To leave my career to become a cleaner?

[minicorrect]

I am currently on maternity leave (DC2) from a great job in London which has real career prospects if I'm willing to dedicate myself to it, but having spent the 18 months before I started maternity leave commuting 2 hours each way at a monthly cost that is higher than my mortgage payments, I am considering not going back but job prospects locally aren't great (and I doubt I'd find similar level work here).

However, my parents are buying a house to let out for holiday rentals and have asked me to be the change manager. Some relatives are also looking for a cleaner for 3 hours a week at £30 and apparently there are lots of people looking for similar.

So basically, I am seriously considering giving up my career in London to pursue these part-time opportunities. The money won't be enough to pay all the bills so my DP would also have to work, but hopefully between us, we could manage our hours to always be about for our DDs, I would actually get to see them and wouldn't be throwing a quarter of my salary away each month on travel and would hopefully have the energy to enjoy any time I do get to spend with my family instead of being constantly exhausted.

Am I crazy to even consider giving up a career with potentially fantastic opportunities that I've worked hard to build up over the past decade to work very ad hoc and part time for a lot less money? I keep swinging between certain it's right to being scared at the enormity of it. Please come talk some sense to me (whatever way you lean).

its always better to happy than to be rich/welloff.

Having a job that you enjoy makes life soooooo much better.

work to live dont live to work

I work part time (15 hours per week), I'm lucky in that I can usually take the dog to work but sometimes I need to use a dog walker. On the days I use dog walker he earns slightly more than I do per hour............but I've spend £££ on petrol to get to work. I guess I should consider a change of career!

If I could afford to give up my job to do something like cleaning I would do.

I think it's perfectly rational to think along these lines, especially in your current position. Having small DC is incredibly demanding and I am in awe of anyone who can juggle a demanding career with being a mother without sacrificing something. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a cleaner. Just because you can do something (i.e. be a high-flyer in the City) doesn't mean you should do it if it doesn't fit well with your personality or desires.

However, how old is DC1? I ask because for a few years after having my DC I really didn't want a demanding job and was quite content to drift along in my decent but middle-of-the-road position (following a decision to quit the field I'd qualified in). However, now my DC are older I'm starting to get very restless and am trying to branch into another, more challenging career.

I don't regret any of my decisions and am happy with the road I'm currently travelling along, but the difference in how I feel now my DC are in school has surprised me. I expect you know yourself well enough to know whether you're likely to feel like this long term or just for a few short years.

If you decide to go down the cleaning route, please just make sure that you and your DP have had a really clear discussion on how you are going to protect both of your long-term financial interests, such as a pension and life/critical illness insurance, and that you are both very clear on who has what responsibilities regarding the DC and domestic chores. Working on a ad-hoc, part-time basis can leave women very vulnerable and you do need to factor that into your planning.

Whatever your decision, good luck and go for it. [hsmile]

Have a think about businesses. I have to work for myself as I am a carer as well as a mother - and have no access to out of school childcare for my son. I have an Oxbridge degree, an msc a phd. I run two home based businesses. Pet sitting (I only do cats, small animals and chickens for various reasons although there's more money in dogs) and also providing a very specialist service for academics. My pet sitting is limited by my other commitments (I gave stopped advertising as I have enough clients now) - but if I had more flexibility I would probably have tried to make it bigger (and added dog walking). It's non stressful, haven't had any problem clients.

My specialist academic stuff pays more and can be done 100% from home but is a lot more stressful.

I would try to think outside the demanding City job/part-time cleaner box and think about other skills that you have and how they might transfer or you can set up your own company. I totally get that travelling four hours a day is exhausting and it must seriously compromise the time you get with the children, I commute about 45 min each way and that is plenty. But, I wonder if perhaps you have quite a romantic notion of skipping about with a duster in your hand? As one of cleaners on this thread has said, people want their money's worth, you may have unreliable clients, plus cleaning houses all day when you have two small children making you tired (and who also make lots of mess) may be not that fun.

I would think around what you can do, are there really no prospects of moving to a different company/location/picking up contract work in your current job? What about teaching/providing training for what you do? It is worth thinking this through long-term.

The other option might be to manage your parent's house and set up a management agency!

I don't know if any of these things will hit the mark, but personally I think in a family I would be worried if everyone was off the career ladder, no-one had a pension (why is your husband not working, is he SAHP?), and no-one has much earning potential for the future forty years. It may be cleaning can provide a daily wage right now, but I would weigh it carefully against other options: it's not stay or clean.

Oh forgot the important bit - I don't think there's anything wrong with working in an unskilled job. If you provide a good service you will be respected by the majority of people and if it fres you from the daily grind and commute and gives you flexibility IMO it's a good thing.

Good points from hard going - my income is the second income in the house so we have some flexibility.

And agree about management agency.

Can you not move closer to your work place to save on train fares and time?

I agree with moonshine re women being very vulnerable in PT ad-hoc jobs. Very sadly from personal experience. I gave up my very stressful wellpaid City job when DS started school. I now do party plan. Clearly (not so D)H was more snobby/status orientated than I ever realised. Within 2 years he has started an affair with a mini me veryconfused and has left. I have NEVER felt so vulnerable in all my life. Although the decision to give up that job was the right one the consequences have been and are still deeply unsettling.

One phrase: Pension accruals.

Same benefits?

Thanks for all the replies and food for thought.

I may not have been clear in my OP, but this is a short-term solution to give me the option of leaving my job in London. I can't leave unless I know we will have an income to pay the mortgage, bills and put food on the table and since these opportunities have come up, it seems that it could be done without too much financial risk. Longer-term (once DD2 is at nursery perhaps) I could look into returning to my previous field of employment if I want to. But having missed out on 18 months with DD1, I just don't think I can do it again. And leaving home at 06.30 and not getting back until nearly 20.00 (assuming trains run ok of course!) 4 days a week means I barely even get time with DP, let alone the children. We moved here knowing I could commute to my current role easily, but it was never meant to be the long-term plan, but they kept promoting me when I returned from ML last time and it's made leaving difficult. Now, though, I think I'm ready, just a bit scared of the jump from career security to the unknown.

Ideally, DP who has been at home with DD1 since we moved here 2 years ago, could get a PT job as well and we can work around each other (especially as DD1 starts nursery next year). As long as we get the income 16 hours at minimum wage + benefits provides, we should be fine - we won't have a lot spare, but it's only for a couple of years after all. And, in theory, if I can make my foray into the unknown work, I could look into branching into my own business - cleaning, holiday let managing, lifestyle assistant even! I'm just daunted by the prospect of setting up a business at the moment and without knowing if there really is the market out there. Just dipping my toes in I suppose.

But, I think having taken into consideration some of the comments here, I'm going to do it. Thanks again! IANBU!!!

Do you have any other business ideas that would involve a nicer job? You are clearly good at your job - is there anyway you could use some of your knowledge and skills to start a new business?

Oh and given it's cleaning, there's no reason why your DH shouldn't share it equally, is there? You're not the only person who can clean.