Full Time Mum, Full Time Business Woman (Totally Doable)

It may come as a surprise to you, but the age of the “Great Pandemic” has not brought about the end of times and as lockdown restrictions begin to lift all over the world (certainly in the Northern Hemisphere), when all of the accounting gets done and we begin to repair the damage, we’re all going to have to face some hard and fast truths – and not all of them are going to be an easy reckoning.

But outside of the grim realities that many UK families are facing, a new face of economic renewal is starting to regenerate and uplift local economies.

This is your cue ladies, for the rise of the working Mum is changing the face of the labour force in Britain to the tune of £48 Billion – and it’s only set to get better.  Whilst Covid has harmed this upwards trend, as we head out into our “new normal” we are now presented with seemingly unending opportunities that will allow us to bring home the bacon and still be the C.E.O of the best company in the world:  “The Family INC.”  

UK Auditing firm PWC released this amazing report for the more financially astute among us.

Let’s start at the very beginning

Yes, it’s a good idea to have a vision of what you want to accomplish, but you also need to be realistic.  Rome wasn’t built in a day…but it was built so here are a few important questions to ask yourself that will help create a good starting base.

• How many children do you have and what are their ages?  If you have newborns or toddlers, that will have an impact on how much time you could realistically devote to working from home versus older teenagers who could potentially help shoulder some of the duties at home.
• Do an “audit” of your skillset.  Did you work before becoming a mum?  What skills have you picked up being a mum and how could these be put to use for financial gain?
• What type of college courses could you do at home or part-time to skill up towards taking a home-based job or starting a business you may have been thinking about for some time?
• What are your interests and passions and could these be woven into a home-based career or business?
• If you’re a single mum this may seem like an insurmountable challenge and it’s going to take some careful planning and hard work to get started but it’s so very possible.  Remember, that as a single mum you’re entitled to various forms of assistance from the government, so don’t be afraid to explore those options.  Use the resources available to you.

The internet is a treasure trove of resources, so don’t get stuck in that YouTube hole watching crazy cat videos and get busy researching data that could positively inspire you to action.

So let’s take a look at just some of the opportunities that you could exploit on your road to financial independence.

Ideal opportunities for full-time mums

Taking part in online surveys: (the legitimate ones).  If you have a few hours to spare daily there are legitimate ways you can make some extra money while taking time to ponder your future.  The great part about these is that you work when you can.  Opinionworld, Toluna and Pureprofile are all available in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Be a “virtual assistant”: increasingly a viable option for those mums who worked before becoming mums.  Just about any office work will have you equipped for this role.  Many small businesses can’t afford dedicated support staff and need services as diverse as data capturing, travel arrangements, diary management, telephone answering and messaging services, all of which can be done from home.  You can start a gig solo or work through an agency.

Write for online agencies or blogs:  If you have some skill in bringing words to life, then this is an ideal role for you.  There are so many ways that you can make this happen and an online search will begin pointing you in the right direction.  If you’re particularly skilled in this area, you could even manage content.  These days it’s all about “search engine optimisation” and “search algorithms” and if you find yourself able to manage the day to day running of websites but may need some help with the technical work, you can always contact an SEO agency to help you out.

Shopping. (Yes really).  Mystery shopping to be precise.  This is a great way for full-time mums to earn a little extra as shopping is something we all know how to do pretty well.  You’ll be tasked with visiting certain stores or businesses and then report back to your agency about your experience there.  Sometimes you’ll be asked to source-specific information from store assistants to audit their product or service knowledge. In some cases, you can even take your children.   A quick search for mystery shopping agencies UK will point you in the right direction.

Telemarketing, telephone surveys, data capturing and remote administration all make for flexible and surprisingly lucrative work from home opportunities.

Teach English or be a virtual tutor. Thanks to English being the international language of business, there is an unending demand for online English teachers.  Some of these jobs will require you to have at least a bachelor’s degree along with a TEFL (Teaching English as a foreign language) course, but nothing stops you from providing conversational English to students all over the world. 

It can seem a little scary at first, especially if you’ve been out of work for a while or if you’ve never had full-time employment at all but the world is changing faster now than ever before and you, as a mum already possess a vast amount of transferable and useful skills.

It just so happens that five of the most desirable skills in any form of employment – you already have as a mum.

The time is now.  Good luck!