In past articles, we have offered tips for getting back into part time work for parents who might have taken some time out to start a family.
If you have been out of the workplace for some time, there might be gaps in your CV or you might feel you haven’t kept up with developments in your industry, for example.
So, we have various tips for parents about getting your CV into shape and steps you can take to fill in any gaps on your CV.
If you have been itching to get back into the workplace because you feel like now is the best time for yourself and your family, chances are, you have been busy applying for part time jobs in your local area.
If you have decided to work from home or have a part time job where you can mix remote work with being in the office, then we have tips for parents who are working from home. How to stay productive and how to keep an eye on the kids at the same time.
If you are looking for term time work so that you can still spend quality time with the kids during the school holidays, we have some ideas of the types of part time jobs that lend themselves well to term time work.
So, once you’ve brushed up on any skills you want to update, written yourself a great CV, and nailed those interview skills, you’ve given yourself the best chance of landing that part time job that you really want.
You’re offered the job and now the work begins. Not only do you want to shine beyond your first day at work and get your work life and career back on track. Of course, you also want to be the best parent you can be and make sure the kids don’t miss out on any of your time as a result of your work time.
Practical Tips For Working Parents
How do you juggle the two? Well, there are lots of strategies you can use so that you can juggle the two successfully. There will always be times when you will need to make allowances. That’s life. And it in no way means you are not succeeding in creating a balance between work and family.
So, before we launch into some tips and strategies for managing your part time work commitments and raising your family, let us give you the biggest tip of all: Go easy on yourself!
There will be times of tantrums – and not just from the kids! There will be times when you will feel like you’re banging your head against a brick wall.
Life isn’t plain sailing. And juggling work and family can be a challenge. But here are some tips to make life easier for yourself so that you can boss being a parent and working at the same time, too!
We all have different lifestyles and home situations as well as different working hours so take a look at these tips and decide which ones you can implement in your daily life.
Get A Bedtime Routine
If you are the sort of household that goes with the flow, once you return to work, a routine will be your best friend.
Getting yourself and the kids into a routine where you all know exactly when bedtime is what time everyone needs to get up for school and the day ahead will save you lots of stress and time.
Aside from being more organised, a bedtime routine will benefit both yourself and your children, where you will feel more refreshed and ready for the day ahead.
Get A Morning Routine
If everyone in the house knows what they need to do in the mornings, your day will be much easier and less stressful.
Have any uniforms or other outfits laid out the night before so everything goes smoothly in the morning. This applies to you, too, not just the children. Have your own uniform or work outfit ready.
Another useful tip is to gişve yourself as much time as is reasonable in the mornings. If you can set your alarm clock to go off a bit earlier, do.
This can give you an extra, invaluable few minutes to deal with any mishaps, tantrums or lost property. If one of the children isn’t feeling well and can’t go to school, you will have enough time to arrange some childcare or to make alternative working arrangements for yourself.
When things go wrong, they always seem to go wrong when you have the least amount of time to deal with them. So give yourself that bit of leeway, if possible. And on the days where it all goes swimmingly, well those are the days where you can indulge in an extra morning cup of tea or coffee.
Share The Running Of The Household
If you are a two parent family and you are going back into the workplace, you need to sit down with your partner and discuss how the running of the household will work under the new circumstances.
Previously, you might have been doing all the household chores whilst your partner was out at work.
Now, both of you need a realistic chat about who can do what – and when – so that you are not trying to juggle your new job, the kids and all the household chores you were doing previously.
If you have older children, you can involve them in this aspect of your return to work. They might even enjoy the extra responsibility.
A bit of tidying up or taking charge of preparing packed lunches for themselves and siblings. Older children can also help to get your younger children ready in the mornings.
Plan Your Meals And Mealtimes
Depending on the nature of your new part time job, you might be working hours that don’t make it ideal for eating together or for being home in time to cook meals from scratch when the kids are home from nursery or school.
Lots of people, these days, like to do batch cooking. If you have never done batch cooking before, there are lots of tips and recipes online that lend themselves well to cooking in bulk. You can then divide the meals up into portions for putting in the freezer and eating at a later date.
It’s a great way to make sure you are all getting nutritious meals at a time that fits around people in your household.
Sports clubs, school plays, activity groups – whatever extra-curricular activities your children are involved in, knowing there are meals you can pull from the freezer and have ready in minutes is a real comfort and removes stress.
Another valuable tool to have in the kitchen might be a slow cooker. Set a meal off before you head out to work and you can have a nutritious, freshly cooked meal ready and waiting for you when you return home.
Use Your Calendar And Set Alerts
Be organised with your calendar and set alerts so that you know when the children need to be at their football match or at kids’ club.
You can set alerts in advance so that you are reminded before the actual event. This will give you time to organise yourself and make any necessary arrangements such as making sure they are picked up, swapping shifts at work or making arrangements to work from home.
If your part time job is one where you need to complete tasks before certain deadlines or hold meetings in person or online, these can all go into your calendar.
Enjoy Your Commute
How will you be getting to your place of work when you start your new job? Whether you live nearby or you have a bit of a journey to get there, your commute time can be made into your ‘you time.’
Depending on where you work and your working hours, you can use your commute to get fit and enjoy a bit of outdoor time. Walk to work, run or cycle.
These can all be great stress relievers if you are feeling the pressure of being back at work and juggling home life at the same time.
If you are in the car or standing on buses and trains, listen to your favourite music, a podcast or an audio book. These are all good ways to leverage your own free time without feeling the stress of the commute.
This can also be the time when you plan your next lot of batch cooking and come up with some different recipes. Make a note of any ideas in your hone so you don’t forget about them later.
And of course, if you are on public transport, you can use this time to reply to any social media messages or emails you have – or just to switch off and scroll aimlessly.
Work With Your Friends
If you have a network of friends who have children at the same school as your children – or who are free when you are busy and you need to get the children to school or nursery, work with them and ask them if they can take your children along with their own.
If you are working part time, it might work out that you can share the load. Your friends take the children to school in the mornings and you pick them up in afternoons. Likewise with any extra curricular activities.
Friends and family can be invaluable support.
Enjoy Your New Part Time Job!
And, along with all of that, just as importantly, enjoy your new part time job. There was a reason why you applied for a part time job and if that reason was to get back out there intıo the world of work and make new friends, you have made that step into the right direction.
This is your chance to ‘change heads’ for a few hours each week and be a member of your work team. Whether you are looking to get back into your career from before you had children, you are retraining or you are doing some entry level work, make the most of it and enjoy it.