Work from home

[Princessmama18]

Due back to work after maternity but don't want to go back! Any suggestions for work from home ideas or what else I can do?

Childminding is about the only job which would allow you to work from home and have your DD at the same time, it’s not for everyone though obviously as you will have to e.g. meet the early years curriculum etc and conform to a lot of red tape, but it is doable.

Aside from that perhaps an evening job while your DH is home? Bar work/call centre work or supermarket work perhaps? I would think twice about filling in surveys. They pay very, very little, involve an awful lot of lost time filling in surveys only to then be told that they’ve already reached their recommended amount, and endless amounts of spam emails.

I too am looking for work from home opportunities but because of illness not childcare and it’s virtually impossible unless you have a specific skill which you can apply to a business of your own.

Dog walker or cat sitter? People pay a lot more per hour/ visit for animals than they do for childminders and you could take on as much or as little as you wanted- I'm sure you could do a couple of dog walks a day with a child in a buggy

As someone who works from home it is just not possible with under 8s without childcare as they need you.

I have done it on occasion when they were younger but ended up on a teleconference at the bottom of the garden trying to escape a child who wanted their bum wiped.

There is a thread in money matters - how to earn £10 a day or something like that - you might get some good ideas.

Thank you all so much for you help

I am thinking realisticly night work a couple nights week as DH will be home, as much as I don't want to leave her it's the most doable

I've wfh in the past with kids but the majority of my work was done late at night, and during my kid's naps. Impossible to get anything done while the kids were awake.

Had to give it up after dc3 was born as there just weren't enough hours in the day.

My job was freelance copywriting, I had some experience and qualifications to back me, but it still took a while of earning crap and making a name for myself before I was getting the rates I deserve.

Princessmama18 if you're looking at late nights you still may want daytime childcare to catch up on sleep. Personally I couldn't do nights, I love putting DS to bed and chatting about our days (he's just turned 3) we talk about what he did at nursery and who he played with before a story and he falls alseep

Yes I'm thinking actual nights as that way I can put DD to bed before I go

I did nights for years in my younger days but sore I would not go back to it

Feel as DH leaves early and gets back late and I have no child care I'm not left with alot of options currently

I don't think many people would last long working a 9pm-5am nightshift, getting home and spending all day with a toddler - when would you sleep?

A friend of mine is a nurse, does 7:30-7 nightshift, then takes her DS to nursery for the day to enable sleep. It's 3 nights a week and you can see how much it takes it out of her.

I know, that's why I have asked for ideas/suggestions as I can't see another way...

When roles were reversed in our house, OH worked Thursday and Friday night's 11pm-8am stacking shelves. Had childcare 9am-noon the friday, so he could get a small sleep in. Then it was the weekend, so he caught up while I looked after DD.

Night premium + only tiny childcare bill meant we saved a lot of money towards a house deposit. Also he could take the odd extra Saturday night shift for extra money (works especially well as Sundays paid extra)

It worked quite well, though it wasn't easy.

It's definitely not going to be easy.......