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[Guest]

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Edited June 20, 2016 by Guest

[bettyandbob]

How old are your dc?

 

Are you willing to do evenings and weekends?

 

I had to go back to work. My first job was at a recreation facility. I was able to get hours different from dh's work and get a discount on programming for dc. It was helpful for extras. My second job(kept the first) I worked two days a week teaching at an alternative school. One of those days, I sent one of my dc to a friends in exchange for teaching the friend science another day. The other day was partially covered by grandma and attending French tutoring (something we were unwilling to give up). The tutor was near grandma.

 

So, that's how I coordinated making sure dc were supervised. It meant I was crunching actual teaching of dc way down. It meant my dd was lonely. It meant we did have a fun relaxed approach with cool projects. We did get serious academics done.i ended up having to enroll them in school after a couple years of this schedule. If it had looked like I was going to be able to quit working I'd would have kept it up a little longer and then plen extra stuff for the kids when I got to quit.

[regentrude]

How easy or hard it is depends on children's ages.

Kids were 5th and 6th grade when I started homeschooling; I always worked 20+ hours. We could bring our kids to work, and did soon the my long days, and sometimes they worked at home for a few hours while I was at work.

It will be harder with younger kids who need constant supervision and will be a distraction in the work place. Childcare is the bigger issue than the actual schooling which at younger ages only takes little time.

[Closeacademy]

I found a part-time job that was willing to let me tell them when I could work so I was able to work my schedule around homeschooling but I only work 10-15 hours a week.  The first couple of years were very stressful and I let a lot of things go but now I'm back to cooking regular meals and everything is going well housecleaning wise again.  The first couple of years they were too young to stay home so my mom helped when my husband wasn't home in the evenings.  Now they can stay home by themselves for a couple of hours while I work.

[Wheres Toto]

When I first had to go back to work, my mother watched them during the day and they did Time4Learning for school.  It wasn't ideal but they did continue to make progress.

 

When we realized I was going to stay working (I started as a temp then went permanent), we hired a private teacher who is with them all day and does school with them.  We were able to go back to more traditional curriculum like we had used when I was home, she takes them to activities and classes.  It has been wonderful for my kids but I think we were extremely lucky in finding the teacher we have.  She is amazing with the kids.

 

Having a private teacher do the homeschooling is legal in NJ.  I don't think a similar arrangement is legal everywhere.

[kroe1]

I work nights, hubby works days. End of story.

[AmandaVT]

I work 30 or so hrs a week. Luckily it's mostly from home. I go into the office 1 day a week normally and I can make my own hours. So I usually work 4 hrs a day during days DH works and 6-7 hrs on days he has off. 2 during DS's quiet time and 2 after he goes to bed typically. 

[abba12]

I work part time, and husband works part time, so we trade off. I do evenings, and one day a week when he is home, he does three days a week. This is with three little ones though. I think I could juggle it with him working full time once they got older.

 

It's a matter of being organized I think, figuring out how the times work and being efficient. 

[LucyStoner]

How many hours a week do you intend to work and how old are the kids?

[TrixieB]

I outsource as many classes as possible (middle school & high school age kids).  The kids have to be self-monitoring and motivated to get their work done when I'm not home to oversee.  One of my kids is pretty good with this; the other, not so much.

[Slojo]

Very carefully - and sometimes with the use of power tools ;-). It's a constant balancing act -- I do somewhat think you need to have a temperament for it (and kind of like a busy schedule or the variety of doing very different things over the course of one day) and have lots of supports. So my supports/"power tools" -- a reduced schedule (only at 75% time), I work almost exclusively from home as the home office is in another city and state, somewhat flexible babysitting (my sister does up to 20 hours a week - we have some set hours and some "can I drop them off hours"; my husband and I stagger some; the older two kids are at the point where they can handle 1 - 2 hours here and there managing themselves/playing mother's helper to the 3 year old while I'm in the basement home office on days when I really need the extra time, scheduling some of our learning blocks on the weekend, going nearly year round (we take a month off officially), outsourcing some classes, planning other school breaks around "crunch times" or necessary travel for work rather than traditional breaks (we do take Christmas off - but really only about a week rather than the traditional two), and being really clear about when I'm "at work" and when I'm homeschooling... oh, and a fancy smartphone to help me keep track of multiple schedules and commitments.

