firstwivesworld - Wanted: A Family-Friendly Gig - Comments

Tremendously low paying

Karen Morath — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 06:21:48 -0500

Thanks for the support Randie. Only a fellow teacher could have the insight to describe teaching so well! I speak to my children on the theme you recommend and they 'get it'. Sometimes I wonder if that might be the greatest gift I can give them, however imperfect it seems.

From one teacher to another

Randie Thomas — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:14:01 -0500

Karen, Become a school teacher...then you have the same hours and days off as your children. )Isn't that how the saying goes???) Oh, wait you already do that don't you?? I did too. The problem with teaching jobs is that they are tremendously low paying and it is very hard to sustain a family on a single teacher salary, plus the job rarely ends when you leave the classroom and does involve your so called "holiday" time. (At least in the states.) I think the best you can do is be there for your children and teach them that 'just getting by' in exchange for a their mother's presence is much more valuable then all the things a high paying job (that would require a nanny) would provide any day!!! Randie

Wanted: A Family-Friendly Gig

Karen Morath — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:30:00 -0500

Australian school kids get more than 12 weeks of holiday every year, and as mother of three of them, I want to spend as much of that time with them as I can. They won't be school kids forever.

But there's a hitch — the small matter of making a living!

Wanted: A really well paid job providing at least enough money to house, feed, educate, clothe, and entertain three children (and meet some of my needs at least). Must have flexible hours to accommodate after school activities, dentist appointments, regular haircuts, and trips to the newsagents for project materials. Must be close to home as there is no time to commute when there is dinner to make and uniforms to launder and iron. Needs 12 weeks holiday every year — paid of course — as the above expenses don't go on holiday with you.

Let me know if you know of any openings. Meanwhile I compromise my ambitions and potential and work a number of jobs for a variety of reasons.

I run my own consultancy and this enables most of the above — except all of the flexibility and time off is unpaid. Consulting jobs are notorious for their ups and downs, and single income household can't handle that.

So I have a teaching job or two. Fortunately I love teaching because I also like the regular pay and the holidays.

I write a bit, some paid and some not. Please, when the international best seller I know is in me comes out, think of my kids and buy a copy.

I make my work fit my family as best I can. I think that's a mum thing though — not just a single mum thing.

How do other mums make work fit family?