Feeling like i'm stuck...need to have a whinge

[varietyisthespiceoflife]

Just wondered if anyone else is in the same position? And how have you dealt with it?
I left my well paid PR job in London last year after having DD. Have now moved out to the country and am working freelance for same company and also have another client of my own.
Money is good but work is tough and i feel that the company client treats me like a full time/in the office employee even though i am 100 odd miles away and only work 3 days a week for them.
Constant digs and moans about 'we need to think about how this is working', 'can you cope' etc even though work is getting done and comments from their clients are that it is done very well...Immediate boss is bit of a nightmare (v insecure and defensive most days).
Most days i feel fine and am enjoying it but i do miss the office environment. Travel up to office once/twice a month.
Feel like i can't get another job in my field in the new town as the money is substantially less for more hours and i am the main breadwinner in our little family.

no harm in looking on job sites or freelance sites and seeing whats out there. Perhaps boss is jealous?

Myself, I find that although some bosses are very good with the 'managing outputs, not hours' thing, others are less so.

Tends to be the big boss who sees the bigger picture and understands what they are getting from you for their money. The middling bosses are sometimes less accommodating and for a variety of reasons including:
*they didn't hire you themselves but have been allocated you (so they don't have a direct personal interest in your hire beibg a success)
*they aren't very experienced in managing, output-style
*they wish they were doing 3 days a week in a nice place (this is WaitingForGodot's point about jealousy)instead of tramping in every day on the commuter train

What to do to combat this - depends how pleased the biggest boss is with your work (if the clients say they are happy what's not for the biggest boss to like?), as traded off against potential undermining of your position to big boss by middling bosses when you're not there, but I would (if you're not doing this already):
*increase reporting to middle boss including timesheet if necessary, cc-ed to big boss
*make sure they know immediately any time you have a success (if you're a PR person you won't have any problem with doing this - hehe!)
*go up to the office more (if you can)
*never mention the DD unless asked and then only briefly (then you don't fall prey to the 'she's just a mummy' style of undermining, which people are sadly rather prone to, not because they're anti-mummy particularly but because that's the nature of office politics.

HTH

If you aren't in the office it's easy to become the scapegoat for any and everything that goes wrong or gets mis-communicated (particularly if someone has the hatchet in your back).

You either need to shrug it off or deal with it.

Are the positive comments from your clients making it back to your boss (and more importantly your boss's boss)? Maybe some personal PR is needed!

Alternatively you may need to increase your presence in the office?

Oh and one other thing.

Never mention the other client! (I'm sure you don't!)

thanks for your comments/ideas - really helpful!
think you're right waiting...bit of jealously creeping in
godot - have tried to increase reporting by e-mail and by booking weekly call with boss but meeting times are being cancelled or ignored.
Oh well - in the office tomorrow so we'll see how it goes
Think i'll just have to get on with it!

I don't have any advice, but I can empathise in bucket loads!

I'm freelancing on H&S regulations and also find:

1. I miss the office environment
2. I find I am working more hours than I actual bill for and also find that my clients call up at other times but don't expect to be charged for that.
3. I find it difficult to get invoices paid promptly.

In fact, I'm finding it so bad, I'm looking at other alternatives.

Sorry!