Want to Interview Stay-At-Home Parent

[CatamaranSailor]

I am taking a class through E.L.I. (https://elimindset.com/) and I'd like to interview stay-at-home parents who had careers prior to kids. Part of the class is identifying problems and I believe that as a country we are wasting a huge pool of talent...educated folks who want to stay home with their kids AND still want to work part time. Most stay at home parents I know would like to bring in some type of income but end up doing work for far less than they are worth so as to have the flexible kid friendly schedule. No invasive or personal questions....just curious about the challenges with a) finding work that fits b) benefits and health insurance c) solutions you've found.

We could do it by phone or email. If you're interested, send me a PM.

Thanks!!

[catccc]

I left my career to be a SAHP for a while.  (i'll send a PM)

I also have a hang up with this assertion: "wasting a huge pool of talent...educated folks who want to stay home with their kids."  So I kind of would like to address that.  Especially in this forum, where someone with that line of thinking might say something like "early retirement is wasting a huge pool of talent... educated folks who want to save up enough to quit working altogether."

[boarder42]

I left my career to be a SAHP for a while.  (i'll send a PM)

I also have a hang up with this assertion: "wasting a huge pool of talent...educated folks who want to stay home with their kids."  So I kind of would like to address that.  Especially in this forum, where someone with that line of thinking might say something like "early retirement is wasting a huge pool of talent... educated folks who want to save up enough to quit working altogether."

yeah thats exactly what this forum is about working towards to some extent.  and the demo here tends to be highly educated engineers who could be building a better widget to cure cancer but instead we're banking our money and going to exit the labor force earlier than normal... now that being said as an engineer i'll likely still dabble in random things once i own all my time and that could equate to the next big invention that changes the world like the internet or the steam engine

[CatamaranSailor]

I left my career to be a SAHP for a while.  (i'll send a PM)

I also have a hang up with this assertion: "wasting a huge pool of talent...educated folks who want to stay home with their kids."  So I kind of would like to address that.  Especially in this forum, where someone with that line of thinking might say something like "early retirement is wasting a huge pool of talent... educated folks who want to save up enough to quit working altogether."

I guess I need to clarify that statement. I'm not talking about parents who make the choice to just stay home with kids. If the choice is to be a stay at home parent and nothing else, that's great. What I'm talking about are people who still want to bring in an income and could be a great source of help, but simply are not given the chance because they can't be in the office 40+ hours a week. When I say wasting talent, I'm talking about people who want to work (part time, flexible schedule, most likely remotely) but struggle to find something that fits.

[Mazzinator]

I'm an architect, graduated in 2001 with masters degree, and worked from 2002-2009 when i quit work to have kids. I was temp working two jobs when i quit (my second job was teaching adjunct online) I did this to transition into part time and to bring in an income (my husband is active duty army, so teaching online was perfect because we move a lot)

I was let go from teaching a yr later (they said low enrollment) and i haven't work since. I would love to work part time, but it's not common in my field. I've decided to try and become a substitute teacher this fall even though i really have no desire to teach (or be around kids, lol) but i haven't found another job that's flexible like sub teaching. No contracts, work if want, don't work if you don't want to, easy to take days off if my kids get sick, low commital. I don't need health insurance and at this point money is money no matter how little i'll be paid (compared to full time architecture work) but sub teaching is low stress too.

Hope this helps.

[WaffleIronMaiden]

I'm currently a SAHP who also left a career in architecture. I would like to work part time but that industry hasn't really caught up to the flexibility of others. Plus, I live in a HCOL area and wouldn't get paid enough to make it worth it once you deduct the insane cost of child care out here.

[Carrie]

Another architect here. I left full time in late 2006. I work a very little bit, 5-10 hours per week from home for a small local firm. I do it just to keep my foot in the door, in case I decide to work more once my 2yo is in school.
I'm really more of a SAHM,  who draws/designs as a hobby.  I've often thought of quitting altogether,  but I'm too good and enjoy it too much (but don't love it enough to work 60 hours a week for peanuts).

[Mrs. S]

Oh man aren't us architects doomed!!

I don't need health insurance and at this point money is money no matter how little i'll be paid (compared to full time architecture work) but sub teaching is low stress too.

Have you looked into working online? Money is not great but it still lets you work in the field and remain connected as a freelancer. Most of the jobs out there are drafting jobs and the likes of ArcBazaar have cropped up over time. Don't fret about being undercut by other nationals, you really don't want to work for 50c and hour. I live in India and I quote what most have told me are pretty high rates.

Don't have kids but wanted to chime in about Architecture.

