Single Mum, home educater, no childcare, low money, need to work from home...

[Lockit]

Hi everyone,

Can anybody please recommend a company that I can join or job role that I can achieve from home with my current situation please?

I full-time home educate my 3 Sons, single handedly, they all have special educational needs and thrive at home. This is non negotiable. I have no childcare and I need to earn a part time wage working 16 hours guaranteed a week or we will loose our house.

I am a fully qualified NVQ Level 3Beauty Therapist with additional training in various areas. The plan was always to use a space in our house to run a massage and foot care business from, this was all going to plan and underway until the benefit cap came in forcing us to have to move house. We now have no space whatsoever to do this from. I'm gutted as this was my dream and seemingly the only way to proceed with making our life work.

I have recently come across virtual PA jobs and was wondering if anyone could please recommend any companies that I could work for from home?

Or if there are any other job roles I could do from home that as anyone knows of I'd very much appreciate the recommendations.

Thank you so much.

:)

[Isleepinahedgefund]

When would you propose to work? Your schedule is already very, very busy and I think employers would be sceptical about your ability to work 16 hours and how you would reliably fit that around your caring responsibilities.

[Tumbleweed101]

Is there any way you could get the children to share a bedroom and use a bedroom as a treatment room for your own business? Or perhaps have a sofa bed for yourself? Not ideal but might get you started?

[MissCharleyP]

When would you do your 16 hours? Could you work weekends? A lot of salons in my area rent chairs/rooms to other therapists which gives them a space and allows them to work hours as they choose. Could that be an option? Or go mobile if you have someone to watch DC in the evening?

[JoxerGoesToStuttgart]

OP is your kitchen big enough that you could use it as a kitchen/living room and use your living room as a treatment room? Or have a Murphy bed in your bedroom and undo fold it up in the day to use your room as a treatment room?

[Hoppinggreen]

I really don’t see what you could do with 3 dc at home.
People who work from home usually have childcare or the dc are at school. Very difficult situation OP and I really feel for you

[Morehandsneededtoday]

Hi,
I'm looking to home Ed my son through senior school, special needs and lone parent here too with no backup. I've been trying to think of what I could do to work while home edding, its so hard, my heart goes out to you. Here's my thoughts:

1. blogging, you say you are in beauty industry, get a niche area and set yourself up as a blogger. You can work at night when kids are asleep.
   
2. write short stories and sell on line, hard gig getting started, but my friend earns £1200 a month this way and he's writing one every 6 weeks. He did a story writing course online and took it from there. Again can work when kids are asleep.
   3)contact work agencies and ask them if they have any 100%homeworking jobs. Like auditing or typing.
   4)are you entitled to any respite with social services, and use that time to work?
   Finally, can you get out in the day to clubs or groups? Find another lone parent, and work together on a project? Someone who understands the demands on your time.
   
   Good luck

[PinkFlowerFairy]

You'll need childcare for those 16 hours...

[Michaelbaubles]

What the hell sort of short story writing pays £1200 a month??

[DarkMutterings]

First things, first ... how old are the kids and what impact to their needs have on the ability for them to be unattended - even if you're in the same house? Short periods in the house by themselves? Can they study independently? Can the eldest help the younger/youngest?
It's very tough but I would see if you can re configure your new place to follow the old dream at least to start.

[MyOtherProfile]

Is there any kind of respite care you can access to free some work time up?

[SoloMummy]

I presume that if all have special needs that you're claiming dla x3 and Carers allowance, plus then have the disability elements in top of the children allowances for whatever benefit stream you're claiming?

[Nextphonewontbesamsung]

Do you have a bedroom to yourself in your house? What are the boys sleeping arrangements?

[BackOnceAgainWithABurnerEmail]

My mum used to see an electrolysis lady who just worked from her living room so don’t assume you need a dedicated room.

Have you spoke to your council about using SEND personal budgets to pay for a PA for you kids to give you some time?

[Notopel]

Try Monzo. They have ongoing vacancies for COps (Web based customer service), with different shifts for 24/7 support.

You could work an evening shift - when the kids are in bed, perhaps?

You’d be able to able to work remotely and would be given a new MacBook Pro with access for all the applications/systems that you’d be using:

boards.greenhouse.io/monzo/jobs/1695784

[Soontobe60]

OP, you've said that home ed is non negotiable, can I ask why?
If you are not in a stable position financially and are at risk of losing your home, then your principles of home educating your children may need to change for the short term. Realistically, the only way you're going to be able to work 16 hours is by your children being elsewhere.
If your children are at home then there's no way you can work as a therapist at home. You can't supervise them whilst giving clients treatments. If you do other work at home as you're suggesting, then you'd have to do that when they were in bed. You'll be knackered!
Your DD need a parent who is present for them, not one who is exhausted or trying to work whilst educating them. Send them to school and reevaluate your position financially in a year or two. They're not going to come to any harm, but will do if you become homeless.

[SuperFurryDoggy]

I would be inclined to stick close to what you know.

The beauty therapy plan was a good one. I would have a very hard think about whether you are able to make it work. Obviously something relaxing like massage would require its own space, but people getting nails done, for example, might not happy to sit in a corner of the sitting room if the service is good and the price lower then the salons.

Failing that, what are your other skills? You home educate 3 children with additional needs, which is amazing! Would you be able to accommodate one more? It is my understanding that you can provide in-your-own home care to a child over 8 years old without registering as a childminder. I bet there are other home schooling parents who would be interested in a regular day/afternoon of childcare. Or regular after-school minding for a traditionally schooled child? I don’t know how that would work with your family dynamic, but I do know that when I have looked for childcare in the past, that someone who homeschools would have seemed very impressive.

[Grasspigeons]

Its not that easy to send children with some types of special needs to school Soontobe60.
Could you do some sort of minute taking? You need to go to the meetings but you might be able to get PA or just a normal baby sitter of they are evening meetings. Then the rest is at home. The charityjob website seems to have wuite a few homecworking jobs too.

[Zippetydoodahzippetyay]

What about transcription services? When I did my thesis I had multiple interviews of at least an hour each which I had to transcribe from audio tapes to typed text before I could analyse them. I did it myself in the end as was broke, but did come across multiple businesses that offered to do it for a fee. Perhaps you could do that kind of thing?