Best Jobs for Single Mums (UK)

Everyone wants a job that’s truly right for them, but this is particularly important for a single mum. The huge responsibility load of a working single parent can be really difficult to manage. There’s an ongoing battle of time – there are a lot of things a single mum needs to do in a day! So she needs a job that’s going to fit that. So we’ve put together some inspiration for the best jobs for Single Mums in the UK.

Signs That a Single Mum is in a Job That’s Not Right for Her:

• Exhaustion. A single parent doesn’t have the luxury of coming home from the workday to put their feet up and relax. When you have kids, and when you look after them alone, the day doesn’t truly end until they go to bed! Which can be hours after work. If you’re finding that you’re totally burned out a the end of every day, and showing signs of stress or exhaustion, you may be working too many hours.

• Work Anxiety. Are you constantly worrying about what you’re boss is going to say? Because you had to take a sick day to look after your unwell child, or you were late today because there was a last-minute childcare issue? If you’re constantly anxious that you’re going to face reprimand or even straight-up discrimination because you’re a parent as well as an employee, it’s a sign that you aren’t working in a family-friendly company, or for an understanding boss.

[Know your rights on child-friendly working hours]

• Signs of unhappiness in your kids. On the flip side from the first two scenarios, you may be feeling like you can juggle everything just fine and your company are great about you having children – but your kids may be miserable about how many hours you spend at work. It might be a problem that could be solved as simply as changing their childcare arrangements to somewhere that they enjoy more. But it’s worth considering if you’ve got the balance of work and parenting quite right. If you’re on incredibly long hours or unsociable shifts, you should ask yourself if you want to be working a job that lets you be at home for your children more.

Jobs that Centre Around Childcare and School Hours

For single parents with young children, jobs that centre around childcare are brilliant for several reasons. These jobs often involve shorter days, and match the hours that your kids are out of the house. If you can get a job at the school that your child goes to, it completely eliminates the need to worry about travel time to go and pick them up, or to have to use after-school or breakfast clubs.

There’s also the big factor of the six-week summer holiday. School staff get this time off, so it could mean a massive financial saving for those six weeks when you would usually have to arrange childcare. And of course, it would just be lovely to have all that quality time to spend with them.

Examples of School/Childcare Jobs

Early Years Professional

Early years practitioners are also known as nursery nurses. They are specialists who look after the social and educational development of babies and young children up to the age of five years old.

Average Salary: £19,000
Working Hours: Part Time hours or 35 to 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday
Perks: If you have a child under 5 you could enrol them at your workplace.

Early Years Teacher

Early years teachers are specialists in early childhood development and work with children up to the age of 5.

Average Starting Salary: £16,000 Experienced: Up to £36,000
Working Hours: Hours vary depending on your setting and can be up to 40 hours a week. Work within a school would typically cover the hours of around 8.30am to 3.30/4pm.

Primary School Teaching

As a primary school teacher, you’ll develop schemes of work and lesson plans in line with curriculum objectives. You’ll facilitate learning by establishing a relationship with pupils, keeping your learning resources organised and creating a positive learning environment in the classroom.

Average Salary: £28,000 to £38,810
Working Hours: Monday to Friday from 8.40am until 3.20pm, plus lesson planning which can be done at home.
Perks: Six-week summer break and half-term breaks.

Secondary Teaching

As a secondary school teacher you’ll teach pupils aged 11 to 16 (or up to 18 if the school has a sixth form). Specialising in a particular subject, you’ll plan, teach and assess lessons in line with curriculum objectives.

Average Salary: £28,000 to £38,810
Working Hours: Teachers are in school for 39 weeks of the year. Hours vary between schools but are usually from 8.30am until 3.30pm or 4pm. Marking and lesson planning can be done at home.
Perks: Six-week summer break and half-term breaks.

Self-Employed Jobs Where you can Choose Your Own Hours

Completely Unsure of What to Do?

Going back to the drawing board for what you should do for work can be a very daunting situation. If you’re unsure of what you think you might want to do, start by writing down a list of your best qualities. Then try looking at that list and highlight any of those things that be considered as, or converted to skills. Once you have a list of your best skills, try to think about which jobs they would fit. From there, you can think about which of those jobs might be flexible in hours or might give you a good work-life balance. Alternatively, Take a career test.