Best Jobs for Mums: How to Find a Career that Works for You and Your Family

And just like that, my maternity leave was over and I was trying to figure out my new identity as a Working Mum.

The transition from Mum to Working Mum started on the day we signed T up for nursery. It felt like a huge day. And even though I knew I wanted to go back to work; I had such mixed feelings about someone else looking after my baby.

We got to the baby room. I was mortified that the first thing T did was crawl over to the window and lick it. I didn’t know what to do – I swear he had never done that before! Thankfully the staff laughed and pointed out all the other smear marks where other kids had done the same. Bleurgh, kids are gross.

So I left T to play (at least I hope he didn’t spend the entire time licking the windows!!) and I was handed a huge pile of documents to read and sign.

As well as the window licking event, the stand out moment of the day was the feeling of dread when I read the sickness policy. It basically listed reasons a child couldn’t come to nursery. No big deal… I totally get it. No one wants their child to be poorly, so it makes complete sense not to take a child into nursery where they all lick the same toys (and windows) and sneeze on each other. Bleurgh, kids really are gross.

But what about the days we’re left with no childcare?

Of course, we had already spoken about what we’d do on days where T is sick and wouldn’t be in nursery. It was a no-brainer that he was our priority, so we’d take unpaid leave if it came to that. But in that moment I panicked. I suddenly freaked out about the days where we would be left without childcare. Our families don’t live nearby, well my brother and sister in law do, but they already have 3 (nearly 4 yay!) kids of their own to look after. We don’t really have a plan b.

Thankfully in the UK, we have careers leave, which goes some way to help. So I have 3 days a year (technically 5 days, but it’s pro-rata since I work part time). 3 days isn’t going to last long… then I’d be looking at taking annual leave, or unpaid leave. Did I mention we still have to pay for the nursery days T isn’t there if he’s poorly?!

Is it really worth going back to work?

The thought went through my head that maybe I shouldn’t go back to work after all. Childcare is so expensive. It’s a big reason I hear lots of Mums say ‘it’s just not worth it’. Often Mums feel like they’re just working to pay for childcare.

Then I remembered that I love my job. I really enjoy working and the variety it brings to my day. I remembered how fortunate I am to have a supportive manager who understands that kids lick windows and get sick sometimes. But what if these things weren’t true for me? Would it really be worth paying someone else to look after my child, if I didn’t enjoy my job?

But what jobs are best for Mums?

Mums seem to be expected to do it all: balance their work commitments with looking after their kids, keeping their homes running, and not complaining about it, as ‘this is the life we chose for ourselves’…

Truth is, it’s tricky to keep all those plates spinning and feel like you’re spending enough time with your kids. It can be tricky to imagine a job role where your employer will understand that sometimes you need to put your child above work.

It makes sense that so many Mums Google questions like: What jobs are the best for working Mums? What jobs are the most flexible? What are the benefits of working from home? What careers are the most family-friendly? 

Good news is, there’s lots of articles out there, written to answer these questions.

Bad news is, although they are helpful to an extent, most of these articles are pretty generic. Most of them don’t take into account the fact that you are not like every other Mum. There’s nothing one size fits all about you!

Now I could sit and write another blog, listing things you might want to consider to help you find ‘the best jobs for Mums’. But I’m much more interested in asking a slightly different question. 

What’s the best job for YOU?

Yes, you’re a Mum. Yes that may have an impact on what jobs feel like a better fit for you. But here’s the truth. Although we experience a lot of the same things as Mums, every Mum I know is different. 

Step away from the pressure you might feel about what kind of work you ‘should’ be doing now you’re a Mum.

Maybe before you had kids you worked 40 hours a week. But now you’re a Mum, maybe you feel like you ‘should’ drop to part time hours. 

Maybe before you had kids you moved between temporary, short term contracts. But now you’re a Mum, maybe you feel like you ‘should’ find a permanent job that’s more stable. 

Maybe before you had kids you travelled loads for work. But now you’re a Mum, maybe you feel like you ‘should’ have a job that means you’re able to do the school run every day. 

So many shoulds. 

So much pressure. 

Who makes these rules that we feel we have to live a certain way?

