What are the totally flexible jobs? Do they exist?

[HolyGrailSeeker]

Since having DC1, I have not worked. But now, with DC1 at school, and DC2 starting in childcare for a couple of days a week, the luxury of being a SAHM is hitting its expiry date, and it’s time for me to start working again.

But here is the conundrum:

• No family nearby to help with childcare
• DH works extremely long hours, and often has to go away for the night/week with only a few hours notice. So I need to be entirely flexible/available to do every drop off/pick up/taking to afterschool activities.
• Hours I could work: (max 3 days a week) 9am-2pm, maybe 1-2 days a week I could do 9-5pm. But ideally a totally flexible job and I could do some extra hours when children asleep / at the weekend.
• I love love love being a Mum, and don’t want to go down the getting a nanny/au pair route. I love the time I get to spend with my children and want to protect the afterschool time with DC1 for at least 2 days a week and really don’t want DC2 in childcare for more than 3 days a week.
• Live in London so childcare is expensive so need to be earning more than spending on any additional childcare. Looking for a take home of £1000pcm as a minimum so maybe £25+ p/h.
• 2:1 from a top university - social sciences degree
• extremely low self confidence right now due to toxic environment and negative experiences at job pre-DC. Returning to that industry not an option as it was extremely un-family friendly (and I hated it).
• open to studying for a new qualification if necessary, but ideally I would be able to start earning something sooner rather than later.
• ideally WFH / very local for most of the time.

What job can I do? I’m at a total loss as to where to start looking. No idea too crazy (although keep it legal please and I have no interest in doing anything X-rated!)

I’d love to hear what flexible jobs others do that fit my criteria and how you got into it.

Thank you!

I started my own business and WFH. It means I set my own rates of pay and am around for every sick day/school drop off and pick up/ DS' hospital appointments

AMAZING! Can I ask what kind of role it is? Thank you for showing that they do exist!

Thank you, I need to look into individual employers then. Lucky you having such great flexibility

Only there is no chance of op being paid £25ph for admin work in the CS

Mentoring or coaching, that's what I do now. Totally flexible and great money.

TA at your DC's school?

No worries, it's a sales advisor role for insurance. Basically on the phones selling products, nothing exciting but I'm interested in progressing and there's lots of opportunities to do that.

to Make the kind of money your after that’s a 45k salary! Would make more sense to surely do an office job or whatever it was you’ve done before and just work part time / could you not so say a 3 day week and then 2 days off and then only paying childcare for after school 3 days?

I work 4days and they don’t mind me working 8-3 with no lunch break (i eat at my desk and hike still working)
so that’s a 28hour week but can get my kids by 3.30

Clerk to Governors? Fixed meetings (usually evenings) so you’d have time to either arrange your husband to be back or get alternative childcare. Some meetings on Teams aswell. Rest of the work is completely flexible and can do in your own time. You can work for yourself or a lodal authority or a clerking service or an individual school and with any of those options you can take on as many schools as you want. Doesn’t pay as much as you want but does fit perfectly into the hours you want (I know as I do it for exactly the same reasons!)

Which is the good thing about childminding. My friend started childminding when her kids were young and they’re now 17 and 21 and she’s still doing it.

Parish Clerks have this flexibility, decent pay around £20 per hour too for a reasonable sized parish when I was unqualified going up after qualification. I did this in evenings/nap times. Now work in local government on flexitime and so long as hours are done, they don’t mind when.

Yes this. CS is very flexible

Absolutely it can be a long term choice but only if you're actually enthusiastic about working with children, if you just want something to fit around your own, you probably won't want to do it for 20 years

Software developer, although deadlines can be stressy. I'm a humanities graduate too.

I have a fairly flexible job (lawyer) - not traditionally flexible but my firm is incredibly flexible, I work whilst kids are in childcare and then pick up in the evenings to finish if needs be - they judge based on my results, not hours, so provided I hit my targets and clients are happy they don’t care where or when I work. Not one you can just walk into unfortunately but could qualify into 🤷🏼‍♀️

I follow someone on TikTok who's an insurance adjuster and that looks like the kind of job that could be flexible and from home. (she's in the US but same principle I imagine).

This sounds interesting. What kind of mentoring / coaching do you do? Are you self employed? Did you get a qualification at all?

You’re the 2nd or 3rd Lawyer to post, I had no idea law could be so flexible.

Yes, would be a long slog to get there, but given the age at which we are likely to retire (I’m currently in my 30s) I’m not against a lengthy retraining process if I’ve got another 30+ years to work

Interesting, will look into this. Did you train on the job or do a qualification first?

Thank you, another couple of great suggestions

TA at your kids school

It sounds great - congratulations and I hope you enjoy working there!

This is a great suggestion. Happy for the pay to be a bit lower if I am not paying for extra childcare hours.

Interesting, thank you!

I guess she still needs to earn money and I think she likes not having a ‘boss’ to answer to.