What work fits in around term times/school hours?

[LaTristesse]

I'm thinking ahead here, but due to return to work next year but previous job, which I love, but although flexible hours-wise is definitely an 'everyday' job - ie wont be so flexible come school holidays. So how does everyone else manage? Does your job fit in with term times? If so, what do you do? Is it only jobs in schools? Thanks in advance for any ideas!

After quite a bit of lateral thinking I'm re-training as a plumber. Shall be self employed while the DC are small. It's flexible, always demand and reasonably well paid.

I have an office job which I do part-time, term time. Do you have any contacts you could utilise? My current boss is the husband of my pre-kids boss. I also do a direct selling business on the side which I'm hoping one day may be my main job. If you can afford to go for something like this and make the effort to build it up, that could be a possibility.

2madboys can I ask about the direct sales? My friend is about to return from mat leave to a job in insurance but has said she would prefer sales. Is this from home? Can you share any more info about it?

Hi Kelly - it's Phoenix Trading. I sell cards, gift wrap and stationery. A similar kind of business as Avon. PM me if you want more details. Have to be quite careful that what I say on here is not interpreted as advertising!

Thank you! I will PM you when I'm not on my phone. She's looking at Usborne I think but I could pass her the details of Phoenix.

Thanks

I work for Usborne and there is a £19 joining offer for May. It is a pretty good offer. Happy to pass details onto your friend KK if she isnt aware of this.

Love the idea of training as a plumber MrsLettuce! Tried to persuade DH to train as an electrician after we had our house rewired and they charged us an absolute fortune. Maybe I'll follow your example - people will always need plumbers.

IME, the people I have met who have term time only jobs, are people who were in them before hand, and made themselves indispensible, and negotiated down their hours. I don't think that option is around much nowadays (lot were public sector, which is just looking to shed jobs, not retain people these days). It's not something you see advertised.
I suppose the ideal would be something where you are self employed, and could choose when you want to work, but you need a trade really for that.
Or piece work, or contract type work you can do at home ?
What skills can you offer ?

IME, the people I have met who have term time only jobs, are people who were in them before hand, and made themselves indispensible, and negotiated down their hours.

yy, I am a manager and one of my best employees has decided she wants to reduce her hour to fit around her children. She is very good at what she does, and I am keen to keep her, so I am prepared to compromise. It isn't ideal for us, though, so I might not be so flexible for a new recruit!

I work in Sales and Marketing, part-time, 9-3, four days a week. I heard about the job through a friend of a friend (literally at the school gate) and it's been a godsend.

I work during the holidays too, but the company are flexible about me "moving" my day off, so, for example, for half term I would borrow the days off from the week before and the week after, so would only need to take two days off (or one day off each for me and DH). And you would be surprised how many holiday clubs, football courses etc exist, which can mop up quite a bit of the holiday.

I stopped full time "employment" entirely for 6+ years, but was a Phoenix Trader for most of that time - well worth looking into, and very flexible (not a trader anymore so can recommend it without being told off)!

Thanks everyone. Interesting what you say Cointreau about jiggling your h

...olidays around to cover school hols - that's what I mainly need to work out. My current job will allow me to change my hours to fit in with the school day, but I can't work out how to cover the holidays.
Unfortunately I don't have any real skills as such, all my experience is in music and media. Although I do really like the idea of retraining... I think i would be good at running my own business, but have no idea what that could be! I had considered teaching but wanted to explore all avenues first...

FT work with a nanny .... sorry, not that helpful [runs away]

Thanks Cointrea - it's a great time to join as Phoenix are donating up to £25 to a choice of charities for every trader who joins by the end of May.

2madboys - I miss it sometimes - I was one of the very early Traders and only gave up when I got this job. I had 35+ people in my team at one time!

How about working at a school? DS's school is looking for admin/office staff, learning mentors teaching assistants and midday supervisors at the mo.

All TT work, the admin/office roles are 30 hrs' wk TT plus 10 additional days in the hols so would need to use holiday club or friend/family childcare.

I am a Virtual Assistant, which is a PA but I work from home and do all my client's admin/lifestyle management from the comfort of my spare room. I have 2 clients currently who pay either by the hour/project or a retainer and it means I can work around my daughter's school hours. I have a fully functioning office at home so there is nothing I cannot do and so far, it's working brilliantly!
There are a number of job sites that do part time/home working options, ie Job Search and WorkingMums, I think and they seem to have a lot of jobs on there so that might be worth a look too. Good luck!

I went back to work 14 years ago after 10 years as a SAHM to a job in an accountant's office. It was school hours term times only, and since my kids have now long left school I have negotiated the hours up rather than down!

OP, if you're musical, could you start up some sort of babies'/toddlers' music group, or I think there are franchises advertised sometimes in family magazines?

Would providing some sort of therapy appeal - massage or beauty treatments?

I do 25 hrs (just upped from 20 hrs) a week - in a job I did full-time pre-children.

My core hours are Mon - Thu 9am - 2pm (which is what I was doing on 20 hrs per week) and I make up the rest within the standard office hours.
Kids school is 8.45am - 3pm and my work is about 10 min drive from school.
At the moment I am doing around 8 hrs one day a week when my ex picks the picks the kids up from school, and then making up the extra hours on the other 3 days (the kids are doing school clubs which gives me another hour some days). So I am fitting my 25 hrs into 4 days still.

I can then work the additional day, and carry it forward as TOIL for holidays etc. I'm not doing that at the moment but anticipate doing it the week before a half term holiday, and maybe for most of June/July to have extra for the summer holidays.

My ex and I share the holidays, although I have them for more of the summer, and I am lucky to have my parents nearby wanting to have the kids in the holidays.

So basically I juggle.

Im one of the lucky ones who changed jobs 6 months ago to work in a school. I went from 21 hours a week all year round to a 25 hour a week job but term time only. I do 815-3 4 days a week and the kids go to breakfast club and I pick them up. My 5th day is going to be for study when I start my degree in October.

I worked all through having my children, albeit on reduced hours. I was very lucky to get a school job as there arent a huge amount out there anymore in admin. But they do come up.

regarding working in a school, I strongly recommend you confirm the hours and times before proceeding to get a job there. At least half of all our applicants are usually surprised to find that the hours they expected to work includes being there well before school starts to deal with parents, or that we are actually open for housekeeping and maintenance during the holidays or that we exist for the education of children as opposed to the convenience of staff with caring responsibilities (TIP: always allude to the last bit at interview).

Those with the more convenient hours tend to be those who started pre-kids and negotiated after maternity leave after it has been considered that they are valuable and we would rather have half of them than all of the others. Perhaps negotiating an earlier return on the hours you would prefer would work for your employer. With the funding cuts coming, we are demanding slightly more from school admin and TA roles.

I have friends in LloydsTSB and Halifax who work 10am-2pm and 9.30am-2.30pm not sure if it was term time only, London Underground from 9am-3pm or two 10 hour shifts on sat and sunday, night shift nurse with the NHS.

Hi littlecakes, is there anyway you could give me the details for you virtual assistant, im trying to find a work from home job like yourself, i hold a business degree also.