Are You Trying To Work Full-Time And Homeschool? 5 Steps To Get Getting Started
Are you trying to work full-time and homeschool? Find out what to expect and tips and resources to successfully handle both!
I still remember the day I began to juggle being a mom, working full time, and homeschooling.
All the hats I tried to wear looked so pretty as they came crashing down around my head.
I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t even know what to change.
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Perfection Not Required
I remember being a new homeschool mom. I was trying to work full-time and homeschool at the same time. I felt overwhelmed, scared I was going to mess my kids up for LIFE and do everything wrong.
I wish someone had said, “You are going to mess up. It’s gonna be okay.”
So I want to tell you, that I made mistakes. I failed. I fell. I cried. A lot.
I hit burnout first and survival mode. Yes, they are both REAL.
Gonna be honest, trying to work full-time and homeschool are probably one of the most challenging AND rewarding things I’ve ever done.
Had I built the foundation, known what to expect, and had systems in place, it would have gone A LOT smoother.
This getting started checklist is perfect for the mom who plans to work full-time and homeschool. But it’s also great if you are still struggling. ♥
5 Steps To Getting Started Homeschooling
Are you considering working full-time and homeschooling your child? Choosing to homeschool can be an overwhelming experience when you are trying to figure out how it works. Maybe you are secretly freaking out because homeschooling will be mostly your responsibility.
Maybe you worry you won’t be good enough. How do you even get started? If you don’t know where to begin or if you are even capable of doing this, you are in the right place!
You CAN Work full-time and homeschool. They can go hand in hand. First, let’s dig into a quick list of how to get started:
Step 1: Find Out Your Legal Requirements
There are very few things you MUST do as a homeschool mom but one thing you MUST do when homeschooling is to follow the laws of your area.
Find your local homeschool laws here:
For information in other countries, please contact your local department of education. You’ll find all kinds of helpful information, including what type of recordkeeping you’ll need to keep.
Warning: You need to do your own research. Many well-meaning people, both online and offline, will offer their opinions but they can unintentionally pass along inaccurate information! You don’t want that.
Step 2: Deschool Yourself
Deschooling is something I never heard of until I started this blog. It is one of the few things I feel would have really made a massive change on our own homeschool journey.
In a nutshell, deschooling is a period of time when a family takes an intentional break from traditional learning.
The focus during this time period is relationship building and the shedding of the public school mentality.
Deschooling will look different for every family, depending on your current life situation and your experiences with the local public school system.
You can get an idea of what this might look like for working moms here or invest and lay the foundation for your crazily successful, productive, and effective homeschool with this mini-course, Deschooling Essentials.
Take this time to connect with your child and learn through play. Educate yourself. (Here are some great resources to check out.)
Step 3: Understand The Freedom Of Homeschool Life
Once you learn that homeschooling is not locked into 8-5, Monday-Friday, a whole new world will open up to you because you can homeschool and learn anytime you wish. So if you decide to work full-time and homeschool, you can get stuff done at other times! Not just normal school hours.
Read examples of other working moms’ schedules and how they make it work here. This is also a great way to build your own confidence. I know you can do it, but you might not believe me.
Reading what it looks like and knowing there are other working moms out there homeschooling can make a big difference.
Step 4: Make A Plan
Life as a busy working homeschool mom means you need to track all the moving pieces. To remove some of the overwhelm and stress of it all, I highly recommend using a planning system of some sort.
I do not believe that there is ONE perfect planner for everyone, but I do believe you need a planning system that you will USE!
Create a simple schedule using tools and resources that work with your child’s learning style and your family life.
And for creating your curriculum and programs, make sure to do steps 1, 2, 3 here.
Step 5: Go Slow
Homeschooling is a marathon, not a sprint.
Slowly introduce new concepts and review often what is working and what doesn’t. Change when needed but give it time and grace.
Bonus: But don’t buy all the things. Instead, start slowly. Use what you have on hand until you need a resource or tool to help.
The first few months of homeschooling are all about connecting with your kids, learning how they learn, how you teach and figuring it out. It means finding out what works and what doesn’t. This takes time!
I often tell working moms that if their homeschool falls apart in the first month, they succeeded. The point of that first month of every new homeschool year is to figure out new schedules, homeschool programs, and routines. Armed with the information gathered from that first month, you can make small adjustments until you figure out what works.
