Want to find a flexible job during school hours?
There are many reasons why you may want a job with flexibility around your children’s school hours. These include that the cost of wraparound care is too expensive, you want to spend more time with your kids or that you can’t actually find wraparound care in your area.
It could also be that your current job doesn’t have much flexibility on working hours, and even goes beyond the time that wraparound care can help you out.
I can remember very well the moment it hit me that my full-time job’s hours were going to be a challenge. I was working as a journalist at the time when I could be out on a job until late into the evening, however the nursery hours were set at 8am to 5pm.
Of course some nurseries do an extended day to 6pm, or even later, but we didn’t have that option close to where we lived.
My husband was also working and could not take on all of the collection and drop offs. I managed to get flexible hours with work, however there was often a conflict between my job and parents, so when I was offered redundancy I took it.
There are campaigns running in Britain to improve opportunities for flexible working from organisations such as Pregnant then Screwed and influencer Anna Whitehouse, aka Mother Pukka.
However for now it can still be a challenge finding employers who are prepared to give parents greater flexibility to fit their family life around their work. But I’ve got some great opportunities and ideas in this article so let’s take a look.
You may also like: Best jobs for stay at home mums
Do you need term time only work or work that fits in with school hours?
This is the first question you need to ask yourself.
Term time only jobs may be trickier to come by, even if you work for yourself it may be unlikely you’ll be able to take off weeks at a time to care for your kids during the school holidays.
One of the biggest benefits of term time only work is that you won’t be left struggling to figure out what to do about childcare in the school holidays.
The number of days most full-time employees get for holiday is around 25 per year. The school summer holidays alone are six weeks!
Work that fits in with school hours could still be required during the school holidays. So you’ll need to factor in the cost of childcare during those holidays, or have a plan for who will care for the kids.
This is where jobs that involve working from home and/or for yourself can come in really handy.
What are the UK school hours?
The school hours tend to be between 8.30am and 3.30pm. This will vary from school to school.
For example my daughters’ school has then start at 8.50am and finish at 3.10pm, but the attached junior school begins at 8.30am and finishes at 3.15pm.
Most schools require a drop off between 8.30am and 9am, then a closing time of between 3pm and 3.30pm.
When considering a job that fits in with these hours you also need to think about your journey to actually get from work to the school which can seriously eat into your time.
Do you actually need a different job?
Before we talk about term time jobs it’s worth exploring whether your current job could provide you with different hours or flexible working.
Employees can apply for flexible working if they’ve worked continuously for the same employer for the last 26 weeks. You can check out details of the process on the Gov website.
It’s not guaranteed success, but as someone who has requested flexible working it is well worth doing!
This doesn’t necessarily need to be a request for fewer hours. It could be a request to work from home so that you can save time on your commute.
Almost 4 million people in the UK have flexible working arrangements.
It’s also really important in all of this to have a discussion with your partner about how best to share your work/family/life commitments.
Too often it falls on the mother to make allowances and find a flexible job that fits around the kids. This should be a joint decision and it shouldn’t be just one person who makes sacrifices in order to cater for your family pressures.
If you do decide you need a different job then rest assured you are not alone. This study found 1 in 4 people left their job in search of more flexible work.
What jobs fit around school hours
The first thing you need to look for is a forward-thinking employer who is open to flexible hours.
Some people find charities and government jobs can be more open to flexi time – where you can make up some of your hours working from home in the evenings.
You can also look for part-time work that fits in around your kids’ school hours. This can involve shift work in hospitality or cleaning for example.
The good news is it is much easier to find jobs that fit around school hours these days, although there’s still much to be done for parents who want greater flexibility.
One area I strongly recommend you avoid is MLM – Multi Level Marketing. People tend to lose more money than they make in these type of schemes. If you want tips for avoiding this type of scam then there’s more information here.
Jobs that fit around term time UK
Childminder
Being a childminder can be the perfect solution for someone who wants a term time only job!
You could provide childminding services for younger kids, who are babies, toddlers or pre-schoolers, or focus on school age kids.
The latter would fit in well around doing the school run for your own kids, as you can collect your own children at the same time as collecting the kids you childminder for. You could also then set your childminding as term time only.
