What careers let you earn lots of money without working full time?

[mousiemousie]

Just wondering which careers are best to advise young girls to go for if they want to earn good money without working full time whilst they have a young family...

...any suggestions?

Freelance work can be well paid and is flexible although obviously it works both ways in that you don't have the security you might with an employer. I've been freelance PR for 4 years and make the same working part time freelance as I did working full time before having kids.

Crotchety - I love it!! I do everything - design the project, run the groups/interviews, analyse the reults & tell the client what to do. I did it in an agency for oh, too many years - 12ish. Its a fabulous job if you are simultaneously bossy and nosy - such as moi.
Some of it is lovely glam sexy projects - developing new chocolates and ice-creams for eg is quite nice ... others less so. But there's always something interesting to be gained from sticking your nose into someone else's business...

funnypeculiar - sorry to hijack, but what would be the best way to break into this field?
I've worked in medical reasearch and epidemiology , (SAHM at the mo) and am looking for a change in direction, and also potentially freelance type stuff in about a years time. Your work sounds similar to the type of stuff I was doing, but much more interesting!!

Ohh, I am so delighted at sounding much more interesting!! Doesn't happen often

Humm, depends on your skill base tbh - have you done the interviewing/analysing data bit in your current role? (Dh was medical research too, but on the techie side)If so, your best bet would probably to (start at least) talking to the specialist medical research agencies out there - they are always on the look out for people who can talk to consultant about drugs (without wanting to hit them, as I do...) If I'm honest, we're not as purist as those of you in academia, so you might benefit from spending a short time actually working at an agency before you could freelance - plus then you'll have contacts to freelance for, iykwim
If you look on the AQR website qual research or the MRS general market research or more specifically medical reseach If not, you'd probably still need to talk to the same people, but might be difficult, nay impossible to set up without the training in interviewing and analysis.

hth

hijack over

wanders off grinning inanely that anyone thinks I'm interesting...

thank you !
I've done qualitative and quant analysis, formulating a project, running it, analyzing it, writing report/paper/presnting at conferences etc. Much much more quant than qual. I'll have a look at the links - thank you! Agree prob best to get in somewhere first before launching by myself. Thanks so much.
Hijack over - sorry!

I do medical/pharmaceutical MR smoggie. At the moment I do mainly analysis, interpretation and report/presentation writing. I've not done much interviewing/moderating because I've been at home with the children all day and couldn't fit it in (although I have done a bit of telephone interviewing from home). I've also done a bit of proposal writing and guide design. I do mainly qual but am just starting up on a quant project actually - I'm just putting together presentation charts from tables.

I'd say you can probably get work without having personal contacts but it is much harder. I've got 2 clients that I got by just sending CV, but my key client is the agency I worked for and tbh, they've kept me busy for the last 5 years (it's very rare that I have a period of no work). One of the clients sends me less work but it's just because they are a much smaller agency and use freelancers less - anything they get in I usually get though - I think I'm about the only person they use for anything more complicated than transcription (for which they can use general typists I guess).

With my main client, I get much more involved in the projects - I go into the office for meetings and am treated as part of the overall project team and have been named as a team member in proposals. I've been asked to attend final client presentations adn to go overseas to work on projects too (I have declined though as a key reason I left the company was that I didn't want to be doing that any more!)

This is obviously because they know me though and with other clients it's more that they just send out the work, I do it, send it back and they do the rest.

I love it though - it's great to be able to do it from home and still be there for everything the kids need without the stress of leaving the office behind, earn half decent money and also 'keep my hand in' and remain up to date on medical and pharmaceutical developments.

If you want to know anything else, feel free to ask!

Oh, and I'd say there's probably more scope for freelancers on qual work than quant - because obviously there are taped interviews to work on for nearly all projects.

def. not childminding - £3 per hour is what I get!

will never be rich!

£24 for an 8 hour day?! Blimey, you must love it!

I tell you what - that's bloody scandalous considering the responsibility you have.

lol at all the teacher posts. I'm a teacher and clicked on the thread to find a job that earns lots of money part time.

However, find I'm already doing it

gobbledispook, I totally agree.

a lot of childminders work to their full capacity to make a semi decent wage, but I find looking after 6 kids all ages from 3 months to 8 yrs, boys and girls too too much!

Littlemadam, that's why I'm a SAHM not a 'part time' lawyer

I work for a technology company as a System Engineer where I validate requirements for large capital programmes that specify the insertion of updated technology in order to upgrade complex systems. I work 24 hours a week over 3 days, get 25 days leave, flexi working, can work from home when the twins are ill, childcare vouchers (my DH claims vouchers to and it has lowered the nursery fees by nearly £2k per year), gym that costs £60 per year, the work is intellectually challenging and I'm paid far more than the national average annual salary.

How did I get here? Degree and PhD in Chemistry, joined this company, worked as a research chemist before moving into management and then downsized to a technical role when expecting twins because I knew that for me, international travel was less appealing that being with my babies.

I know that it would be difficult for me to get the benefits or flexibility that I have here with any other company, hence why I stay.

that I have here than with any other company

Hmm... saw the title and immediately thought 'prostitution', but I see someone has already suggested it.

I have 2 DSs and currently studying with a view to teaching as a career- it means that by the time they are both in school I will be qualified and can work good hours with the same holidays as them! I have always wanted to work with children anyway and if I can't do it FT for whatever reason then supply is a good option!

IME (though it is limited) freelancing often means that you're not free to do as you like becasue you don't like letting your clients down.

goobledisppok - thanks for another encouraging/positive vote for that. I am going to start looking in earnest probably about Christmas next year, so I will def. contact you if that's OK?

Dont mock prostitution until youve tried it.

I work at a Bank for 2 days per week, but now my littlest is at school do overtime on the other days, if I want to, perhaps 3/4 or more hours extra per week, which my manager is really pleased about. It also means I have just 2 days childcare per week to sort out in school hols, and the money is good too, good hols, (can book school hols off without a fuss), health ins. I have been there a long time though

I've name-changed for this.

I'm an IT contractor. I earn at least £50ph but usually £70-100 (I am bloody good). I work almost entirely from home. I have no IT qualifications but do have a long and distinguished CV.

There are a lot of courses for IT work - earning £20-30ph would be achievable in a v. short space of time.

There are plenty of contracts that last for 3 or 6 months so it can also fit nicely around school holidays.

The OP asked "Just wondering which careers are best to advise young girls to go for if they want to earn good money without working full time whilst they have a young family..."

I would advise - do whatever makes you happy, but rather than choosing a career with a family in mind, choose a husband/partner who would be willing and/or able to go part time as well as you so you could both share in the responsibility of looking after your children.

MY DH works Tues-Fri, I work Mon, Thurs and Fri. We only need childcare on Thurs and Fri. He earns a low basic salary and (hopefully) commission on top. His employer offset the low basic by offering him a day a week off.

I realise it's not always possible to work things out like this, and it has taken us years to achieve, but it works for us and has the added benefit that my DH now understands that spending a day alone with one or two children is not skiving. I go to work for a rest!

I totally understand the intention behind the OP's question but wish that it wasn't only women who were expected to compromise their careers for children.

OofyProsser, what is your specialisation? are you a SAP consultant or what???

It depends what you consider to be good money. I think it would be unlikely that you could get really really good money without ever working full time or putting in long hours.

Also it is worth considering something whereby if their OH left them they would be able to work full time if necessary.