Working outside the home and homeschooling...

[Michelle T]

I would love to hear from anyone who works outside the home, while still homeschooling. For a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the staggering debt we need to pay off, I expect to soon be in that group.

I'd love to have these questions answered:

What work do you do?

How many hours per week?

How old are your kids?

What are your kids doing while you are at work?

Thanks!
Michelle T

[Renee in FL]

I am the accountant, office manager, and administrator for our business. I work various days and times, but almost always 40 hours or more. My dc go with me and we fit school work around business demands. Not ideal!

My homeschooled dc are 10, 7, and 5 (and I have 3 others.)

[K&Rs Mom]

I haven't personally, but an old friend does, and is a single mom too. So it's definitely possible! She does something in the medical insurance/investment field, but I'm not entirely clear on what, for about 35 hours a week. Her ds stays with a daycare lady during that time and they school in the evenings. She's never put him in outschool, and he's 10, so I guess that's 6 years of homeschooling under these circumstances, and it's working really well for them.

I do work about 15 minutes a day, doing background checks at our local courthouse. I bring dc with me, and pay them $5/month for doing their part (sitting quietly) so I can get my work done. It's not a huge income, usually around $200/month, but it pretty much covers homeschooling and ballet and gymnastics for them.

[brehon]

I would love to hear from anyone who works outside the home, while still homeschooling. For a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the staggering debt we need to pay off, I expect to soon be in that group.

I'd love to have these questions answered:

What work do you do?

I'm a paramedic.

How many hours per week?

Because of the 24/48 schedule I rotate working 48 hrs/wk, 56 hr/wk, and 64 hr/wk not including any mandatory overtime, CE, or meetings I'm required to attend. Translation: on average I work 10 days/month.

How old are your kids?

7, 5, 3, almost 2

What are your kids doing while you are at work?

They stay at in-home sitters (for which I pay the equivalent of a second mortgage). My 7 & 5 yo's have work they are required to do while at their sitters. This is usually drill type work: math, Latin, handwriting/copy work, reading.

Thanks!
Michelle T

We school year round for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons is due to the fact that we can't have 4 or 5 straight days of lessons like most everyone else. It works for us.

[Holly IN]

I work part time from Monday to Friday night. I work 4- 4 1/2 hours a night. Every other Saturday I am a supervisor over the crew. I clean but faciltate groups that come in the buildnig. I also secure the building and arm it once everybody is gone. I also have to make sure the groups leave on time. I have to report any groups to the leadership that are causing problems. My kids ages are 13, 10, 9. They stay home with daddy.

Holly

[Chris in VA]

I teach preschool part-time. I'm homeschooling ds19 for his last semester of high school. I lay out all his assignments in a grid format. He has lit, enviro science, poetry, and am. gov't this semester at home. I may give him a semester credit for Bible, if I can ever get my act together enough to find him something to study. He also takes two CC classes from 2:00 to 6:20, M and W.

He does his work independently while I'm away. We meet to discuss his work sometime during the week. Even tho I'm home in the afternoons, it's hard to fit stuff in, and a huge change for us. Dd is in school now--I couldn't work and school her.

[cathmom]

Last year I taught two classes of Spanish at a nearby charter school. My oldest was home to watch the dc, who were 11, 9, 4, and 2 yo twins. I was gone 10-15 hours a week, in the middle of the day - I left around 12:15 and was home between 2:30-3. It sounds like a good PT job but it actually was really hard and very little real homeschooling took place. Now I have a new baby and am not working anymore.

[GVA]

We wouldn't be able to afford homeschooling and activities if I didn't, and even then we rely on used curriculum and do only one sport, a local co-op, and one carefully-chosen field trip a month.

I've tutored math, taught homeschool classes, worked as an adjunct professor, and done some light web development work. Right now I'm teaching with Classical Conversations, have one online section at the local CC, and I'm working on a website for a business that DH wants to start.

My kids are both pretty independent, but still need oversight and checking of their work. They are in 3rd and 6th grade. Working about 1/2 time even with most of it from home is about all we can tolerate right now. More than that and the academic standards slide, so I'm actually working less than I did a year ago. I'm only away in the evenings, and only once a week. DH is disabled and more than that is very hard on him.

[WTMindy]

My job is a little different because it is in the homeschooling field. I teach two days a week at our school district's parent partnershp program. So, my kids go with me and they have their own classes going on while I'm teaching. It does make the other days of the week very full to try and get everything I want to get done, done!

[LizzyBee]

I would love to hear from anyone who works outside the home, while still homeschooling. For a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the staggering debt we need to pay off, I expect to soon be in that group.

I'd love to have these questions answered:

What work do you do?

How many hours per week?

How old are your kids?

What are your kids doing while you are at work?

Thanks!
Michelle T

I am a CPA. I work an average of 50 hours/week during tax season and 25-30 hours/week the rest of the year. My kids are 14, 12 and 7. The 14 yo is attending a charter school this year after 6 years of homeschooling, so I only have 2 at home. While I'm at work, the 12 yo usually has some homework. They also have chores, and they can watch limited TV or play on the computer; other than that, they read, play games, play outside, play with their neighborhood friends after they get home from school, etc. My dh is almost always home when I am not.

