what job do you do?

[mmm]

I'd be really interested to know what careers mumsnetters have. I know it's very nosy but I've seen all sorts on these pages. So...I was a teacher of English as a foreign language and the voice of a mouse for a video game and a singing butterfly and I have done voices for companies which want an answerphone message ("just a moment please hold the line" etc ) Anyone else?

whymummy, there are a zillion things I'd like to be,and yes I'm a "what if-fer", sad eh, but I'm sorry I'm not a publisher, I'm sure I'd feel very grand if I was though!( and of course, I'd publish your book like a shot!)

pancake - how about a barbie sweetie - a wee barbie dolly you could eat. ( I hate barbies too, I'm just trynig to help you make your fortune)

oh,thanks mmm i could be the next jk rowling (not)

im like you theres a million things i like to do i might see a life coach see if she can help me
has anyone ever done that???

for my sins I work as a freelance PR, good part is that I work from home so fairly flexible and own boss, bad part, it's basically glorified selling, nothing against that but it can be rather soul destroying.

Lots of interesting roles here! Aren't we nosy!! I love listening to other peoples news and stories!
PUPUCE - Are you self employed Doula? I have looked into this just recently and wouldn'y mind taking one of the courses on the Doula internet site. can you recommend/advice and how much this affects your life etc??

Well, I was Cabin Crew for 8 years and got pregnant. I tried to go back p/t after but couldn't cope being away from my little girl for so many days at a time! I took a follow on course from degree in Marketing and moved to an Island (not saying where)just recently and started a marketing job. Just got p/t so I'm dead chuffed!

An Island Quackers.... how intriguing!! Give us a clue..... go on.

LIZs sounds like the same "Nations Favourite Dept store".....

Well, it's tropical, it's exotic, it'sfull of tanned good looking people!
NOT!!!!!!!! It's the Isle of Man!!!!!!!
Ha ha!
No i really like it here actually! Not been here long. Used to London! What a change. I do have a fab view of the sea from our house though - even if it is the Irish sea. Or is it the North sea?? No idea!!

Quackers I would love that...to see the sea from your house sounds lovely. Especially working from home I get sick of the sight of my neighbours horrible wall. a sea view sounds like heaven

me too quackers,i could do with the inspiration of a nice view for my painting but my views are of the water and gas company

Did I mention that to the right is a lovely view of the local sewerage farm??
No only joking! It is a nice view, not used to it. We gave up our jobs to move here and get some fresh air for a bit and see how we get on! It's different alright! They still have horse drawn trams here!!!

I had been drinking m2t- but now I am sober! My typing is bad anyway though! You are a young thing so we wouldn't have known the same people.

ooh quackers we moved from London to Devon and we now have a lovely sea view as well from our kitchen window (just- it's distant but you can see the boats going in and out). DH has a sea view from his office which beats the windowless office he had in the city!

Great Stuff - sounds great! Yes I can just about make out the boats coming in! It's a distant view but it's a view! Seems to be a trend of people moving away from the city these days, taking pay cuts in favour of views and fresh air! I think I've O/D'd on Location, location, location! I love that programme!!

jimjams, quackers I'm intrigued as to how you both came to 'relocate' - did you literally just give up jobs and move? did you have jobs to go to? DP and I are desperate to move to country but up to now have been chicken about it!
I'm freelance and he is shortly to be freelance aswell (eek) so it's certainly possible.

