Career help please? I want to be an events organiser.................or something?

[Xroads]

Basic info -
I'm 30
I have 2 dd's but they are growing up (almost 7yrs and 13yrs)
I'm not very well educated but I have lots of other skills including running my own childminding business (caring for up to 10 children, ages ranging from 0-14yrs) and a mural and canvas business, I volunteer for the arts festival and I have organised a charity event.
I'm very driven, creative and hard working/ determined.

I think I want to either:

quit childminding and get a full time job as an events organiser (but I feel torn because dd's do still need me and I have a lot of people relying on me)

or

scale down the childminding and work part time doing something creative (god knows what, I do some mural and canvas work but it isn't steady enough to commit more hours to it at the moment, other ideas?)

Help?

I need to earn more than 20k a year if I give up childminding in order to pay child care and debts/ bills etc

Last part is that I live in a small town full of charity shops and poundshops so isn't really an affluent area to be and I don't want to be too far from home whatever I do because of travel costs and dd's needing me in an emergency.

Please help?

You need qualifications and experience to get a good salary in event management. it's very competitive and the entry salaries hover around the 17-20K mark depending on where you are. most people volunteer to get an "in" as well (as you've been doing).

The hours are very long and very anti-social, especially in the build up and take-down of an event. You may struggle if you don't have support with childcare.

On the plus side, it's fast moving, great if you love organising people and activities and can be very rewarding.

You can subscribe to www.artsjobs.org.uk for daily alerts to jobs in artistic events (and other arts jobs). otherwise, check local unis for BA Event Management.

If you want to go in as a freelancer, then you'll need good insurance (PLI), H&S and first aid qualifications, possibly stewarding qualifications and a CRB.

Wow thank you!

I will sign up to those.

I do have first aid and crb and manual handling (if it's still in date)

My DH is very supportive as are both sides of the family and we have friends who could help out too so I think I could manage around busy times.

I've applied for a couple of jobs and emailed a few people so fingers crossed something comes along. I suppose if nothing else it will help me see which direction I should go in.