There are few different reasons to consider going from a non-working stay at home mother to a part time working mother:
- To generate more income for the family.
- To cover extra expenses as your children get older, such as fees for sports or piano lessons.
- To enjoy a little time away from the house to be independent again.
- To avoid losing your marketable professional skills or having years of lapse in your working history.
If you have been home with the children and not working for a year or more, this is also a great time to jump back into the workforce and change career paths. Taking part time positions while you care for your children could be an excellent way to gain some entry level experience into a new field so you could get a great new full time job when the kids are older.
So, how does a SAHM go about finding part time jobs that will not interfere with their home life too much? The first step is to assess your marketable skills. This includes not only your previous education and working experience, but real skills that you have perfected while staying home with your children. Think creatively here and you will come up with a very long list of things that you are very good at, from basic childcare to cooking, communication skills, and even organizing and managerial skills.
The good thing about being a mother is that most of the valuable skills you use to manage your home are what employers look for in new job candidates. If you have very little or no previous working history, play up on these skills and make your time as mother into your previous experience. Too many stay at home mothers assume they have no skills if they have always "just been a mother," but they are overlooking the skills they use every single day as a mother!
Next, think realistically about what type of job you want. Do you want to work from home or is getting out of the home the main goal? What hours are you looking for?
Once you have a good idea of what you are capable of doing and what requirements you have for potential jobs, it's time to go online and start searching for jobs in your area. There are some great sites that cater specifically to part time jobs and others that cater to specific local areas. Both types of site are essential for a SAHM starting out in the workforce.
Posting your resume online will help you find positions quickly, but you can also ask around with friends and relatives or visit local businesses that may be familiar with you as a customer and simply ask if they have any part time positions available.
