Is this genuinely a good sentence for a cover letter?

[FeetOnly]

During my career break, I honed my organizational and time-management skills through managing my family's schedule, finances, and household responsibilities.

Been a sahm for a long time. Not very good at applications or interviews. Looking for templates online and came across this.

Tips welcome for changing an academic cv into an office type role - ditch the publications?

Also science technician roles. Most secondaries can't afford a full-time science technician and would be delighted to find someone who wanted PT only.

I was going to say teaching assistant too. Many PGCEs require it too.

At the end of the day op it sounds as though you have no work experience on your CV and your work options are limited to school hours and term time. You need money. Therefore you have to be very flexible about what you do if you can't flex around hours, etc. Unfortunately that flex may have to extend to: Cleaning, ironing, teaching assistant, dinner lady for the time being.

I would try and leverage a bit – I think education is really the way. Parents/schools absolutely love a phd.

I didn't dream of being a tutor for sure, but I recognised that I had brilliant academic qualifications from way back, and not much else. I used that to "blag" a bit into getting tutees at first – I initially felt uncomfortable but I've hit my stride now, and I really enjoy it. I was also offered jobs in expensive schools on a platter (they're desperate I think, and they also know how good my educational credentials would look to parents) while I struggled to get even an office interview.

You can get paid £20 to 100+ an hour (depending on level, type of parents, etc). SEN tutoring is also something to consider if you're not already burnt out with your DC – it's a lot easier teaching an individual SEN kid that isn't related to you, I would know haha! The rate for SEN tutoring is very very high.

By all means try for admin jobs if that makes you feel safer at first! Fingers crossed that that works out well. But otherwise, do think of your competitive advantage – and you do have one even if it's just on paper.

I meant main, well-paid teaching jobs, not even TA jobs! I am not a qualified teacher.

Why no evenings? Is your husband incapable of parenting his own child?

If refusal = incapable 🤷‍♀️ He won't do anything to do with the DC.

Would that change if you worked op or is your dh a despicable human who doesn't deserve a wife and kids?

No. I need a job which won't negatively affect the DC.

So what's DH's solution?

Go get a school based job. Save as much money as you can then find a better life for you and your kids.

I switched from an academic role. I have my qualifications on my CV but no publications. Just a few sentences describing what my qualification covered. When I described my time as a SAHM I talked more about the stuff I’d done in addition to being a mum. E.g. I published some poetry, volunteered at a charity shop once a week and took up watercolour painting.

I'd word it differently.

For example.

Whilst in my role as...... I demonstrated excellent organisational skills by ..... <give examples of what you did that is relevant to this role>

You can mention being at sahm by saying that during your time being a SAHP you've continued you use those skills through ........

Then mention how those skills translate into you being an ideal candidate for the office manager role.

Refer to the job description of essential and required skills.

The role you're offering for office manager requires someone who can ....... I have had experience of ..... this had a positive impact on x demonstrated by ....

Ime employers don't want to necessarily know what you've done as a list of things but rather what you've done, what skills you've use or learnt through this and how that means them employing you will be benefit them!

Looks copied and pasted from something American- the ‘z’ in organisational.

I work full time and have kids so I’d roll my eyes a bit (sorry!) obviously many parents have those skills without taking time off to hone them. I entirely respect your decision to take time out though- using a phrase like transferable skills would sit better with me and if you’ve done anything like run a play group or organise events for your community put that stuff in (not just your household).

Having said I’d roll my eyes, I wouldn’t bin it- id see what you were trying to show and if the rest was well written it wouldn’t be a red flag.

Oh I’ve just read your posts- I recruit at a uni.

I would strongly suggest going for a jobs in a university, getting a job offer and then requesting flexible working due to caring for SEN child. They’ll be reluctant to decline as that’s indirect discrimination of a protected characteristic. You’d struggle if it was linked to a grant but any admin or teaching posts it’d work for

Please don’t use it. Just say you took a career break to raise your children. Otherwise it just sounds like you are hamming up everything else on your CV too..
Good luck with it all

@SpaghettifingerFusillitoe would you accept spontaneous applications? There is an outpost of a uni in the town where I live, regular travel to the city would be out but I wondered about doing a spontaneous application for a position primarily based in our town. Once a month to the city would be feasible if MIL agrees.

@FeetOnly recruitment at most unis is really regulated so all posts in general need to be publicly advertised- it’s unlikely a speculative app would get far, the best you could hope is we’d email you when something is advertised and suggest you apply.

Our uni does have a temporary staff unit where you sign up and can get a few shifts invigilating exams or whatever. The advantage of this is that you can then apply for any posts advertised as ‘internal applicants only’ (and some temp posts are a few months long, you can get valuable experience and work part time or whatever)

I do a lot of admin recruitment and I hate this line, just focus on the skills you had before, and an appreciation of the role advertised, and a keeness/enthusiasm to learn systems.

It wouldn't rule you out when I'm recruiting as I follow a fair system, but it would irritate me! Many of the people reading the application will be doing the SAHM organisational stuff AND working full time, and rightly or wrongly it just makes me be like 'yeah and, aren't we all?'.

Also our uni had 3 campuses. Some posts are advertised for a specific campus but since lockdown I have colleagues who work 100+ miles away at our sister campus and work remotely via Teams. They do occasionally travel up (we arrange a mini bus) but it’s planned a long way in advance- it’s not a regular thing

No. Simply say you had a break in career to be a SAHM mum (nothing wrong with that at all)

Would you be able to work from home? It would mean you would be near to DC if you needed to pick them up pronto.

Lots of charity roles are WFH post covid and it extends your opportunities.