Career ideas that would allow a long leave to raise a family?

[water2wine]

Looking for some ideas of careers that would allow a woman to take a break off to raise a family and then still be able to come back to return in the field afterward. I am looking for things that would allow long breaks and or be flexible if they wanted to work part time as well. In other words would not become out dated or would allow them to maintain minimally while raising a family. This is something I did not think about when choosing a career and want to find some better options for my daughters. Any ideas?

 

Thanks so much!:)

[Susan C.]

Looking for some ideas of careers that would allow a woman to take a break off to raise a family and then still be able to come back to return in the field afterward. I am looking for things that would allow long breaks and or be flexible if they wanted to work part time as well. In other words would not become out dated or would allow them to maintain minimally while raising a family. This is something I did not think about when choosing a career and want to find some better options for my daughters. Any ideas?

 

Thanks so much!:)

 

I have a 10th grade dd, and we have been having this conversation. So far, possibilities are: Personal Trainer, Dance Teacher, Aerobics Class Teacher, Nurse, Teacher, Dental or Orthodondist Assistant.

[Meg5]

There are so many job locations(hospital, Dr. office, hospice, home care, schools, etc), part-time, evening, night, weekend only shifts available. Very flexible. Actually lots of jobs in the medical field are. I was an x-ray tech. I didn't, but I could have kept my license active during the years I have been home. I could also have worked weekends only or a couple evening shifts a week. Megan

[ccm]

I have been a RDH for 33 years. It is a growing field and I have been in demand my entire career! I have worked all but one year while raising my four children. The pay is great (my current pay is $40/hr.) and most offices employ part-time, offering a flexible schedule. I love the staff, the modern office and the patients. It has been a very satisfying career. I am heading toward retirement now and have just mentored a new graduate to take my place.

[Angel]

I have been a RDH for 33 years. It is a growing field and I have been in demand my entire career! I have worked all but one year while raising my four children. The pay is great (my current pay is $40/hr.) and most offices employ part-time, offering a flexible schedule. I love the staff, the modern office and the patients. It has been a very satisfying career. I am heading toward retirement now and have just mentored a new graduate to take my place.

 

I had an acquaintance who was a dental hygienist. She went back to work after 9 or 10 years and made great money working a flexible schedule.

 

I just want to say that a teacher is not a great option. Not if they want to continue at the amount of pay that they hired in as. My cousin is a public school teacher with a Master's. She could not take a couple year leave of absence because she would be hired back as a bottom level teacher with bottom level pay. I suppose this could vary by school district.

 

I'm wondering if you could do this with cosmetology.

[Harriet Vane]

Editing and proofreading can easily be done part-time from home.

[Jenn in CA]

Piano teaching or other music lessons.

 

No certification required usually, can teach from home, whatever hours you want.

 

At $15-25 per half-hour lesson, that's a pretty good hourly wage.

[water2wine]

Thank you ladies. Those are some great ideas. I had also thought about law but not sure how flexible that would be as far as trying to go back to it. My oldest is science oriented so dental hygiene or nursing of some sort are definite possible for her. I have other daughters though that are not science oriented or at least one I am sure is not. So I really appreciate all kinds of options. I believe all my girls will do college on some level. But I want them all to be able to have the option of staying at home with their family while they have young children and also homeschooling hopefully.

 

Love to hear anymore ideas!:)

[KnitWit]

Physical/Occupational Therapy will allow for part time work, setting your own hours if you work *contract labor*. My sister does this. You could not *take a leave* though really. The medical field is always changing and you have to keep yourself educated and on top of it. My sister is always updating...but, she is rewarded with great pay for minimal hours and she is in high demand.

[Chris in VA]

Are they good with languages? Interpreting is always hot--Sign Language interpreters, Arabic languages, even Spanish--the courts are always looking for interpreters, as are community service boards/local gov't agencies. You can do it part time, too.

 

Nurses can work part time and are in high demand--I work for a NICU nurse who works at a hospital 2 nights a week, and makes enough to pay me well for babysitting for her.

