Being a working parent is a busy lifestyle, and if you’re single, it calls for organization that will give any executive assistant a run for their money! Given the demands of raising children, many single parents decide to pursue part time work in order to spend more time with their little ones. Unfortunately, in Australia, stimulating, long term employment with part time hours can be difficult to come by, especially if you’re a mother with professional qualifications. Read below for the top 3 jobs that you may wish to consider if you’re a single mother or a mother with fewer child care options.
Childcare
To work in this sector in Victoria, you’re required to successfully complete, at a minimum, a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and have a number of other criteria met such as a Working With Children Check. You may wish to begin by researching online for providers that deliver child care courses in Geelong, Melbourne or where ever you’re based in Victoria. Once you complete your qualifications, you could run a family day care out of your home. For parents of younger children, in particular, this can be a good option as you are being ‘paid’ to look after your own child as well as a few others. Other graduates will work in early learning centers, preschools or kindergartens or even become private nannies or ongoing baby sitters for a few families. This is an industry that will allow you to set your own hours depending on the type of childcare you are delivering.
Fitness instruction
Once you complete training, you’ll need to either find a job out of a fitness facility or go into business for yourself, probably as a sole trader. If indeed you learn how to become a personal trainer and you take on clients for yourself, you’ll have a lot more flexibility in the hours that your work. Other styles of fitness will vary depending on the type of place you’re working out of. For this reason, apply to work at places that already operate, or are busiest, at times that you’ll be able to work.
As a parent, you have a head start on many other fitness graduates without children if you train mothers who are returning to exercise after giving birth. In fact, you may decide to set up your own Mum and Bubs fitness class in your local area. In comparison to a number of fitness classes available across Victoria, this variety is currently vastly under catered for, and therefore, a great business opportunity that you can once again bring your child along to!
Freelancing
Consider taking on outsourced work by capitalizing on existing skills while working from home. Freelancing sites such as Freelancer, Upwork or Toptal are all platforms where you can set a profile and bid on jobs that you can complete in the comfort of your pajamas! It can take a little while to build up a portfolio but is well worth it to be able to work when you want, and from wherever you want.
