Work and Home: Part 2

Looking for the right job

If you do work outside of the home, the key to running a home smoothly and caring for the children is choosing the right job.  This may not be easy, depending on your skills and where you live.  Here is list of things I consider when looking for employment:
  • Family friendly—are you able to take time off when a family member is sick, take time off for doctors appointments, school activities, can you bring your child to work occasionally, does your work have a "carer room".
  • Flexible hours—you can start or finish with some flexibility, I can start at 7:30 and leave by 4:15pm?
  • Part-time hours—can you negotiate part-time hours if you wish, work from home?
  • The type of work —will you arrive home exhausted, stressed, will you be asked to take work home? This isn't something you want to do, ever.
  • Hours—will you need to work long hours that limits time with the children, cooking dinner from scratch?
  • Leave—are you able to take leave when you want it e.g. to compliment your husband’s leave, school holidays?
  • Work politics—some jobs contain a lot of politics, you may wish to avoid this.
  • Phone calls from home—not all workplaces like personal calls, this is not a problem for me so my sons can call me when necessary.
  • Travel time—do you need to travel far to get to work?  If so, you will be losing valuable time that you could spend at home?
  • Travel away—will you be asked to travel e.g. interstate? If so, how often?
  • Promotion—if you do take a promotion what does that mean to your home life and if you don’t take a promotion will you be penalized as not being ambitious?
  • Other staff—do they understand you situation e.g. is the team full of young single women? How do the men treat the women and vice versa?
  • What to wear—what are you expected to wear (is there a uniform?), is wearing modest clothing going to be acceptable?

You may not be able to find a job where you can tick all the boxes, however if you don't ask, you won't get. The aim is to avoid a tired mum or a grumpy mum and to create a happy mum.

If working is something your husband and you have decided is necessary, pray for guidance, the Lord will provide.  He provided me with the job I currently have and of the list above there is only one thing I can't do and that is work part-time. But through prayer that may change down the track.  Trust in the Lord to provide.  He ALWAYS does, often when you least expect.  He knows your situation, far more than we often realise.

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Comments

  1. Great post again Jo... your list is very practical and informative for one weighing up their options. Better to think of these things beforehand rather than get a job which would cause stress later on.

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  2. Jo, it really is important to seek God's will for our lives. My husband and I desired to work together in our first couple of years of marriage and now 11 years later we built a B&B in 2005 and have been operating now for 5 years and I praise God for His guidance in every decision. We love our lifestyle of homeschooling and working from home, it all intertwines together. Great post Jo.

    p.s loving getting to know you, you have alot of wisdom in God and I appreciate that! xxxx

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  3. Sarah, one should never rush off to find employment if it is not God's will and if it is, He will prove - you are quite right, seek His guidance first. Otherwise it is just a selfish act.

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  4. I have seen the Lord's grace over my husbands life at work. He is enjoying privileges that we know came directly from our Jehovah Jireh.

    Prayer is key. The Lord knows exactly what we need and He is more than willing to provide right down to all those specifics you mentioned in your list.

    What a blessing that enjoy most all benefits you listed! May our gracious and loving Lord continue to shower His grace over you especially at your place of employment.

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  5. A very sensible list of things to consider. I work part-time so my husband can work in a "church job" where he can serve God. It still allows us plenty of time for family life. I'm very grateful that we are able to do this.

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  6. This is a good post, Jo. Prayer is such a key - and I think this list can be used for what kind of work a husband will do as well! Family men can't be career men or their family will never see them!

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  7. Clara, I thought about that very point after I wrote it- men often don't think about these things before looking for a job. But if they have to work long hours, bring home heaps of work,have to travel interstate, or get heavily involved in office politics it is likely to affect the home.

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