What can I do for work? Please help!

[jey91]

I recently gave up my job to be a SAHM to my 2 young daughters. I didn’t expect to struggle so much with the change in lifestyle and not earning money. I’m planning to go back to having a career once my youngest is in nursery but in the meantime what work can I do that is fully flexible and allows me to work after the kids sleep and maybe on weekends?
For info I have a degree in statistics and 12 years experience working in banking. Also an interest in property and interior design. But it obviously doesn’t have to be related to these!
thank you

Deliveroo or Uber? Gig economy would probably suit.

Can you train as a bookkeeper and do this in your spare time?

Avon lady

write a book

Or I’ve seen jobs where you can work from
home training AI models. Not sure if they
just scams but I believe some of them are real so if you know some coding or have some
one of specialist knowledge you could do paid assignments in the evening

Do you have a partner at home in the evening to look after the children? If so, youth work, bar or restaurant work, late shifts in supermarkets, delivery driver.

How old is your youngest? You can get help with child care costs from 9 months in most of UK so worth looking around for a suitable setting asap. Realistically it is tricky to do most wfh jobs while looking after young children , if that is your plan. Do you have a partner who can share care over weekends or evenings? What experience and training do you have?

Thank you all. DH gets home around 6 so can take over and I can work after that. Ideally I’d do something from home. I can work on weekends too. Kids are 3.5y and 11 months (both still wake in the night and look for me, hence me needing to be home).
In terms of experience I worked in banking for 12 years as a trader and I have a first class honours degree and a financial risk management qualification. Agree that I couldn’t watch the kids and wfh at the same time!

Keep an eye on statistician posts in the Civil Service…generally fairly easy to get a part time, school hours only contract, interesting work and a good home-life balance.

Edit: sorry, I didn’t read your post properly! Sadly, CS is more one for when the littlest is at nursery!

With a similar degree, I consulted for my company while I was a sahm. They would call me up when they had a bit too much work or when they had a task that I was particularly good at. We worked out an hourly rate based upon my salary when I left so it was a good deal for me. I could make decent money just working a few hours here and there. Since they were just sending me isolated tasks, they didn’t typically care when I worked on them. I managed the occasional meeting with help from DH and creativity.

Given your qualifications and background do you need to work you must be pretty highly paid when you are at work?

Could you do a course in interiors, something you’d like to do an enjoy to keep your brain busy, maybe mentoring other women in your industry?

@curliegirlie thank you this is good to know anyway!
@Ponderingwindow this is really interesting, but because they made me redundant I think I may not be allowed to work for them for a while. Although maybe as a consultant I could be self employed? Is that what you did?
@reversegear thank you. Tbh you’re right I have some good savings and I got some money when made redundant but our mortgage is very expensive and I was the main earner. We are selling the house to downsize but the savings I have won’t stretch for too long. So I appreciate I am lucky but still would much rather do something and have some independence! I’d love a course in interiors and have been considering that but I’m not sure how I’d monetise it later

Just go back to work OP.
It sounds easy 'I can do evenings and weekends'. But the reality is you need family time and rest. Work in the day, have family time at weekends. It certainly sounds like you have plenty of skills and a good brain!

we looked at downsizing when money was tight - the cost of living outweighed the reduced mortgage cost - so we had to suck it up - check before you jump.

Hello.
Have you explored administrative agency work? There is a variety of roles within government agencies, healthcare, and other organisations. These roles can be temp or permanent. My friend is working PT at her local hospital and she loves it.
There are some jobs that allow you to work from home, such as being a remote examiner, market researcher or online tutor.

If you want a change of career to become an interior designer and have some money to spare in the future, there are PT degree courses offered online.

My brother is an architect and interior designer. I have seen the hard work he has put in, and he is often out and about with his work.

Hope you find something you enjoy doing x.

I found it exhausting being a SAHM to 2 girls a similar age, I don’t think I could have worked in the evenings! And definitely not at home when the bathtime / bedtime routine was going on, my partner couldn’t really handle on his own it was chaos :) It’s not so easy for dad to just come home from work and take over when you’re doing most of the childcare and they are crying for mummy! (And you know their routine a lot better). maybe it would be better to find something in the week and get some childcare. Your qualifications and experience are so impressive, I assume your hourly pay would more than cover a nanny if needed if you went back to a corporate job. I’m not sure a bar job on minimum wage is going to help much or make you feel fulfilled given previous career

Go back to work and do the thing you are qualified for and have experience in! Get some great childcare lined up and just do it, clearly being a SAHM isn’t working for you

Look at parish clerking either as a locum, or with your finance experience, an internal auditor.
Typically, a parish council meeting is one evening per month from 7.30pm to 9.30pm ish and the rest of the work is done to suit you, usually from home.

This. I went back 3 months early from mat leave, I love my kids but I wasn't cut out for being a SAHM in the early years and I couldn't handle not going to work and being an adult professional. I needed the balance of work and home or I got really depressed.

You could maybe be a day trader from home but you wouldn't be getting out of the house and having contact with colleagues. And truly, if you are struggling with being a SAHM you don't have to do it full time.

How long do you plan to be on your career break? If it is more than 2 years and you plan to get back into something equivalent to a trader, you should do something that will keep your hand in and your industry knowledge relevant.

Hence being a consultant along the lines of what @Ponderingwindow suggested is a very good idea. You will get the highest remuneration from your time if it will be flexible when the work is done and ideal if it can be done remotely. However, I don't understand enough about what a trader in a bank does but it does not seem like being a trader would easily lend itself to such a consultancy.

If you have worked in the corporate world in a bank, I agree with @ItsAWonderfulLifeforMe that bar work or deliveroo deliveries isn't likely to cut it for you. If you cannot be a consultant, then perhaps online tutor for maths might give you the flexibility you need for your skillset. But it is not likely to advance your comeback career unless that is teaching.

An alternative is to do a part time course in your future career. You mentioned financial risk management. But doing a course would not bring in money during this time.

Are you seeking flexible work for the money or to keep your mind active?

Personally, if you are the main earner before, it makes more sense for you to go back to finding a ft job and use childcare or have your dh be the SAHP.

Also, if public markets are too much in terms of hours, consider if you could move into private markets, asset management, insurance, pensions...

I'd look at a part time role related to your current skills and experience. It will be far more sensible for family balance

Maybe look at a sideways/downwards shift

Trying to work in the evenings as soon as your husband gets home will just make for a really pressured family life.

Work part time, pay for a cleaner/housekeeper, and really enjoy the days you are with the children

I think what all of the posters are trying to say (and I say this with experience as a long term SAHM), if you have too long out of your old job role, at your previous salary level, it can be very hard to get back into. Your confidence decreases, you lose connections in the field, you just feel less employable. This is a big generalisation and doesn’t apply to everyone but in the circles I know this is true. So many women with a big gap go back to work in low skilled, low paid jobs that fit with doing all the childcare and life admin as this has now become ‘your job’ and the men haven’t had to do it. Don’t let this be you dont want it to be, and act quickly!!!

It’s niche but my old neighbour worked from home in the evening, transcribing the Hansard from Parliament. I always thought that would be interesting and it worked for their family.

This is what I did (except a different field). I started freelancing when DC1 was about 9 months. Just a few hours here and there.

I got most of my work from a freelancer I had previously engaged.

I worked with him regularly for 20 years.

I know someone who became a SAHM and had experience and qualifications in Financial Compliance and Risk management. She freelanced doing consultancy working for herself while her children were young. Then she started working flexibly/ part time for a small financial consulting firm. This could work for you maybe?

Call centre work
Virtual assistant
Proof reading
Childminding