Many new mothers experience a dilemma: they need to go back to work after their maternity leave ends, feel reluctant to leave their child in the care of someone else for lengthy periods of time, and want to avoid high child care costs. For these reasons, a part-time job becomes appealing for many working mothers.
However, many new moms don't know where to find a part-time job that will prove to be profitable. It often begins with talking to your employer to see if you can return to your current job on a part-time basis. In today's economy, many employers are agreeable to this as it allows them to save on insurance benefit costs and full-time salaries. In turn, it allows working mothers the ability to continue their career on a part-time basis, and have more time for parenting.
But what happens when your boss says, "No," for returning to work part time? In this case, new parents must seek other options.
Think Out of the Box. Many industries, such as the newspaper business, are hurting due to bad economic times or cutting back on employees due to changes in technology. If you worked in such an industry before becoming a mother, you may have to change your career goals and target part-time job efforts in other directions. For example, if you were a newspaper reporter, you may want to seek part-time work as a freelance writer, where you can work from home writing for websites.
Market Yourself. Identify your strong points and weaknesses so you can focus your part-time job search on things you do well. For example, if your career before having a baby was as an event planner who was drawn to bridal or wedding related events, market yourself in your home community as a wedding planner. You may be able to find a niche for yourself in a certain area that can prove to be very profitable.
Learn To Multitask. When you have a part-time job, you have a finite amount of time to get your work completed. The tendency for many working moms is to try to squeeze a full-time workload into a part-time work schedule. Instead of falling into this trap, try employing effective multi-tasking skills at the office. Eating your lunch while doing some mundane duty -- like proofing a memo for your boss -- can save time, and allow you to be more productive over the long haul.
Consider Working From Home. Many working moms feel if they don't leave the house for work, then they really aren't working. However, there are many profitable part-time jobs that can be completed from home, including launching your own business. Whether it’s cutting hair or doing personal income taxes, there are many jobs that you previously did for an employer that can now be completed on a part-time basis working from home.
Find High-Paying Work in Another Field. Although you're cutting down on work hours, you probably don't want to slash your pay in half. Simply put, in some careers it simply may not be profitable to work part-time, especially if your child care costs outweigh your paycheck. For this reason, part-time work in a completely unrelated field is sometimes the best option for moms. For example, if you were a school teacher before giving birth, and don't want to return to the classroom until your own children are ready for school, you may be able to find a profitable job as a restaurant manager or hostess at night, when you won't incur child care costs because your co-parent or spouse can be the caregiver in your absence.
