Ideal job for working Mums?

[verona]

I'm currently a SAHM but will have to return to work for financial reasons within the next couple of years.
Before children I was a nurse but didn't find it v. compatible with childcare.
Considering doing a PGCE primary but have read a couple of threads which put me off.
Just wondering which careers you think are best suited to childcare.

childminder??

Is the NHS not so keen to get trained nurses back into work that they offer flexible work options around childcare. I am sure I have seen adverts for this in the press.

The benefit of doing teaching is that you are on holiday when they are, and don't need to find extra child care once they are at school. I think it can be a real nightmare to suddenly have to find 6 weeks of cover in the summer holidays, or to have to take all your holiday from work then.

Will you have to work full-time, verona? Don't be put off teaching just because of the workload. I've found it ideal working 3 days a week. It's still such a stimulating and rewarding job but so much less stressful now I'm not f/t.

I don't know if anyone has suggested this but how about working for the health department on the government side. I'm not sure what you would call it in the UK but in Australia our Health Department advises to the ministes and government. This would be a 9-5 job and I'm sure they can use people with experience in the field. The Health Department would be huge like the Foreign Office, MOD etc.

Have you asked your local hospital/community trust about returning to nursing (not sure what sort of nursing you've done) - many places are now offering annualised hours which means you can have school holidays off. Also there is always the option of practice nursing which seems to offer lots of mums a flexible way of working around your commitments.

I think it is a shame that if you have trained as a nurse you don't use your skills.

hope this helps

I agree, use your skills especially if you're good at it! My Mum has been a nurse for over 30 years and she it has never been better for flexibility - they want to keep their staff!!

Alternatively, I am run my own Virgin Vie business from home. It's easy to start and the rewards are immense. It fits 100% around your availability and you get out what you put in! The back up is great from Virgin. If you want to know more - let me know.

Good luck!!

Thanks for the replies.
I agree that nursing can be flexible. Nevertheless, as a ward-based nurse I know I wouldn't have been popular working termtime/ not doing shifts.
I'm a psychiatric nurse (and good at it, I like to think!) but having spent 5 years working on an acute ward in inner city London I've had enough. It is a soul-destroying job with high levels of violence, continual verbal abuse and very little support from managers.
Moomin, thanks for the positive comments about teaching. The major advantage would be childcare during holidays, though that is not what solely motivated me to become a teacher.

HI Verona,

With your psychiatric nursing background have you considered training for special needs teaching? Or would that be too much like your old job?

You need to do a pgce before you can specialise in special needs as far as I know. But yes I would like to do that.

The main thing with teaching is not the job itself as you could get a part time position, but the PCGE year itself and the following induction year are both a pig. A few places are starting to do part time PGCE courses now though.

Hi Verona,
Have you thought about using your mental health experience in the voluntary sector or looking at some of the more "modern" public sector roles- things like community mental health, family work, learning mentors, outreach work, advocacy, etc etc? It seems to me to sometimes be a good deal less stressful and soul destroying because you often do not have quite such a statutory "coersive" role. I remember a feeling of pure happiness and relief the first time I was able to say "Of course, if you don't WANT to use our service that's absolutely fine and your decision. Just give me a ring if you change your mind." in a voluntary sector org having previously been working with people who had no choice but to put up with me in a school setting. I've found working in the voluntary sector very compatible with childcare so far too. One thing's for sure- with your background you'd definitely be snapped up for many jobs I see, both at practitioner and management levels.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Have you thought about teaching in FE (or better still sixth form as the holidays are more similar). You could train to teach 'health and social care' etc. The job is less stressful in some ways than teaching at a school and the PGCE is certainly easier (comparing what my partner and I went through) - mind you he has a PGCE and decided to stay in mental health nursing! I was thinking of a career change but stayed in teaching 'cos of the holidays etc. The job certainly gets easier as time goes on.

There are part-time PGCEs out there 2 days a week I think. I do think that going into it as a mature (not meant as an insult!) student would make it easier than when I did it straight from Uni though.

Saying that tho' my dp says that with new healthcare back to work initiatives you should beable to negotiate flexible hours and he knows ALOT of people working 9-5 for that very reason.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

Could you be a portage worker or something? Most work term time only.

Hi...you may find this useful, there was an article about it in the Times today:

www.publicappts-vacs.gov.uk

you need to trawl though to find the paid, part-time work, but its another option.

Greenwich University does an evening PGCE in further education. I think they also do one by correspondence. I did mine while working full time.

It's better paid in a sixth form college, but much easier to get part time hours in an FE college. Swings and roundabouts.

Slug, wow what a star, how did you manage to do a PGCE, look after kids and work full time. Am seriously impressed. I have been kicking around the idea of doind a PGCE for a while now, but my teacher friends say that it takes a lot of time in the evenings outside the course to get all the work done. And basically to wait until the kids are older (mine are pre-school) what are your top tips? how did you do it?

It was pre baby and I was working in an FE college at the time as a learning assistant, so not really as difficult as it sounds.

..sigh..looks like I'll have to wait a bit longer then