11 Ways To Get Started When You Work Full-Time And Homeschool
When I look back at the beginning of my working homeschool mom life, there are a few things I wish someone had told me.
Below you will find THAT list. Consider it a gift from me to you.
1. Life Is Going To Change.
One of the biggest mistakes you want to avoid is thinking nothing is going to change.
Life changes. Adding work or homeschooling to your already full plate is going to change your life in one way or another.
Understanding this and getting systems in place will help you and your family adjust.
A few systems you’ll want to get in place are:
- Making sure your children can make basic meals such as breakfast and lunch. This will not only save you time but make your kids feel like part of the solution.
- Prepare ahead of time quiet boxes to use while taking calls, meeting with clients in your home as a work-at-home mom, or any time you need your child to be busy so you can work.
- If you work at home, train your children to let you get your work done.
- Let them do simple age-appropriate chores
2. Realize Your “Idea” May Not Be Reality. And That Is OK!
You might have this idea of what working full-time and homeschooling might look like.
As you scroll through your favorite social media platform and look at these beautiful amazing, and organized families sitting around their latest, read-aloud all cozy.
Confession: Homeschooling doesn’t look like that for most of us. Especially if you are a working mom and have decided to work full-time and homeschool.
Homeschooling looks different for everyone. And it should.
If you are reaching the homeschool goals that you set for yourself and your family, great! That is all that really matters.
Do that until it doesn’t work anymore. Then step back and regroup until you find something else.
3. Child Care Solutions:
When you decide to work full-time and homeschool, finding child care can be a hard hurdle to overcome. Many daycare centers will stop taking kids that are older.
Before I even started to look for work, I asked around and had a few options open to me. I am one of the blessed ones in that I had family living nearby. We also hired a sitter for a few hours.
Not everyone has that luxury. Keep in mind that childcare costs money. You’ll want to make sure that returning to work full-time is worth it to you financially.
I shared 15 ideas for childcare solutions that can help you find childcare for your kids. Remember that not all of these ideas will work for you. Always do what is best for you.
Make sure to grab the list of questions to ask as you want to vet your child care. Never rely on an agency to ask the question you need answering.
4. Finding Time To Homeschool:
Homeschooling must take place between 8-4 M-F, right? WRONG. Homeschooling is extremely flexible in that your child can learn whenever and wherever you need them to. When you work full time and homeschool M-F, 8-4 probably won’t work!
When you first begin homeschooling, this truth might take time to see. But once you realize that your child is always learning, it is really hard to UNSEE it.
If you work full-time and homeschool, use the flexibility to your advantage. Many of us who have work schedules that are always changing choose to take our “weekends” during the week. That is when we do errands, library trips, and visit museums and parks. (Hint: These are great places for your kids to learn without textbooks.)
We teach on the weekends. Hitting the books before and after work.
As much as I love planners, the type of planner doesn’t really matter. Find one that works for you and use it.
The system is what DOES matter. Many have benefited from using my own step-by-step system of figuring out how to fit homeschooling into a busy life.
It is simple, effective, and works 😉
5. Getting Started With Curriculum
If you are pulling your child from public school, the first thing you need to do is deschool.
What is deschooling?
In a nutshell, deschooling is a period of time when a family takes an intentional break from traditional learning.
The focus during this time period is relationship building and the shedding of the public school mentality.
Deschooling will look different for every family, depending on your current life situation and your experiences with the local public school system.
After you’ve deschooled, you will want to figure out how you teach and how your child learns.
My number piece of advice that I live and breathe by is this:
It really is all about You. Your child. Your Family. Your Homeschool. In that order.
I explain how that works here: Curriculum Planning: It really is all about YOU.
The next step is finding out what you need to do as far as legal requirements for your area (use the resources above to guide you.), how your child learns, and whether it works for you. I use 7 questions to help me pick out the curriculum for my kids.
If you are a brand new homeschooling mom, be sure to read our favorite resources for getting started with homeschooling.
6. Finding Friends For Your Child:
Because like or not, we all need friends.
It can be difficult for homeschooled kids to make new friendships, especially if you work full-time and homeschool.
This is because homeschooled kids are:
- Not exposed to other children on a regular basis,
- Mom or Dad are working when these activities take place,
- Mom and Dad don’t realize how important it is to have friends that are kids
This is not about socialization it is about giving our kids the chance to make lasting friendships.
