Looking for Part Time Work (Outside of the Home) for Moms

Updated on August 17, 2015
S.A. asks from Chicago, IL
22 answers

Hi moms,

My youngest child is about to start first grade, and I am hoping to rejoin the workforce after 10 years at home. I am looking to work outside the home during my kids school hours. I only want to work M-F until 1 PM. I do not want any evenings or weekends. All 3 of my kids are very active in sports and we would not be able to manage getting them to practices and games if I was working evenings and weekends.

I'm having a hard time figuring out what job meets this criteria. Does it even exist? Any suggestions are appreciated, but please no "home party" businesses. I've tried that in the past with several, and am really lousy at it. I'm not much of a people person, I'm not pushy, and I don't have a big social network all of which you need to be successful at it. Also, retail is not something I'd consider. I've worked retail before and even when you tell them your availability, they constantly schedule you for when you're not available. It's a hassle, and the pay is not worth the effort.

Thanks in advance!

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More Answers

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

with no skills listed and very restricted hours, it's hard to say. both retail and restaurant jobs CAN be very flexible, depending on the place. you say 'they' hassle you with the schedule, but that's very subjective. i'm working retail at a small boutique right now, with the exact hours i want. i've worked at big box stores and never had any problem with scheduling (sometimes they make a mistake, yeah, but you just go and say 'sorry, boss, you've got me on a thursday afternoon here- i'm mornings only.')
i've also worked at restaurants that were so tickled to have someone of my skills and work ethic they'd probably have redesigned the whole schedule just to suit me.
and for my teaching job i tell THEM what hours i want.
your ideal job would probably be in your kids' schools if they have any openings.
but i'd start with not assuming that 'they' won't work with you. when you project that sort of energy, it shows.
khairete
S.

6 moms found this helpful

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

The only job I ever found that fit those hours was working as a classroom aide at our elementary school. I worked about twenty hours per week, 8 to noon. I earned about $14/hr. It wasn't too hard to get hired because I did so much volunteering the staff already knew me and knew I was capable.
I know some moms who also work at the middle and high school, as aides, campus supervisors or in the office.
I did some substitute teaching as well but I really hated that, I much prefer having a regular schedule and working with the same students every day.

5 moms found this helpful
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C.P.

answers from San Francisco on

Maybe care.com you could advertise yourself as a child, pet, or senior sitter. Maybe you would find a good fit. I love the lunch lady idea too others posted.

3 moms found this helpful

S.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

When my kids were younger and my husband was home in the evening I worked part time at a grocery store. I worked in the evenings only and I got a discount on my groceries. Most grocery stores are pretty flexible and will schedule according to your availability. They also prefer having part time employees over full time employees so they don't have to pay benefits. I also worked as a babysitter at a gym. I was able to bring my kids to work with me and I got my membership for free. While neither job was high paying they were both easy jobs, very flexible and had good perks.

3 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Get a job with the school as a cafeteria lady serving the food.
It's perfect for working along with the school schedule.
If school has a snow day, you're off at the same time.
It's about 5 hrs per day Mon - Fri - and being on your feet means you get a work out while doing it.

3 moms found this helpful
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J.G.

answers from Chicago on

Try colleges. A friend found an admin job in a department working m-th, 4 hours a day, flex time, with summers off!

3 moms found this helpful

J.S.

answers from St. Louis on

I can only speak of the St Louis market but all of our major grocery stores allow you to restrict your hours as does BreadCo or Panera to the rest of you. The only problem you will run into is they won't use you every hour you are available so if you give 6 hours a day you will probably only get 15 hours a week.

2 moms found this helpful

W.W.

answers from Washington DC on

Mom,

What skills do you have?
What are you willing to do?

You've limited yourself in no retail. Go to your local grocery store and find out what they have open and those hours. Many grocery stores are "unions" so the store has to abide by the hours you need.

If you have no skills?? Go back to school while your kids are in school. Get a certificate in something that you ARE interested in and then work with the school counselor to get you where you WANT to be.

Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful
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N.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Substitute. That way you'll always be off work by the time your kids are out of school. Work in the school kitchen. Get a job as an aid in a school room with a disabled kiddo. Tutor through the school. Tutor any student who'll come to you. This way YOU arrange the schedule around your kids needs.

