Tell me how to Home Educate AND work

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Dd2 is 6, in year 2. I have a chat thread about her on going issues. We left her first school in yr1 due to severe bullying. She appeared settled in New school for the rest of yr1. But year2 is school refusing again.

I want to home school, but I work 30 hours/week and I am a LP. I do have some support from their dad.

Work are quite flexible and I am allowed to wfh/compress hours etc. There are times I need to be in for meetings etc. I need to know what I need to ask of them

I have read that people do home school and WFH. But can't find out HOW?! Has anyone got any workable patterns? How do people do this??

I think there are specific Facebook and Yahoo groups for situations just like this so if you could get on there hopefully someone could give you some ideas.

I know some childminders are 'home ed friendly' too so that might work to help with going to meetings and time when you have to be 'in' work.

I home ed though not in the same position as you. I have 2 DCs but find that it can all feel quite overwhelming sometimes - I admire what you're doing for your DD but look after yourself too as it sounds like you've a lot on your plate.

Have you joined any local home ed groups (again, Facebook, Yahoo, Forums etc.) as you'll probably get recommendations for home ed friendly childminders etc. You might even be able to work out some sort of reciprocal arrangement with another family when you take each other's children for a fixed time each week?

Hope things get sorted out :)

The good thing about home ed is you can do it around your work hours, later in the day, evenings, weekends etc.

Yy Sun, even so, then you need to find childcare, if you are working during the day. That's what I don't get...surely that is the same as sending them to school?

I think if you have to work (as do most of us) then school has to be the option. Your daughter's had a rough time. What's the school doing about it?

Sorry, yes that is a big problem. My OH takes annual leave when I have training, will her dad consider this? Any family or friends she can stay with?

So when/how do you do your everyday work Sun? Do you work from home? In the evenings?

Childminders will often take home ed dc, if you are eligible for tax credits you can use them. If not tax free childcare.

I work evenings and nights, mainly weekends, around OH's rota. It's bloody knackering, but just about manageable.

Private tutor? Kumon lessons in maths and English everyday?

I home ed 2 dcs and had to change my job to facilitate this. I now do agency work on dhs days off, not ideal and I earn a lot less, my dcs have ASD so no chance of finding a child minder to have them, plus they probably wouldn't go. I hope you find a workable solution. It's bloody hard

If you can compress your hours could you try and find a buddy family and do a childcare exchange? I know families who do this. You can also apply for tax credits for childcare even if your children don't go to school and use them for a suitable childminder, wood school or home ed friendly small school or learning community (all options where I am) to facilitate you working. I have met a family who do this but don't know if it falls into a category of following the letter rather than the spirit of the law.

I've read your other thread. Your poor daughter

The education side of home education needn't be time-consuming, especially at her age. In fact, in view of her current anxiety levels, in the short run it might be best to give her a complete break from any enforced academic work while she recovers. Let her play, read, draw: whatever makes her happy. If you do later want to do some formal work with her - many families like mine do none at all - then an hour or two a day should be plenty. One-to-one attention is very efficient, and a programme which is targeted specifically to her will also make a huge difference. So don't worry much about how you will fit in "teaching time".

The challenge is pretty much all about childcare. In the long term your childcare options would be very similar to those of other working lone parents, except that school wouldn't form a part of the childcare. I'm not a lone parent, but I used to do a combination of working while my child was asleep and sending her to childminders. I used childminders who were home educating their own kids, so she could be with other older kids and go to home ed groups, which worked brilliantly for us. Some kids this age might be able to play quietly for an hour or two a day while you do some of your work, but I think most couldn't! What do you normally do for childcare in the school holidays?

Given your daughter's current anxiety levels, however, I wonder whether she might need to be cared for entirely by trusted adults for a while. Maybe you need to do whatever it takes to get through this crisis before looking for a childminder or other arrangement later on. Could you and/or her dad take some time off work? Work a few hours while she's asleep? Put her in front of the TV for an hour or two while you work? Are there any other relatives locally who would look after her sometimes? Of course I am not suggesting that these are viable long-term solutions. But maybe they will do until she begins to recover.

I'm really interested in this as my ds is on verge of being excluded from mainstream and I can't face another school he just hates it. But I also LP who works 0.8 job, and no family or friends to ask for help. Ive been trying to think how its possible for folk like us and the only way is to either work from home (I can't imagine getting a job well paid enough to cover my mortgage!), pay a childminder...Or seriously downsize (like move back in with folks) n leave work. If you could find someone else in your area to do 50/50 care...that might work. Or set up as home ed childminder!