Remember, our job is not to force our kids to make friends. It is to provide them with the opportunity to meet children. What happens from there is really up to them.
Providing these opportunities is not always easy. It means a sacrifice of both time, energy, and effort. It might mean stepping up to the plate more than we want to. But we are parents, it is what we do!
You can help your child find friends as a mom who has decided to work full-time and homeschool. It just might mean getting a bit creative and thinking outside the box.
7. Don’t Do It Alone, Involve Your Family
I’m circling back to where we began. Get help.
You are not superwoman and you can’t do it all. None of us can.
As I tried to work full-time and homeschool. Plus I tried to do the cooking, shopping, cleaning, etc., all on my own without help, it led to a super not fun period called Homeschool Burnout. Ladies…do yourself a favor and avoid this at all costs.
After a good chat with my husband and teens about teamwork, life got so much better.
My husband grocery shops, my kids do chores, and are learning to cook. My husband cooks on the weekends.
We work together around the house on the yard work. This is a great way to spend time with your family and catch up.
You don’t have to do it all. Ask for help.
8. Don’t Do It Alone, Find Your Tribe
I know how it feels to be alone on this journey. To be surrounded by others who don’t really get it.
It is why I started this site, actually. I felt so alone. I knew there had to be others out there doing this thing and doing it well. Turns out I was right. I knew there had to be other moms who decided to work full-time and homeschool!
I’ve had the privilege of interviewing many moms who work full-time and homeschool. They are doing some amazing things such as:
- Running their own businesses
- Working outside the home
- Blogging
- Teachers (in the public school system)
- Authors
- Creating online courses
- Just to name a few. (Read these interviews here)
I also hang out with super positive, supportive, and kick-butt moms who work full-time and homeschool. It’s the perfect place to get feedback, make friendships, and ask questions.
It is a balancing act, more like a juggling act, to work full-time and homeschool.
I have two online communities, specifically for moms who work full-time and homeschool.
It can be done. You are not alone!
9. Take Steps To Avoid Burnout
Burnout is real. You need to recognize the signs and how to take action to stop them before it hits.
What is Burnout?
Burnout can happen to anyone and can vary from person to person.
Generally speaking, burnout is more than being tired, exhausted, and not wanting to do anything.
Instead, it is characterized by chronic exhaustion, feelings of frustration, and powerlessness. Being overwhelmed by minor things such as basic everyday decisions of what to eat, wear, and do. Handling everyday tasks is like the straw that broke the camel’s back. You just can’t cope!
Those suffering often will withdraw emotionally from family and friends in order to cope. They lose motivation and become less productive.
Having the systems in place, as I mentioned above is a big help in avoiding burnout.
But if you’ve put off getting those systems in place OR haven’t discovered what will work and won’t work for you yet, you might still be floundering.
Learn how to avoid burnout, along with the steps to get you back on track!
10. Know The Signs of Survival Mode & How To Get OUT!
When we experience trauma, loss, or change in our life, we can find ourselves acting, saying, and doing things we never thought we would. Major shifts in our life often result in added stress and can trigger “Survivor mode.”
No matter if you are already working full-time and are adding homeschooling to your life, or you are already homeschooling and entering the workplace, this change can activate survival instincts.
All of a sudden, you are doing new things. You have added responsibilities to an already full life. Kids to teach, lessons to plan, a boss or clients to answer to, a house to run, food to shop for and prepare, and the list goes on.
When you decide to work full-time and homeschool, it is a big change that no one wants to talk about.
I share 9 signs of survival mode and how to get out right here.
11. It Takes Time To Find Your Groove
If you are brand new to juggling work, homeschool, being a mom, and all the things, be patient.
With both you and your children. It takes time to adjust.
The first year is always the hardest. You will make mistakes. You will have hard days. You will have great days.
This is normal.
When asked what one thing a mom who decides to work full-time and homeschool should know is, I often reply, Don’t do it alone. There are actually 50 things I’d like to add to it. Grab that list here.
It can be hard to think positively when loved ones, friends, and family tell you what you are trying to do isn’t impossible. I am here to tell you it IS possible to work full-time and homeschool.
These are just some of the building blocks of a creating foundation to help you when you decide to work full-time and homeschool. If you are looking for more information, grab our checklist to get started.
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Hi, I’m Jen. I help working moms juggle their career and homeschool their kids by providing support, systems and tools. You are warmly invited to Join the Online Community Here!
