Help old mate: transitioning to project-based work?

[LonerMatt]

Hey guys,

I'm curious about how I could possible transition from 9-5 FT work to project-based roles where I could work, say 7-9 months of the year on a project(s) and have longer stretches of time off between projects. Currently, this is a bit of a twinkle in my eye and this thread is the first piece of research I'm conducting.

Essentially I'm curious about:
- Whether or not it's realistic given my skill set/industry experience?
- What a reasonable number of years would be for me to increase my skills/experience/industry exposure so that I could do that type of work?
- What industries some roles/operate this way?
- Anyone have experience/advice/articles/direction?

For some context:
- I used to be a HS teacher (don't really want to do that again)
- I work in a University organising extra-curricular programs - working as a team member on a number of discreet projects
- I do not see myself ever retiring early but I'd like to choose a life with less work and reliance on income
- I want more free time in my life and am willing to make compromises for that
- I'd prefer having longer stretches off as opposed to working 4 days per week 48 weeks a year (which would be part time)

It may be that it's a bit too tricky to do this, it might be that I only have unattractive pathways open, or it might be that I need to do something like Project Management, or network well off the back of successful professional projects, or it might be starting my own business within the Education industry or it might be something else. Ideally, I think, I'd apply/pitch for work 7-9 months of the year, do well, save and then have 3-5 months of the year to myself but with no income.

Let me know your thoughts/ideas/advice/etc.

[deborah]

As you say, project management does have this type of work.

However, teaching also has this available pretty easily - a school friend started running camps for resilient training, and school classes would come to the camp for a week at a time to complete the program she’d developed. You don’t need to own the grounds yourself - she didn’t.

You could run “out of school” courses during the holidays or at weekends. I can think of several day classes you could easily develop and run - book binding, camera use... and if they were related to the senior curriculum, and run during the summer holidays, you might be swamped! There are plenty of TAFEs and other places (neighbourhood houses, community centres) that run short courses at night or on weekends when the teacher wants to run them.