Jobs for Mums to Fit Around School Hours UK

Childcare costs have a huge impact on a family’s work choices with women in particular being hit with the choice between career or kids.

The average cost of sending a child under the age of two to nursery full time (50 hours) is £263.81 a week.

If you work full time on minimum wage, you’ll take home around £1,378.75 a month.

Put your toddler in full time childcare so you can work (c£1143.18) and you’re left with a paltry £235.57 a month.

As a result, many women make the choice not to return to work. At least not until the kids are in school.

Even then, school doesn’t entirely mitigate the need for private childcare – which can still be costly.

So what is the solution?

Unfortunately, there isn’t one and the cost of childcare will be a massive factor in family discussions around work.

But there are some ways you can bring in an income working around school hours and family commitments.

Here we look at some suggestions of jobs for mums (or dads) to fit around school hours in the UK.

Why do jobs need to fit around school hours?

As we discussed above,  the biggest factor in looking for work that fits around school hours is probably the cost of wrap around childcare.

However, there are lots of other reasons why you might want to look for a new job:

• You current job isn’t flexible with working hours or needing time off at short notice.
• Full time working hours mean you don’t have much time to spend with your family.
• You want to do the school run drop offs and pick ups yourself.
• The childcare services in your area are limited or full.

As a result this means that a parent needs to take on full responsibility of the childcare and that any work needs to fit around these commitments.

There are ongoing campaigns to improve the situation for working families and some employers are committed to providing more flexibility for working parents, but unfortunately the reality remains for now, that it is on the parents to find a solution that works for them.

What are the school hours in the UK?

School typically starts 8.30-9.00am and finishes 3.00-3.30pm.

Actual hours depends on the school itself and whether it’s a primary or secondary school.

But typically the day is around 6 hours long.

When considering which job is suitable, you’ll need to consider not just the hours the kids are in school but the time it would take to get there and back from any possible job location as well.

Another consideration you might need to make is term times.

Schools close for a week during half terms (usually October, February and May), 2 weeks over the Christmas period and Easter, and for 6 weeks during Summer.

You might find a job that works around the 9-3 school day, but it can be trickier to find one that supports this amount of time off too.

Could your current job offer more flexibility?

If you’re currently employed but struggling to continue paying childcare bills or just want more of a family/work balance, then it might be worth submitting a flexible working request before you start looking for something new.

If you’ve been in the same job for more than 26 weeks, you are legally entitled to submit a request for flexible working.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that your employer will grant your request, but they are required to deal with it ‘in a reasonable manner’ and can refuse it if they have a good business reason for doing so.

Your flexible working application could ask for:

• a job share.
• switching to part-time hours.
• compressing your hours (i.e longer days so you get more days off).
• flexitime (i.e start/finish anytime between set hours as long as your core hours are met).
• working from home.

Having your employer agree to your flexible working request could mean that you are able to do the morning school run and Dad or someone else can do the pick up.

Or it could mean that you have more days off so that your childcare bill isn’t as big… whatever the outcome, it’s worth asking as they might grant your request and solve a lot of your childcare issues without the need to look for new employment.

Jobs for Mums in School Hours UK – employed ideas

Work in a School

The ideal employment that fits around school hours is working in a school itself!

Usually, you’ll get holidays off and your wage will be pro-rata’d – so you’d receive the same amount each month with the time off taken into consideration, rather than losing a chunk during the school holidays.

You don’t just have to be a teacher to find work in a school either.

You could be a teaching or classroom assistant, work in catering or in the school office doing admin, IT, finance or reception tasks – the roles available will depend on the size of the school and it’s needs but there are more varied job roles than just teaching.

How do you find school jobs?

• Search ‘school hours’ on a job site like Indeed.
• Visit the school’s own website and look in their ‘vacancies’ section.
• Visit your local council’s website and job vacancies section.
• Use a job search site like eTeach for teaching and education jobs in your area.

Work in other Educational Facilities

Similar to the above, you could look for jobs in facilities with similar hours such as nurseries and private childcare facilities (you’d need industry specific qualifications of course) and colleges and universities.

Get a Cleaning Job

Many cleaning jobs require their staff to work outside of standard office hours (i.e when the offices are empty), so if your partner works while the kids are in school perhaps you could work in the hours outside of school time.

This might mean doing a few hours in the morning (6-8am), a few hours in the evening (6-9pm) and on the weekend.

Though this isn’t strictly a ‘school hours’ suggestion, it would allow you the flexibility to do the school runs if you have someone else to lean on for childcare while you did cleaning work.

Seek work with a flexible employer

Though many employers still are not flexible with working hours, there are some which are known to be accommodating.

Look for job vacancies in the following sectors:

• Civil Service
• Charities
• Council/Local Government
• Charities
• Hospitality – restaurants/bars etc offer short part time shifts and the flexibility to pick up additional work.

When approaching any possible future employer about work, be sure to ask about their flexible working arrangements.

Many office jobs now offer a working from home hybrid model – you might be able to work your core hours in the office while the kids are in school, then log on for a few hours at home in the evening so you can pick the kids up from school.

Jobs for Mums in School Hours UK – self-employed ideas

Jobs that fit around school hours are unfortunately limited, so if you’re not lucky enough to find something that suits you, then an alternative option is to become self employed and work during the hours that suit you.

There are many side hustle ideas out there that could help you bring in some extra money – you might find these other articles interesting:

• How to Make an Extra £500 a Month
• How to Make an Extra £1000 a Month
• The Best Side Hustles UK

But here are some other suggestions of self-employed options.

Pet Walking/Boarding

Pet boarding is a great flexible option. Many people who work full time with pets will pay for someone to walk their dog during work hours or to check in on/feed their pets.

Pay will vary depending on where you live and the services you offer but you can decide how many clients to take on at one time and the hours in which you’re available for work.

Register with a site such as Tailster, Rover or Cat in a Flat.

Reselling

Start your own reselling business – the secondhand market is thriving as people try to lead more sustainable lives and to save money.

You could source secondhand goods to resell for a profit (think charity shops, auction houses, secondhand shops etc), list your items for sale, pack up and post anything that has sold – all while the kids are in school.

Blogging

If you have a subject or area you’re passionate about or knowledgeable in then why not start your own blog?

Though the money isn’t instant, it’s now easier than ever to set up and monetise a blog.

It does require dedication and commitment, but many hobby bloggers have turned their passion into full time income without the full time hours.

There are lots of different income streams you could create with a blog and you can work on it during the school day and take time off from it as and when you need to.

Jobs for Mums to Fit Around School Hours UK – Final Thoughts

When it comes to finding a solution regarding childcare, the onus is primarily on the mother.

And unfortunately it remains our burden to carry  with the lack of childcare funding and maternity benefits to encourage mothers to maintain their career.

Therefore, it is vital that you have an open and honest discussion with your partner and share that load.

We take on the responsibility ourselves and beat ourselves up for not being able to do it all but if we want things to improve, then that’s a status quo we need to challenge.

You might also like… Coping Financially On Maternity Leave