Working in social housing while raising a young family By posting on Mumsnet you

[Sunshine0322]

Hello! I'm thinking of a career change, I am considering getting into the housing sector, potentially social housing. I have a 4 year old son and pregnant, therefore not looking at anything immediately but just thinking about it for the near future. Does anyone have any experience managing this type of job and raising a family at the same time? I've noticed a lot of companies offer flexitime, WFH and generous holidays. Would love to hear from someone with experience in the sector.. I have a background in hospitality management and most recently social care. I should add, I am based in Scotland.

I work in social housing, although in a back office role. I love it but its not for everyone.

The housing crisis is biting hard and our new tenants are largely prioritised by need so they can be in really difficult situations and need a lot of support. Mental health and financial support is thin on the ground these days so you'd need to be helping to signpost without getting too emotionally involved.

It is a really flexible industry and fits well for me around family life but I and many of my colleagues work above and beyond to get the best outcomes for our tenants and our organisation, and sometimes that does mean long hours. I tend to work 8.30-4.30 and log back on after kids bedtime maybe once a week to keep on top of things. A lot of my colleagues are part time.

If you are looking at a housing officer role you would need a good grasp of tenancy law, and the law around safeguarding of adults and children. It gets quite technical. There is also a lot of new legislation around health and safety, most recently Awaabs Law, which you would need to understand, and this side is only going to increase.

I used to be more front line, but after I had dc I found I couldn't detach myself emotionally working with children in need.

If you want to meet and support people from all walks of life, social housing is a brilliant career which needs caring people.

Hope that helps a little.

Ah Scotland is a little different in terms of the relevant legislation. I don't know much about that.

I don’t know about Scotland but there are always lots of local government jobs for housing or tenancy officers. A lot of it involves problem solving and enforcement.

The Institute of Housing offer courses and pathways. You can also get in by applying for customer service type roles in a benefits team for example or working a homelessness team (lots of voluntary organisations provide homeless support). Basically anything that involves skills in managing difficult situations and challenging people.