None of the above career choices are bad. A lot of women do feel different about work when they become a Mum, so they make changes to their career in line with that. That makes sense, I always encourage people to find a career that works for them and their family. 

But what about the Mums who still want to work 40 hours a week. Should these Mums be shamed for their decision to work full time?

What about the Mums who enjoy working in industries where temporary, short term contracts are the only kind of contracts there are – should these Mums move away from jobs they enjoy?

Or there’s the Mums who have jobs that require them to travel lots. Is that a bad thing if they have found a way to make it work for them and their family?

There isn’t a one-size fits all here. Step away from those ‘should’s

Because often, the problem comes when you make these kind of career decisions because you feel like you ‘should’. Because sadly, decisions based on ‘should’s don’t usually end so well. In the long run it’s likely you’re not going to be happy in your career if there was a ‘should’ involved. You can read all the articles you want about the best jobs for mums, that list the things that Mums ‘should’ look for in a job, but at the end of the day – every Mum is different. There’s no rules – you do you. This is why the question ‘what are the best jobs for Mums’ is quite a tricky one to answer.

So let’s go back to answering that slightly different question: What’s the best job for YOU? Truth is, only you can answer that question, because no one knows you better than you do! But don’t worry, I have some ideas of how you can figure it out.

Why do you want to work?

Why is it important to you to work? Why did you make the decision not to stay at home with your child? 

This reason is going to be so important on the days when you’re missing your kids, on the days where you feel guilty for dropping them off at childcare, on the days where you miss seeing something they do for the first time. 

For me, I work because I really love my job, I work because I enjoy making money to help support my family financially, I work because I like using my skills and developing new ones. I also think I’m a better Mum when I have some time doing something important to me, it makes me more patient and helps me appreciate the time I have with T even more.

Why do you work? Your ‘why’ will probably be different to mine, that’s ok.

What are your career dealbreakers?

If you could write a dream job description, what would it include? And just as importantly, what would it 100% not include? Have a think about your dealbreakers – what elements absolutely have to be present for you to be able to enjoy your work?

Think about all the jobs you’ve had in the past. What did you enjoy about each of them? What did you hate about each of them? Do you see any key themes? 

For me, career dealbreakers would involve having a manager who understands that ultimately, my job is important to me, but my family will always come first, so if I get a phone call from nursery saying my little boy is sick, I need to know it’s not going to be a problem for me to go and collect him. I need to work with people – I need to have interaction with people everyday or I go a little bit stir-crazy. I need my commute to be 1 hour maximum. Those are some of the big ones for me.

I find that being in a job I enjoy means I’m less likely to be drained when I come home, so I’m more likely to be able to enjoy the time I have my family. 

What are your career dealbreakers? What makes your work enjoyable, or unbearable? Think about salary, work tasks, commute, number of meetings you need to attend, colleagues, work space, travel commitments.

What are your values?

Your values are the things you consider the most important, regardless of whether you’re at home playing with your children, doing the food shopping, or at work. So if your value is honesty, you’re going to react in a similar way when you spot dishonesty, regardless of the context. For example your kid tells you a white lie; you spot someone parking in the parent and child bay at the supermarket when they don’t have small children; your colleague claims your work as their own. Those things will likely push your buttons, because they conflict with your value of honesty.

Not sure what your values are? Think of an example of a time you felt really strongly about something – either positive emotions or negative emotions. Have a think about why you had such a strong reaction to the thing that happened.

What are your values? How do they show up in your current work situation? How would you like them to show up for you at work?

So, there we go. It’s not a bad idea to ask Google about the best jobs for Mums, but I really recommend asking yourself some of the questions I’ve laid out for you in this blog, so that you can find the best job for YOU. 

Remember – there’s no one-size-fits-all list of the best jobs that work for all Mums. We are all different.

If you’d like some help answering these questions, and figuring out the best job for YOU, sign up today for my End Career Paralysis mini course. Get unstuck and make a decision on what the next steps in your career look like.

This mini course will be helpful if you’re weighing up options of whether you should look for another job, or not; if you’re trying to make a decision of whether to go self-employed, or not; if you’re considering taking a career break to look after your kids for a couple of years… Basically, if you’re in the process of making a decision about what to do about your job, I know it can really help you.

You can sign up here. I would love to help you find a career that works for you.