 

What's stressful is that sometimes the commitments conflict, and I have to choose which one I'm going to do (or do better that day). Sometimes, I end our morning homeschooling session with 5 minutes to transition to work to negotiate an agreement with a client, or collect my thoughts on my top recommendations for a policy paper. I've had to occasionally conduct a phone meeting sitting in my van as opposed to the comfort of the office while waiting for a kid to finish a class, etc... Some weeks it works beautifully, others are more stressful. I probably have less elasticity in my schedule for "curveballs" -- if the car needs to be taken to the shop, that's fairly stressful (finding the time to get it taken care of, and possibly needing to reschedule or rethink our homeschooling day since outside classes and being out and about in the community is a big part of my kids' education). My house is not a priority (though I've been trying to stick with a schedule for the very little time I do allot to it) -- and honestly, my MIL is quite judgmental about my "homemaking skills" and it's a source of conflict between us (she doesn't get why I don't want to make a "pretty home" a priority, and I've had to tell her on more than one occasion that "Let's just have one 'lady of the house' -- even if that house is more cluttered than you'd like and the kids are as equally likely to get their clothes for the day out of the laundry basket of clothes that hasn't been folded yet as they are to get them out of a drawer). 

 

The only other thing that is "stressful" (not really stressful, but I don't have the exact word) is finding my "posse" -- people who get me. I'm in a career that can attract very career-focused people who don't get why people don't just want to eat, sleep and drink the job -- people sometimes work crazy hours in my profession and there is definitely a "careerist" bent/pressure -- what's the next thing you want to do/what's your ambition. I actually just had a conversation with my boss about the "ambition" question. She stated that "you manage to get the job done even though 'ambition' doesn't motivate you like it does others."  I like what I do and all (and grateful for the relatively high salary and professional autonomy), but I'm just not that into it as a core identity/measure of self-worth that can sometimes accompany "careers where people spent a lot of time in school to do this kind of work."  I also don't fit in with the SAHM/homeschooling SAHM set -- I am usually not able to be as spontaneous to "meet at the park." I need three days notice to make park day happen, usually can't respond to same day "inspirations" to get the kids together or immediately reciprocate with babysitting (though I work very hard to be available to be part of people's support networks). So I can sometimes be approached as an oddity from both sides -- people not sure what to make of me. 

 

On the other hand, when I get stressed, I actually don't think the particular variables of my life add up to being more stressful than many of my closest peers. One of my best friends is a high flying exec friend who leaves her family every week for anywhere from 2 - 4 days and does the whole private school plus nanny thing to make it work. Another friend just launched her own business with two children under the age of 5, and starts her day at 4:30am and goes until 10 at night before resting for the night to go at it again. Another is a principal in the highly political New York City public schools. THEY make me tired. 

[Chris in VA]

I worked very part time during our last year of homeschooling. Dd came with me--I babysat a darling, easy, sweet little girl. We went to her house, and it was usually for a good 8-10 hours. Dh could pick dd up at dinner time--and it was only once a week, or twice at the most.

 

It was ok, but a little hard on dd.

 

Do what you have to. Hire someone, school at odd hours, trade off with your SO, trade something for child care, do online learning for some of it--whatever.

 

It really does depend on how old your kids are.

 

Personally, I would now LOVE to help a homeschooling, working mom by homeschooling/babysitting for her!!

[purplejackmama]

I was an event planner before I had l kids, so when the bottom busted on our finances I went back to doing that. It's really the perfect fit for a SAHM because typically events, weddings, etc are on the weekend. I couldn't afford to pay childcare out of my earnings so this avoided that.

 

I turned down events if I was busy but honestly we needed the income so badly, that was rare.

 

I will say that I missed some important family stuff. But you do what you got to do.

 

Good luck :)

[Guest]

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Edited June 20, 2016 by Guest

[Reefgazer]

I work nights/weekends and school during the day.  DH takes care of the kids at night.  Now that the kids are getting a bit older, they can stay alone for a few hours per day if I have a class I can pick up then.