[periwinkle]

The first job was as a lab assistant at a nearby college. The job required approximately 15 flexible hours a week during business hours Monday through Friday. I chose to work 3 afternoons from 12 to 5. This proved to be doable but rather exhausting. My kids were old enough to stay home by themselves during this time, but I think the quality of our homeschool was impacted. The position was reworked into full-time for the following school year; I was offered it but declined.

I was able to stay at home for the next year, but it became increasingly difficult to meet our budget so I began searching for employment again. I wanted something requiring less than 10 hours a week. This proved to be hard to find, as I searched for over 6 months before success. My current job is medicating animals at a no-kill animal shelter nearby. It involves a morning shift of 2-3 hours about 3 days a week. I get up before 6 AM and return home by 9; my kids usually don't even get up until after I get home! This job seems to be virtually invisible to the family schedule yet provides a little bit of income. After getting used to dealing with the animals, I really like it.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

What work do you do? When I was working outside the home, I worked as the head school-age teacher in a daycare center.

How many hours per week? I worked about 30 hours a week during school, and about 40 hours a week during vacations. Since it was the school-age room, I worked before school from 5:45-8:30 or so and then I worked again from 3-6:15 or so every day. During vacation times my hours varied, but, I could bring my dc for free so I was still with them. They got to go on the field trips I planned and be invovled in the different activities we did. It worked well.

How old are your kids? At the time my dc were 9, 7, and 5.

What are your kids doing while you are at work? My dh was home with them in the morning and, if I needed to, I could bring them to work with me in the afternoon. A lot of the time my parents were able to sit with them, too.

It took some planning, but, we were able to school and I was able to do all I needed to do. I utilized the crock pot and once a month cooking to keep it all together. It was a good fit for our family.

[Cadam]

Here are 4 situations I know of personally....

ds's mom is a single mom. Until very recently she worked 4 - 10 hour days a week. During that time he was with us and I homeschooled most of his subjects. She does Spelling and Science on her days off work, which is when she has him.

I have decided to take on homeschooling clients. It fits my life style and my first kid start tomorrow. We really want it to work out, because we still have a lot of debt to pay off!


My client's mom is a single mom. Before we found each-other she was going into her office at 5 am and coming home in time for her older child to go to High school. Then she would go back to the office after the older child got home from school. Very tough, but she thought she could keep it up for at least a year if necessary.

Friend at church had her son at home by himself (13 yo) doing an online school. His best friend was homeschooled and had a SAHM. The friend's mom took it upon herself to check on the boy regularly, get both boys to a co-op, sports and field trips. This only lasted a year btw but it got him over a bump in school.

I read about a waitress who had a very understanding boss. He let her clear out a storage room and her son did school in there (all self study) and she checked in on him during her breaks.

It can be done but a support system and creativity are a necessity.
:grouphug:

[Joanne]

What work do you do?


I homeschool other people's children, provide after school care and work outside the home.

The outside the home work is as a Host/Tournament Director for a very large Poker League in the metro Houston area. Would you believe that free tournament poker is big enough to support the 2 families who own my league? It's a bit more complicated, but basically, I manage 20 - 60 people in a bar who are playing competitive, tournament, free poker.


How many hours per week?

Since the homeschooling others probably doesn't hit the issues you need, I'll just add up my WOH hours:

Used to be: 21 hours

Tues: 6 pm - 1 am
Fri: 6 pm - 1 am
Saturday 1 pm - 8 pm

For a period of time, while they train a new person, I'll be adding:

Monday 6 pm - 1 am
Thursday 6 pm - 1 am


How old are your kids?

13, nearly 12 and 9. I worked outside the home before as a before and after school counsellor for the YMCA at a local elementary school. I was able to bring my kids since my population/enrollment wasn't over the ratio. It kinda made me giggle to bring my kids and have them do homeschool work in the cafeteria of a public school while school was going on and I was setting up. It was a split shift and worked well for our needs at the time since they were younger and childcare would have been a more complicated issue.

What are your kids doing while you are at work?

They are with my DH (their step dad). Every other weekend, the Friday/Saturday shift is not an issue as they are with their Dad.

Monday nights are going to be a problem since my DH works overnight Mondays, but I have traded child care issues with my next door neighbor, so she will assist and I will help her with her grandson when she needs it.

[vovbelle]

i am an rn and work full-time weekends. i work friday, sat.,and sun. from 7p-7a. my kiddos, ages 6, 5, 3, and 18 months (with new baby due in april), stay at home with papa while i work and also with papa while i sleep on sat and sun during the day. on monday i am sleepwalking through the day until papa comes home but my 5 and 6 yr olds do math, phonics, and handwriting workbooks pretty independently on mondays...only coming to me with questions. on tues we do a cc co-op where i am a tutor and then piano lessons afterwards. on wed-fri the 5 and 6 yr olds continue with math,phonics, and handwriting workbooks but we add cc memory work for about 30 minutes each day as well as piano practice for about 30 minutes each. this works for now because they are only in k and 1st grade. we'll see about next year and the year after when i start adding higher grades into the mix as well as more kiddos who start school! i think at that point i will be going prn or part time!

