Is it possible??????

[pepperpots]

I started looking into going back to work full time, i have 2ds aged 3 and 22 months. Childcare costs would be 15,000 per year [shock!! I would be very hard pressed to get a job that i could earn that much so what i wanted to know is, are there really jobs you can do from home that are legit? I dont want to do anything like avon or betterware as i cant really drag two grumpy toddlers out with me especially if its raining or cold etc. I have seen countless companies but they all seem like cons ie, if you send us a cheque for £49.99 we will send you our information pack ETC........ Does anyone have any experience of working from home? I am willling to try my hand at anything
TIA

Become a childminder? I'm a childminder and builds websites in my spare time.

I know what you mean about these companies being a con!!

i couldn't become a childminder, my 2 drive me crazy i applaud you brave women who do it!

don't you get allowance for 2 sessions for a 3yo? Go back part time and get child care vouchers which are tax and Ni free??

i could only get the vouchers if my employer done them and there is no guarantee. I have heard about the nursery government scheme or something but am clueless as to how i go about it

Any nursery will know what to do about the funding - all 3-5 yo are entitled to 2 and a half sessions a week and you can top this up by paying yourself - or just give them the 2.5 sessions. I think thats right.

thanks i will look into that now, that would save me a few pounds a week a least

where abouts are you? it sounds very expensive! would be cheaper to nanny share?? or could you mix and match with relatives/childcare??

am in south wales. None of my friends are family live near so i couldnt share with any of them. Have tried looking into the nursery thing all i can gather is that i can get 5 2.5 hour sessions a week but am now at a astandstill as i dont know what my next step will be????

what are you good at doing? Gardening, arty stuff? selling stuff on ebay? my friend has just been selling canvases with splashed of paint on them for £90 each on ebay!

are these free sessions? you won't get these till 2 terms before child is 4 e.g. my dd is 3 in April but can't get this till september.

Also point to note with this is if you need a cm as well on these days i.e. to pick up from a morning session and keep all afternoon, you may find you are paying her for the morning because she won't be able to fill the place and you'll need cover during the holidays.

I'm stuck with this at the moment - dd1 goes to a pre-school for 2hrs on one day she is at cm's - I'm paying the cm £6 for the 2hrs and the pre-school £3. Shall be moving the days after easter so I get best value for money.

does your dh/dp have the ability to work flexibly - my dh works 4 days covering 37.5hrs plus loads more at home but then has the girls for that day. I work 30hrs over 3 days with the girls at the childminder for 2 days (8-5). Our cm bill is £5050 per annum and is completely covered by vouchers as we both get them so somewhere along there we're saving.

Do you have to work office hours? Could you work evenings and weekends? assuming dh/dp has a set pattern. If the 24hr, 7 days a week is open to you could look at nursing agencies (learning disability placements pay very well in comparison to working on a ward) or the 24hr supermarkets if you just want minimum wage.

my dp is on flexi time but only limited flexi, i have applied for evening jobs but couldnt work a twighlight shift ie 10pm till 6am in a supermarket as i would have the children through the day. My ds was 3 in October so he could start in April but we have only just moved so i have left it too late for that.

would you be interested in the care field? could probably find something that is 6pm till 11 or midnight.

my SIL works for an agency - she arrives at a clients home at 9pm (all OAP's), puts them to bed and then sleeps over - has never, yet been disturbed, she says its good money and she's back home by 7am.

i couldnt sleep away from home as my 2 are still young and the little one still wakes occasionaly in the night. Although would consider care an option there just doesnt seem to be anything around at the moment

Hi Pepperpots,

I work from home around my 2dd's, age 4 and 2 (and am pregnant with bump no.3) I work part time and am on target to replace my ful time income by the end of this year.
I do work in a team marketing business, it's not like avon or betterware as I definately don't walk around in the rain and the cold. It's also not a con. I work with Forever Living Products and it is a company thet promothe solid ethics and values.

It may or may not be for you, but if you want to have a look at my website just let me know.

i was in your boat 3 years ago, i worked through the night at m&s for three years and my youngest went to a private nursery the days that i worked so i could sleep, but in the end i couldn't do it any longer.i now work from home i have my own website, could you not do something like that? i also sell perfume and aftershave on ebay , ebay is a good source of income i sell 25- 30 items a week and earn more from that than my dp does full time. and i really only put in about 4-5 hours a week on ebay i know a lot of people that can't find the cheap to buy products to sell, go to car boot sales and charity shops for childrens clothes and buy high street labels,like next,m&s, monsoon etc a internet business is def the way forward for serious income working from home.i could never go back to work for an employer now i wouldn't find a job that paid enough, your never get rich working for someone else!!!!