[littlebug42]

I have always worked while homeschooling.  When the girls were younger, I did medical transcription from home but I worked nights after they went to sleep.  A few years ago, I transitioned to working every weekend and I was off during the week.  This was easier on homeschooling but not good for my marriage or my family life because we just never got to spend any time together.  Since November, I have been working full time, third shift and it is hard.  I am sleep deprived almost all of the time but the sacrifices are worth it.  I am getting ready to hire someone to come in and help a few hours a week with the housework though.  My children are almost 14 and 12 and we had a long discussion that if this is our new reality and if they want to remain homeschooled, they will have to do a certain amount independently and dh is going to help some with math, etc.  If we can't make it work, I will have to reassess our schooling options but this is how it will be for now.  

 

Working has always been hard but it seems to be the hardest on me.  I am so sleep deprived and running on fumes most of the time.  I know it isn't doing great things for my body either.  However, I just keep telling myself that it is only for 6 more years and both girls will be done and gone.  I can do what I have to do for 6 years.  It seems like such a short time in the scheme of things.  Then, I can move into something with more normal hours to mimic what dh works. 

[shage]

I work 20-25 hours, some from home.  Dh works full time.  I have most of the homeschool responsibility/oversight for our 5 because of scheduling.  Kids help out a lot in terms of chores (cooking, cleaning, errands) not out of any kind of parenting philosophy but because of need. (I stay away from online parenting discussions regarding chores because it all feels like mental masturbation when help from the kids is a necessity not a luxury.) 

It is doable but not always fun.  We are hoping our schedules ease up in the next year.  The reason for my working is less to do with current financial need than health issues of my husband and the possibility I may need to be the primary wage earner in the not too distant future. 

 

Fortunately I have a career which I really enjoy.  I can't stress enough that challenges of balancing homeschool/home life with work are easier to keep in perspective if the job is a good fit. 

 

Best wishes.

 

[ssexton]

I work three days a week in an office and have another very-part time job on the side that I do from home. We homeschool three kids who are 16, 14, and 10. All three kids and I attend a tutorial (two days for one kid, one day for the others) for both the academics and social outlet. The teenagers have mostly outsourced classes--some at tutorial, others are online. They are home with the 10 year old two days a week, and my mom keeps him the third day.  Here's how we make it work:

 

1. Great outsourced classes and mostly dependable kids.

 

2. Support system.  We carpool with the other moms at tutorial to make it to get-togethers and school events. I always offer to drive whenever it's physically possible--I don't want to take advantage in any way. My mom and dad are local and retired, and they also help with transportation. Our 16 year old just got his license, but he doesn't yet have a car. Hopefully next year he'll be driving more.

 

3. The teenagers are available for the 10 year old, but he's easy, so they don't really feel like they are babysitting. The 10 year old does one or two distance classes (BJU) and we do some school together before I leave for work at 9:00.  He's getting more and more independent with his school work, so that helps. We all share house chores, and I assign a job (i.e. vacuum or dust, etc.) to each kid during the day. If they don't complete the chores and school work, we don't do any scheduled activities that evening.

 

4. We have somewhat lowered expectations on housework. I'm working hard to de-clutter so that clean up is easy. I use the crockpot a couple of times a week. My husband does a lot of laundry. 

 

5. The kids genuinely want to homeschool. They were offered the chance to attend our local (reasonably good) schools, but they prefer homeschooling. They are motivated to make it work.

 

Good luck to you!

[BlsdMama]

I'm working for the first time in 14 years. What will your schedule look like?

[BlsdMama]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I will need to put in at least 20 hrs/wk, but my kids are getting older and becoming more independent so I'm hoping it will all work out. :)

Is it a skilled job you'll be doing or just anything you find?

[Guest]

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Edited July 11, 2016 by Guest

[Stratford]

I work weekend nights (RN, 12 hour shifts) and am home during the week.  DH has a "normal" 9-5 kind of job.  By alternating our schedules, it's worked out okay.  I like that we've never had daycare/childcare issues and I am available for weekday activities with the kids.  The boys love having "Dad time" on the weekends, and DH has gotten better about planning things to do with them.  I hate giving up weekend time at home as we rarely get to spend time all together as a family.  Thankfully, I like my job.  For a while we had biweekly housekeeping help, but that stopped a couple of years ago when I took a new position with a pay cut.  I could honestly use the help but we manage without it.  My parents live nearby and are available when I am in a pinch.  