[Call Me Cordelia]

I work in a coffee shop (Caribou) 35 to 40 hours a week from 5 a.m. to 12 or 1 p.m. My children are 16, 13, 13, 10 and 8. I give my tips to the 13 yos for chores and babysitting while I'm at work (they are then responsible for their own clothing). While I am at work they are sleeping, then doing their school, then their chores. When I get home we go over their work and talk abou whatever they need help with.

I'd love to find something else for more money and less hours, but... wouldn't everyone?

[camibami]

I work 10-30 hours at Starbucks about a block away. I only work when DH is home, though. *Ideally* I would work 10-15 hours (to make enough to pay for gymnastics) but lately I have had 30+ hours, yikes!

Its hard sometimes, like tonight- kids were at a sleepover, but I worked until 11 and have to work at 7 am tomorow. I have very little free time, as we do school from 9-3, then I work at 5-6 until 10 or so. It helps a ton that I drink gallons of coffee (love coffee!), really enjoy the job, and it pays surprisingly well when tips are added in (we're a neighborhood store with regulars who tip *very* well.)

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

I am an RN. do agency work so I only pick up shfts when dh is home. dc have days off when I work or dh "subs"
ds8, ds6, dd4 (dd4 does 2 day a week preschool)
I also teach K at a private school 2 afternoons a week so my dc can have a few classes there

[Osaubi]

I would love to hear from anyone who works outside the home, while still homeschooling. For a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the staggering debt we need to pay off, I expect to soon be in that group.

I'd love to have these questions answered:

What work do you do?

Travel Agent

How many hours per week?
32hrs Fri-Mon 5p to 1am

How old are your kids?
6 and 3

What are your kids doing while you are at work?
My husband and I have worked out our schedules so I watch the kids while he is working and he watches the kids while I work.

x

[Hannah]

What work do you do?
I work in logistics - my team takes orders and makes sure that materials are despatched.

How many hours per week?
25 hours. 7h30 to 12h30. Mo. to Fri.

How old are your kids?
8 and 4

What are your kids doing while you are at work?
I employ a childminder to look after my 8yo dd. She teaches her according to the schedule I set. Our final school term starts tomorrow (our year starts in Jan) and we're going to start with a loop schedule, so will see how that goes. When I get home we go over the work done in the morning. I teach math and some history.

My 4yo dd goes to a small playgroup with a fantastic teacher 4 days a week and on Fridays stays with the childminder as well. She is then included with some 'school work' or plays on her own while her sister does a light schedule.

[emeraldjoy]

I am a social worker and work about 10 hours a week at an inpatient treatment facility fouced on women and their children, addiction, and mental illness.
I love my work!!! I see it as sort of my break at the end of a long week.
I work primarily in the evenings and weekends (depending on the shifts available) when my husband is home to watch the children.
They are 9, 7 and 2. When the new one is born I will take time off.
It is not a lot of income but enough to justify some of the extracurriculars the kids are part of of.
e

[JudyJudyJudy]

I'm not currently working outside the home and homeschooling, but I did for a while last school year (from December 3rd through the end of the school year).

What work do you do? I was teaching school (6th grade).

How many hours per week? I was working around 60 hours per week (sometimes more)--some at school and some at home. I was not in a typical situation. I was teaching all academic subjects (language arts, math, science, and social studies)--not self-contained, and I had to attend all department meetings, two team meetings, and grade meetings every week. Even the administration admitted that they had made a mistake in creating this position. The position had been created after the school year began because the sixth grade classes were overloaded. The administration hired a teacher who only lasted nine weeks, at which time I took over the classes.

How old are your kids? My son was 8 when I began and 9 when I stopped.

What are your kids doing while you are at work? My husband is self-employed, so my son stayed with him at home when he was working out of the home and went with him on assignments when he had to go out. I left work for him to do when possible, but there were times when it didn't work out for various reasons.

My situation didn't work well. My health isn't great anyway, and the stress, hours, and physical environment in which I was working made me worse. Then I broke my arm/elbow in February, so that only added to the existing issues. Due to all this plus the number of hours I was working, I didn't accomplish nearly all that I had planned for last year. We have finally caught up. I'm hoping to eventually work part-time, preferably from home.

[Arch At Home]

I am an architect. I work 25 plus hours a week, 5:00 - 7:00 am and 2:00 - 5:00 pm. I telecommute at least half of my hours. My kids are 5, 7, and 9 but I have done this since my first was a new born. My husband and I have our schedules such that one of us is always home with the kids. The kids primarilly homeschool in the mornings with me but he finishes up in the afternoons and does activities.

[theodwyn]

I'm an RN as well. I work 1 day a week while my mom takes the kids and gives them piano lessons. They do independent work the rest of the day. I also work some Saturdays.