[proudmamanow]

Hi all,

We are in a relatively good position right now, debt-free other than mortgage, successfully having cut back on our major expenses and generally living pretty carefully. BUT we moved last year to a higher COL area and I have a lower salary....and we do not have enough money on a monthly basis...we find ourselves dipping into savings to avoid going into debt. And this is clearly not sustainable. I work full time and dp is a SAHM. We really need to bring in about $500 extra month at minimum to cover the basics. Does anyone have any ideas? She is a fully qualified teacher, currently homeschooling. She has considered tutoring, and is putting out resumes right now. Just wanted to ask for some help brainstorming, what can we do to make things work...what jobs are compatible with a SAHM/homeschooling life?

Thanks so much!

 

[lilyka]

Tutoring. Maybe she could set up an online tutoring business Have clients sign up for a monthly/yearly fee for unlimited skype help on an as needed basis.

Are there any part time jobs she could do while you were home? What kind of teaching is she qualified for My friend is an adjuct (sp?) at a community college. Both money and hours are prime. He is in Europe right now while teaching online classes back in the states. He puts in about 30 minutes to an hour a day. One class. 8 weeks. Most of his students will never turn anything in. he gets paid either way.

 

[proudmamanow]

thanks lilyka, those are both great suggestions. I think the college teaching market is pretty competitive here, but maybe not for all colleges, some of the private ones might work. And yes the online tutoring is a great idea, via Skype, very easy to manage with the kids etc. I will definitely suggest the skype tutoring one.

Any other ideas?

 

[phathui5]

What about childcare? She could take kids whose parents need part-time childcare, since most daycare centers only want full-time kids.

 

[lilyka]

Look to community colleges rather than real colleges.

 

[celerydunk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilyka

Look to community colleges rather than real colleges.

Sorry to nitpick, but community college is a "real" college.

 

[floss&ferd]

Community college where I live will hire people with Bachelor's Degrees to teach the Associate level courses. And they seem to hire a lot of part-time instructors. They also have a lot of night/weekend classes that would probably work with your schedules.

 

[proudmamanow]

I'm in Canada, so I think the college system is a bit different here. But night school is something she could definitely look into. As for childcare, she has done it in the past and might consider doing it once dd1 starts school in September. Dd1 is a challenging kid and doing childcare with her in the home all day has been difficult in the past. I think online tutoring might be a great way to get a gentle start back into the workforce.

 

[lilyka]

Being in Canada does make a difference. State to state there is a big difference. The cc here are kinda at a middle school/high school level. As a matter of fact his best students were high schoolers. it appeared most of the students just needed to get some continuing ed credits for their program. They also have programs that give you a boost in entry level jobs like meat cutting, day care, pharm tech. and working as a mechanic. It seems like there was a law enforcement program that worked with the schools in one state (he worked for state schools, my xh dad works at a private one.) There are not many programs offered. It is a cheap way to get through some freshman level classes if you want to move on to a masters degree.

 

[CarrieMF]

She could work casually as an Educational Assistant as long as you had a sitter for any children remaining at home. She could work as a Bus Driver too, once she got her bus drivers licence. Depending on the district she may be able to bring other kids on the bus.

After school care is very hard to find too.