Life as a busy mother can often be pretty tough. Of course, your kids are the world to you and all the hard work is absolutely worth it, but it isn’t always an easy life. A lot of people think that being a stay at home mum isn’t a ‘real’ job but of course nothing could be further from the truth. And very few things are harder work than raising your children! Still, once your kids get a little older, a lot of stay at home mums start to get a little antsy. Having twins means that they play together a lot, meaning that there is actually more free time than you might anticipate. Once your kids get old enough to not need constant attention any more, your mind might turn back to yourself, and to your career. Here are a few tips on how to make money and retain your independence as a busy mum.
Consider Your Own Skills
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First of all, you need to start figuring out what exactly you’re good at. If you’ve been a stay at home mum for a while, your self esteem might be a bit shot – you’re a dab hand at reading out The Very Hungry Caterpillar but you’re no longer certain that you know your times tables, let alone how to survive in a busy work environment. But the truth is opposite from that: becoming a mother makes you an even more skilled employee. You’re a better listener, you’re an incredible multi-tasker, and let’s face it: there’s absolutely no one else who’s as good as a mum at getting stuff done quickly with as little fuss as possible.
So that means it’s time to start considering what you’re good at. If you loved your pre-baby career, you could start dipping your toe back into that field, or you could branch out into something completely new. If you’re creative and organised and you have some money to invest, you could consider moving into property, and take your time to renovate a property before selling it on. You could even buy a property and become a landlord with a house for rent, paying the mortgage with the tenants’ rent. If you love art, check out Etsy and the prints and handmade jewellery that people sell there, and if you love writing then you could even start to write your first ever novel.
Focus On Flexibility
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Let’s face it: when you have kids, the number one requirement of any job that you have is flexibility. You may need to take your kids to school and pick them up again in the afternoons, meaning that if you work full time your boss may need to allow you to do some work from home in the evenings. You need a boss who’s sympathetic to the needs of a parent – taking care of your kids when they’re home ill from school, and attending the annual school Christmas play. Make sure you express your needs and wants during your job interviews to ensure that the company you’re interviewing for is the best possible fit for you – remember that you’re interviewing them just as much as they’re interviewing you. Working freelance is another way to make sure that you can work flexibly, although you need to remember that it’s a lot of responsibility – you don’t get holidays or sick days and of course you need to pay your own taxes at the end of the year. Still, the flexibility may be worth it to you.
Get Online
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Being online aware is one of the most important ways to get ahead in the current world of work – and let’s face it, if you’re reading this blog then you’re already one step ahead of a lot of people! It’s important to make sure that you know how to use social media. Get Twitter and make sure you know how to use it – being too intellectual to understand a hash tag simply isn’t cool any more. Twitter is a great way to get to know people in whatever industry that you want to work in, particularly if it’s publishing or media, and a lot of jobs require you to be social media savvy these days. A lot of the most interesting voices out there can be found on sites like Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr – add your voice to the cacophony and do your best to stand out (even as you do your best to maintain a strictly professional voice at all times!).
Start Blogging
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As you may be able to tell, I think blogging is a great idea. You may think that you don’t have anything to write about, but of course this isn’t the case. Think about your interests and start to create your very own online niche, whether that’s writing reviews of vintage Agatha Christie novels or talking incessantly about trainspotting. You will have an audience if you’re passionate about what you’re talking about and if you have a little knowledge behind your words. It’s also important to remember that as a mum, you already have an audience – there are a lot of mothers out there desperately surfing the net at night, feeling as though they’re alone in their parenting problems – for instance, anyone undergoing the gruelling process of IVF might be heartened by this blog. Letting them know they’re not alone with a blog about your parenting life is a great way to support a huge community of mums out there. You may not be perfect, but no one is – and it’s a relief to know that.
Get Networking
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Finally, it’s important to start networking. Get business cards printed if you’re working freelance, and make sure that you’ve set up a site so that your contact information is easily available. You can also set up a gallery so that people can see examples of your work. Testimonials from other clients are also a great idea. Go to as many networking events as you can – rope in your partner to babysit – and talk to as many people as possible. Getting out there will increase your chances of getting work.
