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Home ed

Find advice from other parents on our Homeschool forum. You may also find our round up of the best online learning resources useful.

Original poster

Homeschooling and working full time

37 replies

Vexed80 · 05/03/2023 16:59

My daughter is currently in Year 7. She does well academically but has struggled emotionally with the move up to high school. We have talked for a while about the options for moving school or homeschooling. She’s now leaning towards homeschooling but my husband and I both work full time. I’m really looking for any advice from anyone who homeschooling while working full time.
TIA

OP posts:
confusedlots · 05/03/2023 17:09

How on earth would you be able to home school if you work full time? Unless you're planning to change your hours so you work late afternoons and evenings?

Starlightstarbright1 · 05/03/2023 17:13

How do you plan to facilitate that ?

My 15 year old barely moves when i am at work? Self schooling is what you seem to be suggesting so completely unreasonable.

EveSix · 05/03/2023 17:16

I'm interested in why you have put an option on the table which is logistically implausible?
Home education, as far as I understand it, does not need to fit in with regular school hours, but many of the activities and HE groups you may want to access in the community will be taking place in the daytime. Do either of you WFH?
Don't underestimate the amount of parental engagement HE requires, but be reassured that you can be flexible and creative within your commitment to educate your DD at home.
There are lots of great HE groups on FB.

Inkpotlover · 05/03/2023 17:19

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

sunshineandstrawberryjam · 05/03/2023 17:24

I think you'd end up with something more like unschooling. I do know some fairly functional adults from that background but they by and large don't have any qualifications and as such have had to forge some fairly unconventional paths for themselves - one runs a specialist hobby shop, one is a busker and travels from festival to festival - and I think their lives have probably been a bit harder as a result.

Actual home schooling I don't think can be done while working full time.

PennyRa · 05/03/2023 17:28

Can you offset your work schedules and/or do you have family support?

APurpleSquirrel · 05/03/2023 17:42

I'm pretty sure the idea of homeschooling is that one of the adults in the family doesn't work so that they can facilitate the homeschooling - effectively acting as the teacher for their child. I can't see how that is possible when working full time.

FatGirlSwim · 05/03/2023 18:02

You might be better off posting in one of the national home Ed groups on Facebook. It is very possible to work full time and home Ed. I did for a while, dd same age as yours. In order to make it work for us we had to use an online school.

Home Ed is very efficient though, doesn’t need to follow school hours and your dd may be a self motivated self directed learner. Unschooling is also an option. So you can do some formal education evenings and weekends, your dd can do self led projects, you can enrol in online courses, whatever works for you. It’s certainly an option and it’s great for your dd that you’re prepared to make it work.

lopsees · 05/03/2023 18:54

@Inkpotlover we took a very similar approach and our child is now doing well in Yr 10. School will never be their favourite activity, but by staying in school they remain connected to their friends (notwithstanding accessing education).

Inkpotlover · 05/03/2023 18:57

lopsees · 05/03/2023 18:54

@Inkpotlover we took a very similar approach and our child is now doing well in Yr 10. School will never be their favourite activity, but by staying in school they remain connected to their friends (notwithstanding accessing education).

Good to hear yours turned a corner too, and I totally agree about them remaining connected to friends. That would be a concern for me about HS – how do you make sure they still socialise with their peers? The first year of secondary is such a formative time of their lives.

Original poster
Vexed80 · 05/03/2023 19:00

FatGirlSwim · 05/03/2023 18:02

You might be better off posting in one of the national home Ed groups on Facebook. It is very possible to work full time and home Ed. I did for a while, dd same age as yours. In order to make it work for us we had to use an online school.

Home Ed is very efficient though, doesn’t need to follow school hours and your dd may be a self motivated self directed learner. Unschooling is also an option. So you can do some formal education evenings and weekends, your dd can do self led projects, you can enrol in online courses, whatever works for you. It’s certainly an option and it’s great for your dd that you’re prepared to make it work.

Thank you for your reply. I thought that by posting in the Home ed boards, I might get more constructive replies, like your post. I will take your advice and look to Facebook for better support. Thank you x

OP posts:
Original poster
Vexed80 · 05/03/2023 19:01

Starlightstarbright1 · 05/03/2023 17:13

How do you plan to facilitate that ?

My 15 year old barely moves when i am at work? Self schooling is what you seem to be suggesting so completely unreasonable.

Apologies, but I’ve posted in Home Ed not AIBU

OP posts:
jclm · 05/03/2023 19:06

As long as you or your husband work from home, it could work if you could supplement your teaching of DD with paid-for tutors e.g. instrument or languages or sports activities such as swimming lessons etc. I was considering this myself (though I only work part time) as I would feel exhausted having to take on the responsibility for the entire syllabus... I had also considered whether my child could go to the childminder for two half days to coincide with a forest or beach visit, though this may not be appropriate for teens.