Some parents may want a childminder who is available all year round of course, so you will need to consider what would work best for you.
Working in a school
First up teachers don’t just end the day at 3.30pm. Having grown up with a schoolteacher mum I know first hand how many hours they work!
But there may be job share options in teaching work, which allows you to at least have part of the week clear.
And you may find flexible options within a school.
I have a friend who works as a teaching assistant who is able to finish the day in time to go and collect her two kids from school! Then she gets the school holidays with her kids.
Take a look at what jobs are available at your local school to see if any might suit your skillset.
Other jobs in school include administrative work in the office, support work which may involve working one on one supporting kids in a classroom and catering.
There may be teaching jobs that involve just a few hours of the day, for example a PE teacher for a primary school.
Think about universities and colleges near you as well, as these jobs may also offer flexible work or part-time hours.
Freelance hairdresser/nail technician/beauty therapist
You will need some experience and/or training to do this but if you can control your hours and how many clients you take on then you make this work fit into school hours.
Some people in this sector work from their home or they visit customers in their homes. You could also investigate renting space in another salon.
Cleaning
Jobs in this area might include cleaning homes or businesses such as hotels and hospitality venues.
It’s a great job to fit around school hours, because it’s super flexible. If you choose to do this on a freelance basis you can pick and choose exactly how many clients you take on.
Shift work in bars/restaurants
This is a great option if you love to be around people.
Much of the hospitality industry is struggling to fill jobs at the moment so there are probably options close to where you live.
Work from home jobs that fit around school hours
After I left my job I decided to pursue work from home opportunities.
This meant that I didn’t need to send my youngest daughter to nursery full-time and I was able to easily do the school run for my eldest child when she started.
There are so many work from home opportunities and side hustles out there!
I’m going to share my favourite ideas that work great within the confines of school hours, and that also have term time flexibility as well!
The key to finding opportunities that work is looking for things that let you set the pace. So you choose how many clients you take on or be your own boss so that you slow down and focus on the kids when you need to.
Dog walker/pet sitter
This is a great option if you love animals!
There are websites such as Tailster that put dog walkers and pet sitters in touch with customers in your area.
You could also try setting up your own business and advertise your services in local Facebook groups.
Online transcription
There are lots of opportunities for online transcription work. You could find work via jobs boards such as Fiverr or get work through transcription companies.
Some require you to have experience in transcription and it can be important to have the right kit for inscription work, such as a foot pedal that connects to your computer and the obvious skills such as fast typing.
There are lots of tips for getting into online transcription work here.
Freelance writer
This is a fantastic job for people who want to fit their work life around the school run.
There are lots of different types of freelance writing opportunities, from feature writing for newspapers or magazines to writing content for brand websites.
There are lots of tips for getting started with freelance writing in this article.
Making and selling your own products
Do you have a talent for making jewellery or an eye for digital design?
There are so many things you could make and sell online or at local markets.
Many parents started a business making things – from cool hoodies to non toxic play dough – that have gone on to become their full-time job!
If you are creative or have a skill that could be used to make things that people would buy then have a think about launching your own products.
Just to add though that you don’t have to take on making products yourself and some people have success selling products made by others. This may involve finding bargains and reselling them on eBay or working as a seller for a company. For example Usborne Books has an independent partners scheme which many parents enjoy. You sell Usborne Books on their behalf through local groups or markets and you get a commission for your sales.
Blogger
My favourite work from home job!
When you think about bloggers you may immediately turn your mind to mummy bloggers and Instagram pictures of people posing in brand new clothes every day.
But honestly there is so so much more to blogging for money than this! It’s not all about sponsored posts and writing about what you’ve eaten today.
For a start if you’re a bit of an introvert and don’t like the idea of putting pictures of you and details of your personal life online, you do not have to!
Many people make an amazing living from blogging without having to show one picture of their face. Blogs that focus on one topic and provide really helpful content can make money from advertising, affiliate sales and sales of their own products.
There are so many topics out there that you might focus on.
This could include cryptocurrency, crochet, crafts for kids, baking, cleaning hacks, interior decor and pretty much anything you can think of.
I have lots of tips for how to start a blog.
