There’s no doubt about it – living on just one income is hard these days. Very hard. The same income that once more than covered household expenditures now often requires additional part-time or full-time monies, just to pay the bills and provide a little breathing room. But how can you work and homeschool? Is that even a thing?
Homeschooling and Working – It is Possible!
The good news is that it IS a thing and is doable. It carries with it its own challenges, but it’s doable. Below, we give you three great ways to make homeschooling and work…um…work!
- Stagger homeschooling and working hours – If you can stagger hours with your spouse, you’ll always have the home base covered. Someone will always be home, so you will just need to set up a schedule that works for your family and make sure everyone is aware of and sticks to it. By working opposite shifts from your spouse, you may find it hard to spend much time together. However, you can maximize the time you do get to spend together by trying to have the same days off.
- Work from home – These days, there are loads of work-at-home opportunities that are all legit, legal, and scam-free. (Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming article on this exact thing VERY soon!) By working from home, you’ll have the advantage of always being at home with your children while still bringing in some income. Depending on the ages of your children, you may want to hire someone to help with childcare while you spend time working. But 4 productive hours are much better than 10 or 12 hours that are mediocre because you were constantly called away by children!
- Homeschool in the evening – If you haven’t landed a job working from home and can’t stand the thought of staggering hours with your spouse, then consider trying to work the same hours your spouse works and splitting the homeschooling responsibilities in the evenings (or whatever hours you’re available). There is nothing written anywhere that says learning only takes place between the hours of 8AM and 3PM. Perhaps for your family, it would be easier to start homeschooling around 4PM? Maybe you’re all night owls who’d rather stay up late working and sleep in later in the daytime hours. Whatever your situation is, keep in mind that schooling can take place ANY hour of the day.