Last summer I officially left my full-time job as a Spanish teacher to teach Preschool 3 days a week at our church. We were able to make this move to part-time work because Mr. Piñata was given a more full-time job as our church’s music director (on an interim basis) and I wanted to spend more time at home with Little Piñata. We thought this job would provide perfect balance for our family. I would be working just 3 days a week and would be home on Tuesdays and Thursday with Little P. We were so excited! But, before too long my excitement turned into disappointment.

I can’t really go into too many details, but by Christmas we just knew that this job wouldn’t be good for me in the long run. I actually LOVE teaching preschool. I love the kids, their parents, and I don’t even hate coming up with activities to do for them, even though creativity is not my forte as a teacher. Unfortunately, it was the state requirements and stressful guidelines that took up so much time both inside and outside the classroom that took away a lot of the joy of teaching. I just knew I couldn’t continue. (It gave me a HUGE appreciation for those that go into Early Childhood Education as a career though! So everyone, hug a Preschool/Daycare teacher today!) But, we also knew that even though I wasn’t bringing in a lot of income to our family we couldn’t go without it either.

Throughout the month of December several other small job opportunities arose that I couldn’t pass up. I knew that I would need to finish out the school year that I started, but we just weren’t confident that I would be returning for another school year. So, when these opportunities presented themselves, I knew I needed to take them because I might only be providing a steady income through the end of May.

So, these are the additional jobs I took on starting in January:

1. Since college I have taught Spanish at a local daycare center. It was in November that they asked me if I could go back to doing 2 days a week instead of one and I jumped at the chance, knowing that would provide more income.

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2.  I was called by a friend of mine who works at one of our local tutoring centers that is just about 2 miles from our house. They needed a Spanish tutor 2 hours a week and I also felt like I couldn’t turn down this opportunity either.

3. Before Little Piñata came along I had a very part-time role in the Children’s Ministry at our church. In December they told me that they needed someone to help out just a couple Sundays a month January-May, with a more significant role starting in June and I felt like this was the perfect fit for me! Other than Sunday mornings all the work will be done from home, so I jumped at this chance too, especially since I’ve done this exact job before.

4. My mom is a travel agent and has been feeling overwhelmed. She asked me if I could help her starting in January and I said yes. There’s a big learning curve to this job for me, but I also love that I can do it all from home.

Whew! Even though it seems silly at times that I’m doing so many random things, I’m very grateful that these opportunities arose making me feel more comfortable with my decision to not return to teaching Preschool next year. I feel sad at times that it didn’t work out because I really thought it would be THE job for me. But, it wasn’t and the good thing is that I know that now. This also means that when we get the call that an expectant mother has chosen us to adopt again, I won’t have to worry about how it will affect my job because these are all pretty flexible things I can do from home.

I feel like I have kind of “won the jackpot” of still being able to work, but mostly being able to stay home.  This was what I’ve been hoping for the past couple of years, so I thought I would share some tips that helped me or others I know in case you’re hoping for a more flexible WAHM or part-time WOHM job.

1. Spread the word.
I imagine it’s not the best idea to tell your boss or co-workers that you’re looking for another job, but other than that feel free to tell anyone that might be able to make connections for you. When I was feeling discontent in my current job, I very honestly told the Director of Children’s Ministry at our church that I’d be open to work with/for her again and that’s what got the ball rolling with me transitioning back to working for her. If I hadn’t told her I imagine the job would have gone to someone else that expressed an interest. So, if you think there’s someone that might be able to network for you, send them your resume and tell them what you’re looking for!

2. Don’t be afraid to apply to random jobs that intrigue you.
This is how my current Preschool job came about. It didn’t end up working out in the long-run, but I’m very glad I tried it out for a year. It could potentially have been a really great fit and I never would have known if I hadn’t called and asked for an interview. If you think a job might be a good fit and you’re curious, go ahead and send your resume and be open to an interview and you can find out more. I think as women we often sell ourselves short by saying we’re not qualified for things, but you just never know if you don’t try!

3. Look online.
I know this is how most people find jobs these days, but I didn’t want to not point out the obvious. Plus, if you’re interested in working from home there are some job sites that are exclusively for telecommuting jobs, like Virtual Vocations. I was surprised at how many teaching jobs there are available from home and this is something I certainly haven’t counted out for the future.

4. Ask your boss for some flexibility.
The first year we had Little Piñata, I was able to only go in to school for 30 hours a week. I discovered that 4/5 days of the week my classes wouldn’t start until 10am due to my planning time being first thing in the morning. So, even though I was very nervous about it, I asked my principal if I could go into work 2 hours late on those days and I was shocked when he approved it! This meant pretty much all of my planning and grading was done from home, but it allowed me 10 hours more a week with Little Piñata! I took a pay-cut, but I got to keep my benefits. And since this way we were able to work out childcare on a more part-time basis and didn’t have to send him to a full-time daycare, we saved WAY more money than if I didn’t get the pay cut. This is something I was terrified to ask for. But he didn’t have a problem with it, which was awesome! So, a big theme for me here is that you’ll never get something if you don’t have the courage to ask.

5. See if your spouse can be flexible with his hours and help with childcare.
This is a big part of how I’m able to do a few part-time jobs instead of a job with more daytime hours. Since both my Spanish teaching and tutoring jobs are in the late afternoon and evening, Mr. Piñata is able to watch Little P, which means we won’t have to pay for childcare. Therefore I can work fewer hours without as big of a pay cut as you would expect.

So, what about you? How many of you work from home or very part-time? How were you able to make it work?