Job ideas for a stay at home mom of 23 years?

[lisabees]

I need a job. :)  And I need a job that will provide health insurance.  I have been a stay at home for 23 years and don't know where to begin.  My degree is in education - I can sub for a while, so that's good.  But, it is very difficult to find a contract position around here.  

 

Any ideas?!  

[Chris in VA]

Do you want fulltime?

Many daycares now offer full benefits--401K, insurance, paid leave, etc.

[Chelle in MO]

A friend of mine just got a job at Bath and Body Works as an assistant manager.  Full insurance from the first day.  She had been a stay-at-home mom who subbed at the kids' schools.

[Beth in OH]

I work with employers all the time and am constantly looking at job openings on behalf of our clients.  Would you mind answering a few more questions?

 

• Do you want FT or PT (benefits will probably require at least 32 hrs. per week).
• Do you need the job immediately or do you have flexibility to acquire some new skills?
• Is your main concern access to health insurance or do you also need to make a lot of money?
• Are you looking to create a new career or do you simply need a job that provides benefits?
• What is your shift availability?
• What size community do you live in? What industries are the major employers? 

Answers to these questions will help us think out of the box, but within your range of possibility.

 

[Jane in NC]

As a stay at home mom, did you cultivate some skills that you can highlight on a resume? For example, did you do any volunteer work at non-profits? Your organizational skills for a co-op or academic team might be something to add to your resume--or lead to contacts that could be useful when applying for jobs.

 

Good luck!

[LucyStoner]

If you need insurance and not especially high pay, Starbucks is a pretty decent option.

[QueenCat]

Can you get certified to teach, since your degree is in education?

[lisabees]

Thanks all.  Yes, I have my certification in k-12, but it is not current.  I will have to research what I need to update it.  I am allowed to sub, though.

 

Jane, I volunteered for 8 years at a local non-profit and was VP on the Board of Directors for two.  I was actually being groomed to be director, but personal events changed my ability to stay there.  If I had a dream, it would be to work for a non-profit.  

 

Great news about Bath and Body and Starbucks.  I never would have considered them!  I always loved retail as a teen/young adult.  

 

Thanks so much for the great ideas!

 

 

[lisabees]

I work with employers all the time and am constantly looking at job openings on behalf of our clients.  Would you mind answering a few more questions?

 

• Do you want FT or PT (benefits will probably require at least 32 hrs. per week).  I would need at least 32 hours a week.  I need to be able to support myself.
• Do you need the job immediately or do you have flexibility to acquire some new skills?  I may have a little time to acquire new skills.  I would need to start a job in the next two months.
• Is your main concern access to health insurance or do you also need to make a lot of money?  I also need to make a lot of money.  The health insurance depends on how long I would be covered under my husband's insurance (how long divorce takes).
• Are you looking to create a new career or do you simply need a job that provides benefits?  Can I have it all?  If I could, I would like to have a new career.  I love nonprofit work, but that provides little money.
• What is your shift availability?  School hours, if the job is outside of the home.  Are there any options I can do at home?
• What size community do you live in? What industries are the major employers?  Small community; many work in pharmaceuticals - Merck etc.  I think ebay may be around here somewhere.

Answers to these questions will help us think out of the box, but within your range of possibility.

  

Thank you, Beth, for the questions!  It made me think a bit deeper, as well!

[Dandelion]

Jane, I volunteered for 8 years at a local non-profit and was VP on the Board of Directors for two.  I was actually being groomed to be director, but personal events changed my ability to stay there.  If I had a dream, it would be to work for a non-profit.  

 

I get a weekly jobs listing emailed to me from the Nonprofit Times.  It provides nonprofit job listings by state.  Sounds like that's something you may be interested in.  You can sign up here: http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/jobs/

 

ETA: You can also post your resume on the site, as well as search for nonprofit jobs in your area.  They also have a lot of helpful articles for individuals seeking work in the nonprofit sector. 

[lisabees]

I get a weekly jobs listing emailed to me from the Nonprofit Times.  It provides nonprofit job listings by state.  Sounds like that's something you may be interested in.  You can sign up here: http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/jobs/

 

ETA: You can also post your resume on the site, as well as search for nonprofit jobs in your area.  They also have a lot of helpful articles for individuals seeking work in the nonprofit sector. 

 

Thank you for the heads up!  I signed up. 

[Beth in OH]

I think the most important training you can do having been out of the paid workforce for a time is in all of the Microsoft Office programs--especially Excel.  Employers worry about the technological savvy of their "mature" new workers, and Excel and Word are foundational to much of what goes on in the workplace today.  When I went back to work a couple of years ago, I generally knew how to use Excel, but I was surprised at how slow I was for awhile.  You will feel better not having to do that training on the job.   :001_smile:

 

As you can see from my signature, I also wanted to work in a non-profit.  You are right about non-profits like mine--no money, and no job security (grants and contracts come and go).  There are other non-profits that are much better funded.  Those large organizations that raise money for health concerns, such as The American Cancer Society, are more solid and could probably provide you with a liveable salary.  Given your time out of the workforce, you will have to work your way up.  (Firsthand experience with this!)

 

One career that pays well and serves non-profits is Development (fund-raising).  Since you are an educator, you are in a great position to teach potential donors about a cause you believe in and to bring them into the fold.  Management jobs in development pay very well.  I don't know about entry level, but there are a lot of organizations looking for experienced Development professionals.  If you can invest one year without much pay (around $12,000), look at the AmeriCorps VISTA website for resource developer positions.  VISTA does provide basic health benefits, and it will let you have a paid position to learn how to put "the ask" on people.  I was a VISTA for a year, and all of the VISTAs I knew landed jobs easily when their year of service was over.  I highly recommend the program both for recent graduates and parents returning to the workforce.  

 

One other company to add to the Starbucks line of thinking is The Container Store.  Great employee support.

 

I'll keep thinking!

[Pippen]

Thanks all.  Yes, I have my certification in k-12, but it is not current.  I will have to research what I need to update it.  I am allowed to sub, though.

 

Jane, I volunteered for 8 years at a local non-profit and was VP on the Board of Directors for two.  I was actually being groomed to be director, but personal events changed my ability to stay there.  If I had a dream, it would be to work for a non-profit.  

 

Great news about Bath and Body and Starbucks.  I never would have considered them!  I always loved retail as a teen/young adult.  

 

Thanks so much for the great ideas!

 

Getting back on in public school education after so many years away is next to impossible in my region. I don't know anyone except for math teachers and highly desired coaches who have been hired beyond age 40 since the economy collapsed a few years ago.  When I left teaching 20 years ago about half of the teachers they were hiring were experienced teachers--many of them moms returning to the workplace.

 

For everyone else, going the usual routes--keeping certifications current, coming highly recommended, significant volunteering experiences, updating technology skills, regular and/or long term subbing, and taking additional graduate level coursework-- isn't enough.  I've done all of those things and wish I'd had a realistic view of the job market when I was in the place you are.  I would have skipped all of that and focused my time, energies, and finances into an entirely different field.