MrsRinaDecker · 05/03/2023 19:07

I’ve home ed for a number of years now and I think it can be done, although does depend very much on the child (how self motivated? Any additional needs?), the family, and work schedules (do either of you work from home? Shifts? Can you compress or cut your hours?) From key stage 3 onwards, we used online classes for some subjects, so created a hybrid almost of traditional home ed and distance learning, including group lessons with peers. That might work well in your situation.
I’d also recommend joining some local and national HE groups on Facebook.

Original poster
Vexed80 · 05/03/2023 19:09

Thanks to those who have taken the time to reply. I thought by posting in the Home Ed boards I would receive replies from home educators about how they manage home schooling. In my OP I have asked for advice from parents who homeschool while working full time. I haven’t asked if IABU to consider this, I haven’t asked for ways to keep her in school and I certainly haven’t sought out the opinions of others.
I appreciate people taking the time to type out a response, but I’m really only interested in hearing from those people who have done it, successfully or otherwise.

OP posts:
ChildminderMum · 05/03/2023 19:09

Can you work from home at all?

The education side of things would be fine - you could support her with any learning at weekends and in the evenings.
It's more the social side of things - would she be lonely during the day?

If you could find some social home ed groups during the weekdays - whether that's home ed/learning community type groups, forest schools, home ed dance or art classes - and facilitate her getting to them then I think it would be fine.
Or maybe sign up to some online classes during the day - £2 Tuition Hub have lots for that age, fashion design, languages, music lessons, sociology, ecology.

BlinkinggLightt · 05/03/2023 19:14

Can you and your DH work shifts around each other? I think it would be difficult if you're both busy with work 9-5 M-F even if you WFH.

Original poster
Vexed80 · 05/03/2023 19:14

MrsRinaDecker · 05/03/2023 19:07

I’ve home ed for a number of years now and I think it can be done, although does depend very much on the child (how self motivated? Any additional needs?), the family, and work schedules (do either of you work from home? Shifts? Can you compress or cut your hours?) From key stage 3 onwards, we used online classes for some subjects, so created a hybrid almost of traditional home ed and distance learning, including group lessons with peers. That might work well in your situation.
I’d also recommend joining some local and national HE groups on Facebook.

Thank you for you reply. She is very self motivated. I have two HS age children and I would never consider home ed for my older one!! My younger one is a little different though, very driven and goal oriented. She excels when working independently and struggles in large groups of other children. She has suffered with several panic attacks when she feels crowded and as a result has a pass that allows her to leave class without question. I do wonder how much damage is being done to her mental health by keeping her in an environment like this? Outside of school she is bright and happy but Sunday nights are terrible all round.

OP posts:
Original poster
Vexed80 · 05/03/2023 19:19

ChildminderMum · 05/03/2023 19:09

Can you work from home at all?

The education side of things would be fine - you could support her with any learning at weekends and in the evenings.
It's more the social side of things - would she be lonely during the day?

If you could find some social home ed groups during the weekdays - whether that's home ed/learning community type groups, forest schools, home ed dance or art classes - and facilitate her getting to them then I think it would be fine.
Or maybe sign up to some online classes during the day - £2 Tuition Hub have lots for that age, fashion design, languages, music lessons, sociology, ecology.

Thank you this info is great. She would never be home alone. I have two adult children who would be able to support in different ways, either by being about at home or teaching within their own fields.

OP posts:
MrsRinaDecker · 05/03/2023 19:21

Op, your dd sounds quite like my ds1! He was home educated in year 11 (equivalent, we’re actually in Scotland). He cracked on with the international GCSE syllabus for his chosen subjects 90% independently. I wasn’t WOH, but was also home educating my younger child. My main role was facilitating, not teaching (he learns best when left to study the material himself). He’s now a third year at uni, and has actually found it an easier transition in some ways than his schooled peers, because in higher / further education the emphasis is very much on independent study.

ChildminderMum · 05/03/2023 19:23

So long as there are adults at home most of the time and someone is able to facilitate her social life (that doesn't necessarily have to be home ed - she could join after school drama club or Guides or sea cadets) I think this would work fine.

853ax · 05/03/2023 19:23

Presume the way in your situation would be to get a tutor.
I do not have any home school experience know a family who did it for year or two they got a qualified person to come to the house few hours a day.

Phineyj · 05/03/2023 19:26

Well I think that's important extra information, about her personality and that there are two extra adults around.

Have you looked at Interhigh? Year 7 is still pretty young so the structure of an online school could be helpful.

PamperedEnLaPampa · 05/03/2023 19:27

I work two jobs and DS is home educated. I spend hours preparing his work the night before. He has tutors everyday (£2 Tuition Hub is a godsend)

He is 13 and will be doing a few GCSE's every year and attending College this Sept for English and Maths. It can definitely be done. Although my other son attends school. He would be a nightmare.

It can be done if you organise well and use outside sources.

YukoandHiro · 05/03/2023 19:28

One of you would have to stop working. At 11 she can't self teach. Tbh I don't think Alex teaching works til 16 earliest. As others have said unschooling is a possibility but it's a radical life choice for your children and you need to be really behind the ethos - which from your post I'm not quite sure you are