

[raspberryblush23]

Im desperately wanting to update my skills and have work that fits around my family life. I'm presently working evenings and I'm exhausted! #WorkThatWorks.

[DigitalMums1]

@whizzlepuff

Not entering - just wanted to say I studied with digital mums and it was great. Got work at the end of it too... would recommend!

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it and hooray on finding Work That Works! :)

[Leatherboundanddown]

I would love to win this.

I've been following the work of digitalmums for some time now and as a lone parent of one I am looking to career change to secure our future but could not really afford the course fee myself.

The course looks brilliant as do the testimonials from ex students and I find that really encouraging.

Keep up the great work digitalmums.

[Cantwealljustgetalong]

I would love to win a place on this course as I have just started maternity leave for my 4th baby and will have to give my notice in as i will not be able to afford the childcare and also dont want to miss out on my final babys precious first years. I am willing to put in all the effort and work required to complete this course.

[ElDa]

Hi, I had a great career prior having my family but since then I have been made redundant twice. First time around I was asked when am I having my third child and second time around that company can't afford part timers any more.. it's been disappointing and unfair to punish women because they want to have a family. Most women want to have a balance between their career and family time so well done for promoting this. If I get chosen it will be a bonus. Thanks

[onadifferentplanet]

I would really like to win this I am agoraphobic which has meant I haven't been able to work for a while but just because I am stuck at home doesn't mean I don't want to work. I have some social media experience, I have set up and run FB and Twitter pages for people and also edit a local magazine and website for my Community. I have also done odd bits of online research for people and I am I think pretty good at it. Winning this would give me the chance to feel like a human being again and get me back into regular work. I am a hard worker and would give 100% at all times.

[Brasoff2]

#workthatworks = #familythatworks

[Brasoff2]

Or in the voice of Donkey from the Shrek DVD main menu "Pick me! Pick me!"

[BlameItOnTheBogies]

The biggest change that happened when I became a mother was the discovery that I wasn't actually the most important person in the world (I know, who knew?). Suddenly my wants and needs had to be balanced with the increasingly irrational demands of the sub-one footers in the house.

I knew that for us as a family, we'd work best with me at home and available for all the exciting minutae of family life. So working outside of the home was a no-go. #WorkthatWorks for me is a role where I can benefit from the satisfaction (and money!) that an engaging job brings without compromising the happiness of my children

With the children at school age I am ready to take the next step career-wise and I have started to freelance remotely. I have taught myself Wordpress and my evenings consist of trying to understand Twitter and thinking of how to engage in Instagram. I dream in hashtags and no longer #dresstoimpress but #covertomother.

The Digital Mums course is one I've been interested in for a while and I love the idea of the recently launched 'Do The Hustle' course. Taking time-out caring really affects self-esteem so the extra focus and support when taking those first few steps as self-employed is such a great idea.

[herebehippos]

#workthatworks would be a wonderful thing. At the moment I'm a sahm as we have no wider family help and with 3 dc we need the flexibility of someone based at home. But I would love to freelance, and I grew up online to a large extent. I often see businesses locally which could be running social media but don't know where to start and I could help them, if I knew more about marketing! This course could change my life and let me have a career instead of having to wait til my children have left school to work again!

[northernlites]

I want my family back!
I currently work in public 'caring' service that means shifts, early hours, late shifts, nights, weekends, bank holidays.
Although supposedly flexible, it's a very demanding job, which penalises 'family' and therefore women.
Even going to a doctors appointment is sometimes impossible as you can't get the time off!
I don't want to miss my children growing up, but I need work that works for us
I want us to be 'family'
#workthatworks can change facilitate this

[Kittykat1978]

#WorkThatWorks Is important to me as I want to be a strong role model for my two girls so they know that actually, you know, in this day and age we can have it all. We can be a fabulous mummy AND career oriented at the same time. Family life needn't be impacted by the old constraints of 9-5, mums can go to the nativity play or piano recital and help teens navigate their group dynamics at school or help with tricky homework, mums work can be managed in and around family life. We only get one life and it's important for me to be able to choose an optimised lifestyle to suit my family AND my career. #WorkThatWorks

[RockyTop]

#workthatworks is important to me as it sums up my two priorities when it comes to work;

1. It is important to me that I work, not just for an income but also to allow me to demonstrate a strong work ethic for my children. It also provides me with a professional and creative outlet to be me, not 'just' mum.
   
   
2. It has to work for us. Prior to starting a family my work was my priority, long days and plenty of travel was fine then. Now my family is my number one priority, if it doesn't work for them then it is my responsibility as a parent to make it work, or change it. I am now at the point where I want to make that change....
   
   I have been fortunate over the past couple of years in that I have had the opportunity to dip my toe into the digital world and management of social media, helping friends and family out with small projects and pieces of work. I have developed a real interest in this area and believe I have a talent for it and that it really could be my professional future. If i won this it would really give me a kickstart into making that dream a reality and help me to make work work for my family.

[HelenaGWells]

#Work That Works is important to me because:

My husband is disabled and I am a carer for him as well as a mother to 3 children. In this situation I simply can't just go out and get a job. My qualifications are in an area which is impractical due to the anti-social hours required. If I get a shop job or similar any earnings I had would be swallowed entirely by the childcare and other help I would need for my family. My family have to have priority but they shouldn't be a barrier to working.

I am needed at home but I also need to work and earn money. Life on disability benefit is difficult and I want more for my family. I also want to work for my own mental health and to set a good example to my children. I want them to grow up seeing that you can prioritise your family whilst still enjoying a successful career.

My field is related to media but is not in social media. Social media and marketing is an area that I have a lot of interest in but self teaching is very difficult as it's hard to know where to start. I would love to do a course designed to help me get a proper grasp on this area.

Helping people find #workthatworks is an amazing thing. I would relish the opportunity to be able to do this course that I would otherwise not be able to afford.

[teddygirlonce]

#WorkThatWorks is important to me because having spent some time being self-employed working from home (working from home suits us as a family as DH works a four hour round-trip commute away), I would love to build on my skill-set in social media and marketing to make more money.

Plus I am currently very much experiencing life as part of the sandwich generation and whilst I need to earn money from something that is stimulating and lucrative, I do find that I need more flexibility than say ten years ago. My children are growing up BUT are at times in their lives (particularly education-wise) when they need support and for me to be around for them. I have elderly parents living close enough for me to be involved in their care. I would like to put myself in a position, financially and professionally, to move forward and realise my potential whilst also juggling family commitments and involvement with both younger and older generations.

It shouldn't be a lot to ask in the 21st Century as a woman but it still is sadly. So a course such as this (which I would not be able to afford without dipping into family savings) is a life-line and a very attractive option.

[Teladi]

I work part-time already to try and balance mum life and work life. In theory it's great! I have a chronic illness that makes commuting tricky. I feel like I'm constantly rushing and under pressure! I was a high achiever as a young person and I want to find my chance to shine again.

[MumFullofDreams]

I've been keen to do this course ever since I was made redundant while I was pregnant.

I'm pretty terrified about being able to get back into work, especially #workthatworks with my beautiful little boy, and I genuinely believe this course would be invaluable to me.

I've been writing a blog about my journey from losing my job to - hopefully - achieving my dream of being a writer! amumfullofdreams.wordpress.com/

I'm determined to do this course whatever it takes, but with being out of full time work for over 12 months having wiped out my savings - being chosen for this prize would be a 'dream come true'...

Oh look, how perfectly that fits with my blog 😉

[MumFullofDreams]

I can't speak for everyone but, having followed Digital Mums for some time, I'm well aware of their fabulous campaign and it was actually the reason this thread caught my eye 🖒