WWYD if you were me? Totally lost my way

[BettyGrable]

I am 35 yrs old and a mother of two. I trained as a journalist 15 years ago and had a very exciting career in broadcasting in my 20s, but wanted to do something more meaningful as I got older, so I retrained as a youth worker. However, since having my kids (aged 5 and 2) I can't manage the weekend / after school working hours required of this type of work.

I am currently working as a TA supporting kids with SEN in a school. I love the contact with the kids, but I find the role frustrating, as I am used to a more senoor role and having so much more input into how things are done than i currently do. I am also finding full-time working very hard going (have been unable to find anything part-time), not to mention the fact that I am literally working to pay my childcare costs (a TA salary is very poor).

I suppose I should add that my 5 yr old has special needs and it is very hard being away from him five days a week and relying on a real hotch-potch of childcare (my DH, mum, sister and a volunteer support worker currently juggle it, and it is far from satisfactory for him, really).

My contract ends at the summer holidays and I plan to take the hols off to be with the kids and then get out there and make some kind of Plan B (or C or D!) for myself come September.

What sort of work should I be looking for? Should I retrain yet again? Why is it SO hard to find a decently paid, part0time job that isn't washing pots, FFS?

I suppose I am just whinging into the ether, as so many of you will be in a similar situation, but if anyone has any bright ideas as to what would be a sensible pan of action for me career-wise in the near future, I would be very grateful!

Self employment?

Could you go back to journalism/broadcasting?

How about being a virtual PA or book-keeper? I have heard about people who do quite well by buying an accounts package and then doing book-keeping from home.

I have seen another poster on here talk about doing admin for pre-schools.

what about freelance journalism? you can do that from home so it's low risk and low cost (though unless you have the energy to write at night once the kids are in bed, you will still need childcare, but at least you can be 'around' to keep an eye on things) and it's okay money, if you're a good writer and prepared to put yourself out there. If you're not a writer (you said you were a broadcast journalist) you could do broadcast journalism shifts - a couple a week, or something? you don't say what your expertise was, but freelance producers are pretty well paid. (freelance reporters less so....)
interesting that you wanted to do something more meaningful than journalism. i know what you mean, but it can be pretty meaningful if youre writing/broadcasting about stuff that you consider important - and you are in a position to influence public opinion, which is pretty meaningful!
if you can't face going back to journalism (which i could totally understand), and obviously you love working with young people, how about doing a course of some sort, with a view to setting yourself up as a self employed educational consultant (of some sort - special needs? behavioural psychologist?)

how about doing a course of some sort, with a view to setting yourself up as a self employed educational consultant (of some sort - special needs? behavioural psychologist?)

No offence, but education is my sector and that would require years of training and experience eg. Psychology degree plus PhD to become an Educational Psychologist, or years of teaching and school management experience to become an educational consultant.

However, I think there may be a chance of bringing your youth work experience into play eg. some schools are employing learning mentors to work with disaffected children within the school day.

sorry, i don't pretend to be an expert in the education sector - that's why i put question marks after my suggestions! just ideas. it sounds as if being self employed would suit the OP. anyway, she's disappeared for now so i will shut up with my ill informed ideas!

Obviously there's teaching, though that would involve some evening/weekend work at home. But you can do it part-time once you're qualified. A PGCE only takes a year, you get a bursary and they pay your childcare costs.