[Sonshine]

I am an occupational therapist. I went back to work part time 1 1/2 years ago after a 17 1/2 year leave of absence, and in different specialty at that. My profession is in such demand that almost anyone with credentials can get a job. I had many children back to back and finally quit working even part time after child number 3. If I had had some family near by other than my husband to do child care I could have worked 1 day a week, even on a Saturday if needed. However my husband worked Monday through Saturday. If someone is interested in being a teacher or a health care professional I recommend being an OT to them - you have much better working conditions than a teacher for much better pay and more flexible hours, though not as flexible hours as a nurse. I had to do 30 hours of continuing ed every two years to keep my license (this varies by state), but did much of that long distance after the kids went to bed.

[Storm Bay]

Piano teaching or other music lessons.

 

No certification required usually, can teach from home, whatever hours you want.

 

At $15-25 per half-hour lesson, that's a pretty good hourly wage.

 

 

Right, but when you do go back to work you have to start from scratch with getting students. You don't usually get to jump in with all the students you need. Plus, it's hard to do this full time, so while the hourly wage for TEACHING is good, you're not getting paid for preparation, recitals or necessarily full time. (I teach piano and like it when kids practise & parents enforce that.)

[FloridaLisa]

Thank you ladies. Those are some great ideas. I had also thought about law but not sure how flexible that would be as far as trying to go back to it.

I went into law with the goal to have a part-time practice after I had children. I did work part-time and then flex-time after having my first three. (I stopped altogether after my fourth was born.) Law is great because it doesn't change rapidly like medicine. I was in litigation which is very difficult to do part-time, but a transactional practice (real property, wills/estates) is much more conducive to part-time. I also think court reporting makes a great career; much less education required and good pay last I checked.

 

HTH,

Lisa

[StephanieZ]

Veterinarian -- so long as you can do it w/o huge debt (that is an issue for many careers. . .)

 

Veterinarians can fairly easily take 2-3 years totally off and come back to work without much of a hassle. They can also take long/permanent PT positions fairly easily. My dh's PT vet associate took 2 years totally off after her first child, then accepted a job with dh working Mondays only. One 8 hour day only. Her choice. Seems to work well for her, and she's still a great vet. . . and gets paid pretty great for one day a week! (Her hourly rate is comparable to what she'd get FT.)

 

With professional degrees (dentist, doctor, vet, etc.), you do have to think about debt burden coming out of school and also about liability insurance issues. Human doctors really, really, have a tough time taking any breaks or going PT b/c of the HUGE insurance premiums. . . and they have to have insurance coverage through any breaks ("tail insurance") that can cost several tens of thousands of dollars per year. . . (to much, much more while they are in practice). . . Vet med doesn't have those issues (yet) as vet liability insurance is still very cheap (under $500/yr)

 

HTH

[Storm Bay]

With professional degrees (dentist, doctor, vet, etc.), you do have to think about debt burden coming out of school and also about liability insurance issues. Human doctors really, really, have a tough time taking any breaks or going PT b/c of the HUGE insurance premiums. . . and they have to have insurance coverage through any breaks ("tail insurance") that can cost several tens of thousands of dollars per year. . . (to much, much more while they are in practice). . . Vet med doesn't have those issues (yet) as vet liability insurance is still very cheap (under $500/yr)

 

HTH

 

 

If you live in Canada, however, you may be able to practice medicine part time. My sister does it. She works 3 days per week. She's been a doctor for nearly 20 years, but she hasn't worked full time since she had her first child. At first she split a practice with another mom The debt load is smaller (you'd have to check for what it's like now, but I'm sure it's still less for residents than it is in the States) and, thanks to caps on lawsuits and the fact that it's illegal for lawyers to make certain types of ads, means that malpractise insurance is a lot cheaper. She did call until she had her third dc, and then went permanent locum (locum is short for a Latin phrase I've forgotten that means you're a replacement). She no longer delivers babies last I knew. I'm not sure what she'll do when her kids have all grown up, but she wanted to be there for them after school (her kids go to ps.)

[Sue G in PA]

I do remember my therapist once saying that she took quite a few years off after the birth of each of her children and didn't have a problem returning. I don't know the requirement for continuing education, etc. in that field, but there certainly is a need for good counselors/therapists out there and always will be!

 

Also wanted to add that any skill that could be conducive to work-at-home is a wise choice. I have been considering the same things for my dd13. While I do hope she will marry early (not too early, mind you!) and have a family and want to be a stay-at-home mom...I realize that our best laid plans do not always work out! AND it may not be God's plan for her! Good thread!

[Cinder]

I know a woman who is a pharmacist. She works one weekend a month to maintain her credentials.

 

 

Cinder