[tardis]

How has this become an architect thread?!  No kids here, but I too wish architecture had more part time possibilities.  I know in Canada the RAIC has tried to increase the number of women in the field, especially licences practitioners, and I'm guessing the combination of children and long hours with next to no part time positions probably has a lot to do with it.

[catccc]

Okay, I see the edit in your original post - so this is less about SAHP v. career, and more about those who want to do both.

I already answered your survey, but I want to add some other thoughts.  I think being a SAHP to an infant is really different from being a SAHP to a preschooler or kindergartener.  IDK about others, but I felt that caring for an infant was basically a full time job- there was no time for a part time job, at least no more time than one with another full time job would have.  Of course, a lot of this was based on parenting choices- 100% breastfeeding (no pumping), ECing, cloth diapering, no pacifying baby gear (swings, etc).  Preschoolers- if they are in school part time, than part time work becomes more of an option.

I definitely think flexible schedules, job sharing, telecommuting, part-time work, etc. are not utilized well in most work places.  I agree it is a waste of resources that employers don't take advantage of SAHP that would do great work because they can't be in a seat M-F, 8-5.

I think there are some industries that are more open to this kind of flexibility.  I work in accounting, and when I was in public, I knew several parents that worked part time on the tax side.  Much easier to do on the tax side than the audit side, I think.  And there are several local/regional firms that specialize in providing outsourced accounting professionals- not contract work, but you are an employee of a firm that, say, specializes in controller services for mid-size non-profits.  From what I hear, the pay is comparable (on a hourly basis) to full time opportunities.

I also have a friend that is an auto-cad tech, I think she works for an architecture firm, and it's a small organization.  They are really flexible with her.  She is a SAHP with options to work part time.  I wish more organizations were like hers!

[Cassie]

I find it sad that more options are not available to parents because p.t. professional work can be the best of both worlds.

[boarder42]

I find it sad that more options are not available to parents because p.t. professional work can be the best of both worlds.

yeah its my goal to go to 4 day weeks when we have our first kid.  i feel like its frowned upon here but people do it.  32 hour weeks mon-thursday, i may do tuesday- friday though.  have to talk to my manager.

[ltt]

I'm a SAHM who left the working world many years ago (accounting area), hold an MBA, and have some desire to work very part-time, very flexible.  I think the thing that holds me back is because raising children, running errands, doing yard work, banking and investing, cooking, volunteer work, cleaning, laundry, and every other thing that needs to be handled in a home, etc. is a full-time job....just don't make that much.  :)  Even though we have four kids ages 11-18, it doesn't slow down just because children get older.  Ten hours a week would be the maximum that I would probably be willing to give; we make some, not a lot, passive income which basically "pays" me.  If I ever found something that fit, I would strongly consider it.     

[sjc0816]

I left a sales career 10 years ago to SAH. I have a bachelor's degree and spend a lot of time volunteering. My kids are in 5th and 2nd grade. There's a lot I miss about working but 40+ hours a week isn't ever going to happen. I'm lucky that my dad owns a fairly large corporation and gives me contract work whenever he has it that allows for flexibility with my schedule. The reality is that it only ends up being about 5-10 hours per week (and inconsistent at that). My perfect scenario would be 20 hours per week during the school year and 10 per week during the summer. But I take whatever I can get. I LOVE dedicating my time to my family and community....so definitely not complaining.

[Carrie]

I agree with a pp, I'm too busy cooking, yard work, child rearing, household chores & hobbies, to really miss work or to want to ever work more than 20 hours per week.  I really love having my days free to do gardening on a beautiful day, or meal planning / cooking without stress, or just reading all day.  The only reason I might increase my hours would be to add buffer to our ER plans  (and maybe to build a cash cushion to build our dream home).

My ideal would be in the office 1 day per week (for meetings & adult interaction), thdn at home for 5 hours 2x week. (Making that 18-20 hrs per week.)  Right now I work 1-3 hours per day from home with my kids underfoot (they're good at independent play, video games. .... curious george, etc). 

[KS]

I'd be open to doing this via pm if I'm a fit for what you're looking for. I actually did get super lucky and my employer worked with me to keep me on board for the days I was willing/able to come in, and I stay at home with baby the rest of the time. (Score!) But that's really unusual in my industry as well, and I had assumed I'd have to quit for a while if I wanted more time with her. Totally agree that employers might be missing out on great talent by not allowing it, I know lots of others in my field who have struggled with the same decision.

[Kaydedid]

Pm sent.

I'm currently SAH with our young son, hoping to get back into engineering when he goes to school.  Flexible scheduling, including part-time work, would be wonderful, but is hard to find in my field.

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