Hi Katie rocket!!!!
In short, we had moved down to London about 10 years ago and had few friends and no family. Had good jobs but as you all know the dreaded commute into London was a mare!
After my daughter was born we decided that we wanted to live somewhere a little more rural and settle down.
My parents had moved to the isle of man and loved it. I had gone part time and was enjoying work and hubby enjoyed his job too. We one day came back from visting my parents and said we wanted to give it a try and if after 2 years we didn't settle we would come back. Admittedly we were very lucky getting jobs as my hubby is quite specialised in his job and there wasn't much call for it. We said we would live off the equity in the house until we found jobs but didn't need to.
I found a good nursery and we rented for a bout 4 months. The move was very daring and quite drastic and we had to fit all our posessions in a transit van!! Hilarious!!
It was great fun moving and I can't describe the feeling of giving everything up for a new life - it was fantastic. I was little unsettled for the first 6 months but I have now got part time at work and seem to have quality of life now. We leave the house at 8 and are home for 5.30. We can go for a walk in the evening or go out for tea if we want.
You are in an enviable situation being freelance. I presume that means you can up sticks if you want to??
Don't be chicken, be excited. make alist of all the benefits and disadvantages of staying where you are and moving away - you'll be surprised. Then have fun deciding where you'd love to live. Look on the internet. Have you anywhere in mind???

Whymummy, my dh saw an Employment Psychologist (not a life coach but they are supposed to suggest new careers etc after loads of tests/interviews etc). It was useless!

He is now thinking about going and re-training as a doctor (currently a medical lawyer) which would take 4 years! I think he should do it, what's 4 years out of a lifetime? He'd be qualified by the time he was 41 and then be doing something he was really interested in. My salary can support us both if we rent out our house and we could rent somewhere cheaper in the country (as I work from home) and be near my parents so they could help out with childcare and save us more cash.

At the moment his job is tieing us to London where we don't want to be. And he hates it, says it is either stressful or boring most of the time. I'm sure being a doctor is stressful too though not so deadline driven, more reactive I feel which would suit him better. Any doctors care to comment?

hi whymummy - i am not sure about copywriting issues - two books i can recommend to look at are The writers handbook 2003 -by barry turner
and getting published by chris mccallum - so have a look and go for it!!!

Quackers -
Yes I am self-employed... got the idea of becoming a douila BECAUSE of mumsnet.... If you do a seartch you will find my journey!

Why don't you e-mail me via my website...
www.nurturingbirth.co,uk (find the contact us button!)

Happy to help !

I was an IT training consultant for 17 years (microsoft certifications) before giving up to have ds. Currently SAHM (tho' the mum bit is a bit curtailed as I am post-operative having had my left hip rebuilt recently.)

Had own business with dh (software development consultant), but he has gone back to being a wage serf for someone else, in order to earn enough to support us all, and still be able to get home every night "nearly".

I'm trying desperately to keep my skills current so I can start to pick up some freelance support or training work in the next couple of years.

BTW, to anyone who thinks that being freelance or owning your own business means that you work when you want, that's only if you don't want to eat !!!

quackers - another islander!
Although in my case its the Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides. Sea 300yds away at the bottom at the garden and croft, gorgeous sandy beaches 1/2 hr away, water and air so clean you wouldn't beleive (out water supply is from our local river that runs right past the house) and no-one here locks their doors, children are totally safe, schools are good, seems totally perfect!
We came for 6 months for a change when I was made redundant and dh was looking for his next training post. That was almost 7 years ago now, and we cant imagine living anywhere else!

Hi Susanmt! Fellow islander!
Yes it's very different - I can't get used to every bugger knowing your business!!!
I do like the fact that you don't need to lock your car/house, although I still do out of habit!
The only thing about being on an island is getting off it! The cost!
hugs
xxx

katierocket. We've been talking about moving out of London for years. My family are in Devon. Our mind was made up when it became obvious that there was something wrong with ds1 (since diagnosed with autism). Number 2 was on the way. DH was spending hours commuting- and we needed more support.

DH applied for some jobs- got a good one (I only have a hobby job as dh calls it - and it's on the internet anyway) and we moved down here. Dh has more responsibility (although less pay!!), we have a house that's big enough for us and our junk, dh can pop home at lunch time and we get a lot of help with the children from my parents.

I think we would have moved anyway eventually but ds1's problems forced our hand a bit.

Angelmother ,

What a coincidence! Were you there 5+ years ago, as although I left B&M almost 10 yrs ago, I still had dealings with some there on an ongoing basis until I went on Maternity leave. Perhaps we even met, how spooky a thought is that!

LizS

thanks sambo,i really hope your husband goes for it!!