what jobs work around kids' school hours?

[aggieterpkatie]

I thought of a couple things. Maybe a local library? Or can you farm/pet/horse sit for people? Or train or ride horses for people?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

But maybe the kids could go with Dad on the weekends?

Just a thought.

Or could you and your husband possibly work it out so one can put kids on the bus and one can take them off?

 

[freemotion]

My chiropractor told me that he was approached to teach college anatomy classes online. Your degree would probably support that type of job, and it wouldn't matter where you live as long as you have a good computer and great high-speed service.

You could also go back to teaching at a college, just part-time, just morning classes or early afternoon classes, or get a sitter for evening classes if the pay is good enough to support that and still make some money.

I cleaned houses for a couple of years and averaged $20-30 per hour, almost 20 years ago, while I was going to school. I priced by the job and required that nobody be home, and I worked out a routine that was FAST. Brought all my own supplies and equipment so there was no fiddling with a crappy vacuum cleaner, dealing with missing cleaning products or no clean rags, etc. I worked only when the homeowner's kids were in school. I averaged $150 for a 6 hour day (two houses), including travel time. And my own house is a dusty, messy wreck! But I was a genius at cleaning other's houses. I just prefer to do projects here.....

I have friends that clean new construction and get a small fortune for cleaning up that post-construction mess. You might also contact some realtors about cleaning their new listings. Or getting your name to new homeowners.

Office cleaning pays more, but you have to work either evenings, weekends, or early in the morning.

That's all I've got for ya....

 

[savingdogs]

How about medical transcription? I did that from home for 8 years, self taught. I didn't have the college education you have, either. I did have to find a small company that mentored me a little at first, and I did have to invest in some books and study a lot before I could send in my first medical reports. But eventually it got to be really good money. I wish I could still do that (hearing loss) as it was one of the best jobs I ever had.

The newest trend was learning to assist hospitals with the software that does a lot of the formating for the doctors and a human being just shows the computer how the doctor wants it set up. Not quite transcribing but similar.

But there is good money in it once you are trained. And I did my work at any hour of the day I wanted and worked for doctors all over the country. It was great for a mom with young kids. I got to see all the school plays, volunteered in the classroom, was there to kiss the ouchies and never got out of my jammies until 10:00 AM.

Single moms over 23 qualify for aide for schooling here in WA and it helps quite a bit if you need to take a class first. But that is what I'd suggest for you especially since you had that Biology. Medical terms will not be difficult for you, they are easy once you understand the concepts, very logical.

 

[Henrietta23]

Here in CT there is a program called Alternate Route to Certification or something like that. I had a friend with a science degree go through it and she now teaches HS Science. Maybe there's something like that were you are, or even online?
I have a couple friends who drive buses too so they can have the same schedule as their kids.

 

[curly_kate]

Definitely check out teaching online. I'm not sure if you have University of Phoenix or the like in Canada, but I have several friends who have taught for them, and it was extremely convenient w/young kids. Also, it seems like colleges are always looking for adjunct professors. That might be a way to use your degree.

 

[california_grown1962]

It is looking more and more like I may need to take the real BIG plunge into self-sufficiency... self and kids, that is :/

There is absolutely no one around, no relatives or friends, who could possibly do any kind of child care or afterschool care. Please don't argue that it's surely not the case, it just is, k?

So, my question is, what (if anything) am I not thinking of, in terms of ways to generate income while still being here when the kids are not at school (I would obviously have to send my younger son to Jr K, which I would not do otherwise, but, it would not be the total end of the world, especially not comparatively speaking).

School bus driver is the obvious one. After that, I kind of run out of ideas in terms of hours and seasonality. (I am not a person who could do childcare so please don't suggest it.) I could try freelance writing but would not count on making one heck of a lot of money at it. Even if I could buy a small rural house free and clear (she optimistically says), I am estimating it would take AT LEAST $12-15k yearly for us to get by, so that is the sort of ballpark I am talking about.

Have not made any definite decisions yet but it is looking like this may be necessary (although it is way totally not what I want), so I feel like I need to start getting ducks in a row and sorting out options so as to be prepared just in case...

Thank you for any and all suggestions,

Pat

Hi Pat,

I know your pain. I didn't have child care, either, and it was a NIGHTMARE when my kids were growing up. Their dad left, and I didn't even have a husband. I was totally on my own. Since you have a degree in biology and obviously are very literate, have you considered taking up medical transcription? It's not as easy as a lot of people would have you think, but you could possibly succeed at it. I have been a medical transcriptionist for 27 years and worked from home for most of my children's formative years. Most transcription jobs now don't pay for diddly, but you aren't looking for full-time anyway. Check out mtjobs.com and see if there are any trainee positions or someone that would give you a chance with your biology degree. If you pass their test, it might be do-able for you.

There is a lot of competition in the transcription industry, but I think your background would give you an edge most people don't have.

 

[savingdogs]

That is what I thought, too. I enjoyed doing transcription.....not a hard job at all and lots of the time you can turn in your jobs online now.

 

[patandchickens]

Do you need high-speed internet to do medical transcription? Or is dialup (or not using internet at all) adequate?

Pat

 

[savingdogs]

Depends on what kind of account you get. Most people use internet now I would think. But if there are some local doctors who like it the old fashioned way, the traditional thing was to pick up tapes and drop off documents.

I did all my work via internet. At first dial up was okay, but later we had to have high speed to keep up with the technology.

There is an investment in equipment, but it isn't astronomical. I had to buy medical books which were also an investment. However, now that I no longer do medical transcription, I still find these books high useful. Dorlands Medical Dictionary especially. You might be able to find some of the texts used or information online. I had a company kind of help me along, they were small and liked me and gave me easy stuff first and I worked my way up. I eventually did very technical chiropractic, orthopedic and neurological reports and never had any real training. I just looked everything up! You have to be somewhat of a word person and a scientific type...but I suspect you ...are.

I had NO background in medical transcription when I landed the job, I had worked in dentistry. However, I wrote good resumes and had a resume writing service and happened to write a resume for the owner of the company's sister and she liked my finished product. She had a transcription pool from which we all could select jobs, but we were independent contractors. I could select as much work as I wanted, or not, if I was busy with the kids or whatever. It was truly ideal, especially when I got up to speed. I was making 25 an hour for certain jobs. Other times it was slower money and was more like minimum wage, but I could do this work WHILE cooking dinner, watching my kids and keep an eye on other things going on in my house.

I wish wish wish I could still do this.......