Take in ironing, take in laundry, do work processing for a nearby college but get the money first in case they forget they left a paper with you, get a couple of houses to clean or start an errand business, or some other thing that you can stand to do repetitively.

Find a Mother's Day Out. Apply for a job. They are usually open a MAXIMUM of 15 hours per week. That's what keeps them out from under the child care licensing laws. If you can make a few hundred per month by working part time then you've achieved more than some people can.

There are so many things a person can do if they're determined to make some money. I wore a respirator mask and ironed for about 8 customers. The spray starch effected my lungs and I was also allergic to the perfumes and fine particles. But I made enough money to file income on our taxes.

I learned how to set up and manage FB pages and do that for a few different businesses. I do some other online stuff to but it's for friends who have a church and they asked me to organize their site.

IF you sit down and think about it you can find ways to make some money that is part time.

Until you're ready to work full time then part time income will be limited unless you can find a venue that is hot and making money.

I have a friend who made several thousand dollars last winter buying up every single long sleeve sweater in every thrift store last fall. Then she spent a month/month and a half cutting the sleeves off and then serging pieces together to make boot cuffs.

Then she used remnants of the sweaters to make matching head bands/ear muffs. Matching sets. She made aprons for a year but now that market is not so hot.

By seeing what is hot and popular you can make a killing by hoping on that item and getting it out there.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.M.

answers from Boston on

You could substitute or work in the school cafeteria....Also, look into banks in the area, frequently they need parttime tellers (and the computer does the math for you); any insurance companies/hmo's in your area, sometimes they need someone to do dataentry or other assorted stuff and maybe hospitals sometimes some admin help.

Good luck

2 moms found this helpful
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M.R.

answers from Seattle on

McDonald's is very flexible about hours for students, so I imagine they'd be so for moms.

Check out your school's job listing. That's always a family friendly schedule.

2 moms found this helpful
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B.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Not knowing your skills, you could try for a part time position through a temp agency. Depending on the length of the assignment it may not be the steadiest work, but often in these situations the company is grateful to have the help and will be more flexible with your schedule.

2 moms found this helpful

D.B.

answers from Boston on

You've not given us any info on what your skills or experience are. A lot of moms like to work for the school system or school bus companies so they get the same vacations and snow days, but of course those jobs are few in number and high in demand. Subbing in areas like the library don't always require teaching credentials (my neighbor does this), but there isn't always work every day.

You can look into temp agencies to see if there's anything there that suits your needs, but the long term assignments won't take school schedules into account and the short term ones might mean you don't work every day.

A lot of places have morning shifts - gyms, medical/chiropractic offices (if you can do coding or bookkeeping or transcription), but you'll have to work during school vacations as well. But maybe you have access to high school kids who can do babysitting during vacations. The office jobs that require concentration and working alone might be good for a self-described "non-people person."

There are legitimate writing and editing jobs through some on-line networks (my husband is a copywriter and has gotten quite a few assignments this way) but you have to have background/ability, and you have to bid on them.

But again, these are just random suggestions because we don't know what you know how to do, only what you don't want.

1 mom found this helpful
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E.B.

answers from Austin on

Some school districts advertise jobs like crossing guards, morning aides, paraprofessionals, etc. Check your school district job openings.

Would you consider substitute teaching? That obviously only involves school hours.

Home health aide jobs are also a possibly, perhaps? Many people require morning assistance (getting up, getting dressed, having their breakfast prepared, getting ready for their ride to their job or going to the senior center for the day,or just having someone available to help during the morning, etc). My SIL was a home health aide for quite awhile and she found lots of openings for school hours only. She took a basic home health aide course, and CPR (she was not a nurse and did not do nursing duties.) She mostly assisted with personal living skills (helping Azheimer's patients get dressed, helping elderly clients who were a little unsteady with their morning routines, doing light housework, making meals, etc).

Good luck with your search.