[BlsdMama]

Really just anything I can find that will fit well with the HS schedule.

I do two things on the side. One is tutor which is obviously while my kiddos are awake, but the other is office cleaning and is much more flexible if that's helpful. The pay is not great but if you don't have a specific skilled plan then the flexibility might be attractive to you.

[journey00]

I work full time as an office manager for my family business. To those who have posted: what curriculum do you use? I'm assuming it's not teacher intensive. TIA.

[AK_Mom4]

I have worked from home since DD-14 was born. I am fortunate to have a career that can be done outside the standard office.

 

Dd14 ( and DS19 before her) work while I'm working - either at the desk next to me or at the kitchen table behind where I sit. If I'm on a conference call, she waits until I'm done and works on other things.

 

We have NEVER used teacher-intensive materials. In fact, if there was a separate teacher guide, I didn't buy it unless it was just for looking up answers. I spend 30 minutes at the beginning of the day going over new material and all the assignments for the week at written out in her planner. I mostly pull together her subjects using WTM as a guide. Using literature-based history and keeping history synced with English has helped simplify the work.

 

It is tough- I had to start the reading about a month before she starts school in order to stay ahead in all her subjects since I don't have time to read during the work day. For math, now that we are getting up there, I try to stay a couple of weeks ahead of her and I work out all the problems in the assignments in advance myself. I'm usually the one with homework on the weekends!

[rwilk]

I work part-time 12-20 hours a week. My husband works full time, but his schedule is usually fairly flexible. Our situation is both a little easier and a little trickier because of DD's age---it's not like school really counts at this age, but she does need fairly constant supervision.  We typically do about an hour of school, 6 days a week.  I do planning intensively 1 day a week (about 1 hour) in addition to a monthly deep plan (2-5 hours).  I track her activities/progress daily. 

 

I have 2 part-time jobs that work fairly well in our situation. The first is teaching an online class.  I work about 4 hours a night, 3-5 nights a week.  I don't teach audibly---I run a Q/A chat. I can typically do a small amount of planning while working this job. I also do some writing of legal policies for companies, and legal blog articles. This work is time-flexible (with deadlines), but I can't really do anything else while writing. 

 

Our days usually look like this:

7am Awake

7-9 breakfast/wash up/dressed/ease into the day

9-10 school stuff 

10-12 outside classes/park days/library trips

12-1 lunch

1-3 afternoon quiet

3-4 play with other kids in the building

4-8  I work; she's with her dad.  Dinner, sometimes a second playground trip, phone calls to family, play games.  

8  bedtime

 

Sometimes I also work early in the morning---from 6-8 or so.  I expect her to entertain herself quietly when this happens, but it's not often. 

 

All my work is at home so that helps too. Unfortunately, I typically cannot schedule my work around her afternoon quiet time. That would be amazing, and probably make things go even smoother.

 

Our curriculum is fairly teacher intensive.  Logic of English Foundations B, MEP math, Mathematical Reasoning, Moving Beyond the Page, and additional science experiments all require one-on-one attention and focus. 

 

We've had this schedule for about a year or so and it generally works well for us. We were able to finish Math Reasoning Beginning 1 and 2, LOE A, and MEP reception last year. 

 

Good luck! 

[KungFuPanda]

I only work 10-15 hours per week. Most of that time is spent teaching small or private dance classes in my home studio. My kids are teens, so my biggest obstacle is managing a decent dinner on class nights and trying not to stay up to late to unwind after class.

[Guest]

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Edited July 11, 2016 by Guest

[NatashainDFW]

I work 30-40 hours a week. I don't go in before 4 and I am off no later than 1am. My husband works part time but he is home no later than 8:30 each night. When our shifts overlap I have a babysitter come over. We start school no later than 9am so that we are done with everything no later than 3. That includes 3 breaks scattered throughout. My 5th grader sometimes has work he must complete once I have left for work. We have to be very strict with our time. I only schedule 4 days of full school a week. Our fifth day allows for make-up of content work if something happens. It helps that I got the job because I am friends with the general manager so she understands my schedule needs.