Giving up self employed work to go back full time

[Pamperme]

I have two children aged 3 years and 4 years and have been lucky so far to be at home with them as I run a small beauty business from home. However, this doesnt pay the bills and taking time to build up. Just been offered a fantastic opportunity to get back into the career I was in pre babies (marketing) but is full time and in London but very good salary and perks. I am worried about a) leaving the children and not being there to take to school etc and b) being over tired myself. My husband works shifts so he will be around when I am not but dont want to become forgotten about or not loved as much.

I think it depends on a)how much you want the job and b)how much you need the money. Could you put more time into building your business instead? If it that you want to get back into your former career then perhaps it would be wise to do so now rather than leaving it any longer.

I was in a similar situation - left old career to become self employed and stayed at home with my dcs for about 18 months. Self employment didn't work out and I went back to a variation on my old career full time when dcs were 4 & 2 because we needed money. Dh was home early afternoon so did school pick ups, tea, etc. However, it was exhausting, I wasn't finishing work until 6pm-7pm some days, felt like I barely saw the dcs. I certainly didn't feel forgotten or unloved though - quite the opposite in fact, my dcs missed me although they were happy spending time with dh and in school/nursery.

Thanks to the experience I gained from that hellish few months combined with my previous career, I managed to get a much more child friendly job after 5 months. This is still not perfect for various reasons and in my personal ideal world I would stay at home and do some self employed work because I find working full time with 2 young dcs very stressful and hectic. In fact, that is my goal for the new year!

It seems to me like everything is a compromise once you have kids! I feel for you.

Is there any possibility of some flexibility from the new job? Can you be up front with them about DCs?

Even if you worked from home 1 day a week, could you take your lunch at school collection time (with works consent) in order to get to the school gates once a week? Then DH or a childminder taking over so you can continue work. Or do 7 - 3 on that day. I am hoping to negotiate something similar when the time comes.

I work 4 days a week and I am much happier than when I worked 3, overall the family is a happier one.

Why not try it? I appreciate there will be lot involved to get everything organised so you can work full time in London, but what is the worse that can happen? Give it 6 months and if you hate it, leave.

Try also to focus on the positives; more money, using your previous experience, furthering your career, the security of a paycheck, "me time" at lunchtime and on the journey to work.

I imagine your beauty business will still be there, so maybe that could be plan B if plan A above doesn't work. As fatfingers says you can always focus more so on the business.

Good luck

Agree with previous posters. The business will be there if the career doesn't work out.

The longer you have out, the less likely it is to renew your old career so why not give it a chance?

Going back to work was the best decision I ever made. It is hard and you have to be super organised, but overall, it is less stressful than having to worry about every penny!

I think you are lucky, you have the opportunity to make a decent living, it doesn't matter how hard I work or how many hours I do no-one is ever going to pay me a good salary so I am limited on choices.

Your dc's will be at school soon so child care costs will go down. Childminders will do after school and holiday/ teacher training/ snow days cover too.

I would if given this chance go back to work, save as much as I can so that if in 6mths or a years time I decide it's not working out I would at least have some money to fall back on while I tried to get my business back off the ground.

Good Luck!!