AiBU to question if there is ANY job / career recommended...

[Allforall]

... With decent-ish pay and part time hours.

I have a degree from a good uni, I'm currently looking at social work or teaching, but both have pretty awful reputations.. (no work /life balance, stressful etc etc)

My youngest starts school in septmeber and has a diagnosis of ASD so I am contemplating holding off until his second year of school before I even train? As I k ow these programmers are very intense?

I am happy to do a year of full time to gain a course qualification, but thereafter I wish to work part time whilst the kids are in primary...

Look at occupational therapy or mental health nursing - lots of people work part time (but often because of the stress, so I’m not sure it really helps work life balance). Or SALT/physio I I imagine.

Civil Service can be family friendly.

Jobs that are pleasant and flexible usually pay very little because lots of people want to do them.

I would not recommend teaching. Even part time you will be doing way more hours than that. Plus it will take up a lot of hours in the evening.

I work for the Civil Service and know plenty of people who have term time contracts. Flexible hours as well and decent(ish) work/life balance.

What's your degree in?

Literature

Do be an OT I'd have to study at uni again, also I'm presuming to do any sort of nursing I'd have to do the same? This is not an option for me.

How is your maths?

Some accountancy and similar type roles lend themselves to part time working.

Or programming if you are of a mathematical bent - need to take some careful guidance of what languages/skills to develop but we have various part time developers/testers including some that works from home

Thank you for the suggestions, I'm off to research Civil Services

What is your degree in?

What does 'pay well' mean to you? What does your starting salary need to be?

MOJO, my maths is AWFUL! Ha

I would not reccommend teaching or social work considering what you've said. I love my job (teacher) but work easily 70 hours plus a week. My mum is a SW and it's very stressful although she also enjoys it... honestly...work life balance in these jobs is not reality - hubby is a nurse he has the best work / life balance loves his job but it is very stressful for the pay therefore I would also not reccommend. These careers are a calling. You live and breathe them, sometimes at the expense of your own family/ children. Sorry!

Pay well means starting at 25,000 a year, or thereabouts. I am not after mad money, but it would be nice obviously

What sort of jobs have you done in the last? I work in Comms and quite a few of my colleagues have literature degrees. Public and third sector are much more likely to be flexible with hours. We've got two Mums in my team who work three days a week.

Lots of friends have work from home flexible jobs on >50k but they took five to ten years of career development after uni to get there. Unfortunately it seems in my circle at least that a career has to be established before kids are considered to be able to negotiate that kind of role and get decent remuneration.

Such roles exist in pharma, financial services, consultancy, IT... but you have to have made yourself hard to replace. (Even then the better half constantly moans about part timers slowing projects down).

I have never knowingly met someone who has had kids then established a career whilst they were small without the hard graft expected of everyone without children.

I have never knowingly met someone who has had kids then established a career whilst they were small without the hard graft expected of everyone without children

ASD, really? Plenty of people go into careers such as teaching or social work when their kids are young and embark on long and successful careers. I know 4 people who have done so within my own family.

ASD I didn't go to uni, had kids in my early 20's and have been a single Mum since I was 28, when my children were 4 and 2. I worked part time when they were young, but still managed to build my career and now have a £50k+ job. DC are now in their late teens.

OP, it's hard work, but totally possible. If you're really good at what you do, employers will be flexible. You'll find you have to work much harder than your colleagues on the days you're in. If you want to progress in your chosen field, you'll probably need to look at doing vocational qualifications, but all this becomes easier as your children get older. Go for it!

Thanks Violet!

Perhaps I should have been clearer, I have never known anyone have kids then get straight into well paid flexible work around family jobs without working their proverbial off for a few years first. My understanding of teaching and social work is that they are far from well paid or flexible around family but if it is what you want go for it.

Violetcharlotte- I am delighted to hear you have made it happen.

ASD, I guess a lot of this is subjective and I could have been clearer. To me 30,000 a year is well paid. To most, it's probs not...

Public sector - wider than just the civil service, also local authorities, Quangos, gov agencies etc. You may need todo a year ful time first, but I work for one such organisation and it’s packed full of people doing professional roles (accountants, solicitors, Civil, Electrical and Structural Engineers; HR professionals; Customer Engagement; Comms, IT, mathematicians, earth scientists, environmental scientists) part time and flexibly. I have worked 3, 4 and 5 day weeks; we also have 9 day fortnights, termtime contracts, people who start at 7am and finish at 3pm or start at 10am and finish at 6 pm (anyone can do this under our flexi time rules; and couples who do the opposite of each other to minimise childcare). Working from home occassionally is supported too.

Teaching is one of the least family friendly occupations ime even part time. The holidays are the only good thing about it, and i would trade that in for the flexibility and a job that i don't have to bring home with me.

My full time equivalent salary is £45k. I work a 2.5 day week, with the option for extra days as and when paid pro rata. My work is flexible in terms of where and when I do it, provided I deliver. Does involve occasional travel and tight deadlines at times.

You need a specialised degree plus post grad plus 10 years experience though. I love my job but has involved hard graft to get here. Worth it to have a career I love that is, in the main, flexible around the kids.

Look at Charities. £25k isn’t a high salary and we pay that at relatively junior levels. Get some experience either as a volunteer or a fundraiser (volunteering). Lots of PT work.

You’re looking at £30k, sorry not 25k, still charities but it’s not an entry level salary. £30k you would need a few years experience of a specific skill but more than possible