Home working can be tough. Home schooling can be difficult. So, as many parents will have found out over recent months, combining the two is extremely challenging.
And with many schoolchildren in the UK likely to return to school on a part-time basis, learning at home seems set to continue for some time to come.
Every parent’s homelife and family circumstances are different, so there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to striking a balance between carrying out your job and ensuring that your child’s educational needs are met.
However, the following tips will hopefully help you and your little ones thrive in the weeks and months ahead. Obviously, the effectiveness of this advice will depend on factors including the type of job, the age and number of children and the amount of space you have at home.
Talk to your Employer
If having the kids at home impacts on one or more aspects of your job, then speak to someone within your organisation. Be honest about any issues you face and together, you can work to resolve them.
This could include a change to your working hours or a colleague taking on some tasks for you.
Plan your day
It’s important to structure your day in a way that allows you to focus on what you’re doing but also helps you to meet your parental responsibilities.
If your role has the flexibility to allow you to carry out pieces of work when it suits, then do it. Start early while the children are asleep or work late after they’ve gone to bed. Also, use breaks to check in with the kids or help with schoolwork.
Set Boundaries
Regardless of how much you love spending time with your kids, there are times when you need to detach yourself from the rest of the family. If you’re answering customer phone calls, painting pictures or handling legal documents then you need to ensure that the little ones steer clear.
Set clear rules such as making a room a ‘no-go’ area or make sure they know that your laptop, workstation and anything else work related are off limits.
Include the Kids
If warning them off isn’t the right approach for your kids, then get them involved. Set them mini tasks linked to your job or, if they’re old enough, let them help for real.
Ask them for ideas or opinions, show them how spreadsheets work or let them act as your assistant. And if you can link any of it to what they’re learning at school then that’s a bonus.
Be Flexible
No matter how much you plan to be the perfect employee and home teacher there will still be tears, tantrums, bickering, spilled juice and messy rooms…and that’s just you.
Be ready to deal with any issues that arise during the day and amend your working day accordingly. Some days will be better than others but you’ll get there.
The Career Hunter 