1 mom found this helpful
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O.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

You don't lost any skills, degrees, etc. so it's hard to say.
I'd register with a temp agency stipulating your (very) limited schedule of availability.
I make very nice money working PT, but it's the same company for which I worked FT for nearly 20 years. They'd rather have me PT than not at all. Is your old job an option?
Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

C.T.

answers from Santa Fe on

What is your background in? My background is in the sciences (biology, research, lab work). I wanted the same thing and tried to think of what I would be qualified for. I decided to try out editing or a science writing job. I lucked out and a 10 hour a week science writing job popped up at a company nearby...they basically wanted someone to rewrite their webpage which was very outdated. I had never done website work before but they were not worried about that and someone there taught me how to use joomla. The job then branched into 20 hours a week: more website updating, editing proposals, writing press releases and articles for the webpage, and community outreach. We moved away, so sadly I am now looking again for some part time work. Ideas: google part time work and your town name. I found a lot of ideas here, but a lot do not sound appealing. Some are ok. Administrative work often can be part time. Schools often hire part time people. A job hunting company might be a big help to you. Let all your friends know you are looking...I found that last job through a good friend. I have been letting people know and a random dog walker I met in our neighborhood says their friend is looking for someone to do part time admin work for his company. My kid's school is also hiring playground monitors. I might do this for a while till I find something. So, get the word out with everyone you talk to!

1 mom found this helpful

L.P.

answers from Tyler on

Substitute teach! I did exactly what you are doing and worked part time at an art museum (was a GREAT job, Mon-Thurs 9-2) loved it until summer came around and I paid my salary and more for camps! Did retail, it was AWFUL! Unless you have experience, retail has its own language and flow. I didn't catch on as fast as my employer wished, it was ugly and a complete stressful waste of my time. Right after that experience, I signed up to sub in my kids schools and LOVED it! I only accepted pre-arranged jobs and that kept me working most days. Ended up in a long term and gained so much experience and connections. Following that experience, I started applying for para-professional jobs in the district and landed the job of my dreams. I've actually moved up since then and my salary pays for our family's health insurance and covers 100% of my oldest daughter's tuition at a prestigious university! I work more days than the kids are in school, but my kids are older now. Subbing let me get to know the other kids my daughter was in class with as well as the teachers in her school. Best decision ever.

Good Luck!!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

Well, it's hard to say with just what you are offering here.

No retail? That's hard. I worked 2 jobs for a while, one was at a grocery store. I did only 4-5 hour shifts there.

Do you have any experience with kids? Babysitting, preschool aid, a position at the school?

Not working past 1 will be a tough one. You should also consider working out a schedule with your DH and/or carpooling some of the time.

1 mom found this helpful
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E.T.

answers from Rochester on

I agree with checking with the schools for para jobs. In most districts you don't have to have an education degree. They provide training. You would be on the same schedule as your kids. One of my cousins works in the school cafeteria. I have two friends who are paras in their kids' schools. One works one-to-one with a special ed student. The other works with small groups or one-to-one on reading or math skills. I think she also helps with lunch and recess. The teachers provide all of the materials and plans. Most of the para jobs in my school are 4-5 hours a day. If students aren't in school, paras don't come in.

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M.G.

answers from Portland on

I don't think retail is a bad option (personally). I know friends who work set hours in retail and are home before their kids get home. They work the hours they agreed to and that's it. Maybe you'd have to look for the right store but I know there's a place near here that is predominantly moms working there (during the day, with teens evenings and weekends) and they're all friends as well as an added bonus. So it's a very nice job that they leave behind when they walk out the door and also social.

I have friends who clean homes. They started their own business with other friends, and just clean during the hours they want to. It works well with kids. During the summer, one of them is home with the kids and she actually looks after the other people's kids' the mornings they clean. They only take as many clients/homes as they want.

I don't know moms who work in admin those hours, but years ago a mom where I worked in bookkeeping just during the mornings. You might need to take a course to get the job with hours you want.

School as others have mentioned. I have friends who work in the classes, etc. while their kids are in school.

Good luck :)

1 mom found this helpful
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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

Wait tables (breakfast is usually too early, but maybe lunches).
Teaching assistant at one of their schools (check requirements).
If you have a college degree you can be a substitute.
at least those are the things that I did. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.M.

answers from Fayetteville on

See if there is a part-time (or full-time) job at your kids' school. Also, ask around at your doctors' offices. Sometimes they're not "looking", but might have something if you ask.

And, what is your reason for working? Hoping to make a little extra money? Just looking to fill some free time? If it's the latter, volunteer!!! Schools are always looking for volunteers:)

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