As for whether it is worth working for a woman on maternity leave, there have always been 2 opposing opinions: “yes” and “no”, like black and white. But in any palette, there are also other colors, shades, halftones …
Is there any motivation? Work!
Public opinion on this issue has always been divided into two, which resulted in heated discussions on the pages of magazines, on television talk shows, and simply in courtyards on benches. Some defended motherhood and argued that women are required to selflessly devote themselves to a child on maternity leave. Others defended women’s freedom and argued that they should not limit themselves in the decree only to motherhood and have every right to remain in demand, professionally realized, and successful. And the truth, as always, is quiet and unchanging: this is a purely private matter for every woman, and therefore there is not, and cannot be the only correct answer.
From the point of view of the woman-mother herself, the choice should be determined by a simple principle: if there is motivation – work!
Motivation, as you understand, can be very different:
- Firstly, the financial situation in the family, and this, of course, also applies to married women, and to a greater extent unmarried women.
- Secondly, if a woman needs to have her own decent income for psychological comfort.
- Thirdly, if your seething energy cannot be limited to the mother channel alone and requires diversity.
- Fourthly, it is important for you to realize yourself as a person who is capable of everything at the same time if there is such an ambitious motive.
- Fifthly, if you want to make up for the lack of communication and lack of socialization.
- Sixth, seventh and eighth is the need to preserve, deepen, and develop professional skills, perhaps to improve skills, and perhaps also to use the decree as the best time to retrain.
Possible “pros”
Working on maternity leave will give the main advantage that the motives for which you actually started working will be satisfied.
Another plus is that work will help you remove childbirth faster after childbirth, and bring yourself into the right physical and mental shape.
Also, because working on maternity leave is likely to be either home-based or part-time, you will be able to experience new benefits of working as such that you did not experience if you worked by the hour in the office:
- No need to run headlong by the time “H”;
- You are not surrounded by envious colleagues and tyrant bosses;
- You will be able, without obeying the general schedule, to independently plan your day depending on the workload and taking into account your individual biorhythms (night/day work hours);
- Your earnings depend solely on you;
- You work and at the same time, you are free!
Among other things, you have a bonus in the form of savings on transport, lunches in cafes, and compliance with the dress code. By the way, according to statistics, a large percentage of women, having tasted these benefits, continue to work on a fee schedule or at home after maternity leave, not wanting to return to boring office work.
Possible “cons”
Do not create illusions that working on maternity leave will harmoniously fit into your motherhood, will not cause contradictions within yourself, and will not be the subject of discussion (and even condemnation) among loved ones. The main “minus” is the need to constantly balance between motherhood and work, which will strive to “tear” you in half.
The “minus” is also the fact that you will inevitably feel like you are pulling a double strap, unlike your husband, for example, who only works. This feeling is not easy in itself, and it can also lead to complications in their relations with her husband.
In addition, you will fully experience the disadvantages of working from home or on a fee schedule, such as:
- The absence of the “Sword of Damocles” in the form of a boss and colleagues working nearby will provoke laziness and you will have to overcome this unfortunate quality every time.
- From nervous overstrain and the proximity of the refrigerator, you can begin to “jam” fatigue and there is a danger of spoiling the figure.
- From double workload, you can forget that you are a woman, stop taking care of yourself, and begin to neglect the joys of sex.
- Unforeseen circumstances, such as a child’s illness, can interfere with your work plans and you will have to compromise, sometimes sacrificing your own sleep.
- If your work is organized via the Internet, you, unfortunately, are not immune from fraud and scammers.
Ideas of “maternity” earnings
Ideas of “maternity” earnings are literally in the air. It is only important to understand what you are ready for: to find a job by all means according to your profile, to turn your hobby into work, to develop some of your hidden talents for work, and to master a new specialty.
During maternity leave you can:
✔ Work on the phone;
✔ Bookkeeping;
✔ Engage in programming;
✔ Type texts, scan books;
✔ Be a moderator on the forums;
✔ Work as a freelancer (copywriting, rewriting, translations);
✔ participate in scenario projects;
✔ develop websites and engage in their promotion and support;
✔ work in the advertising business;
take photos and participate in photo banks or start working with photographs (cropping, retouching, color correction);
✔ engage in the design of clothing, premises, and personal plots;
✔ prepare set meals for small businesses in your area (and deliver them, for example, while walking with a child);
✔ open a mini-nursery, a mini-kindergarten for 3-4 children of about the same age as your child;
✔ provide hairdressing or manicure services at home;
✔ start making handmade jewelry, knitting, sewing and organizing the sale of works among friends and through a local forum;
✔ organize psychological consultations for mothers;
✔ open an online store.
As you can imagine, this list is far from complete. But it already opens up good prospects for a variety of choices.
To start working from home, you need to register, for example, on the remote job search site Pchel.net. Registration is easy and takes less than a minute! After registration, add your photo and write a few words about your education and abilities. After that, you can start looking for suitable work-from-home offers. You can contact the employer directly or just leave your application for a freelance project. If your offer turns out to be competitive, the employer will choose you as a working executor and you will start cooperation.
Note to “maternity” mothers
To prevent your life on maternity leave from turning into hell, no matter what job you end up choosing, listen to 9 tips:
- Forget about work until your baby is six months old.
- Enlist at least a minimum safety net of acquaintances or relatives, so that there is someone to sometimes leave the baby with.
- Keep a diary for work and a diary for observing the baby.
- Give great importance to the proper organization of your day, and clearly divide time: work is a baby.
- Limit the amount of work, do not overdo it, and remember – less is better.
- Don’t be afraid to start a new career.
- Do not believe the advertising fraud, where you are promised incredible earnings for doing almost nothing – free cheese only in a mousetrap.
- Increase self-esteem, convince yourself that you are able to cope with any problem and solve any problem.
- When it becomes completely unbearable, do not blame anyone, remind yourself that no one forced you to work on maternity leave, it was your free choice.
Maternity leave can not only give you the incredible happiness of motherhood, but also give you a great chance to find yourself in a new, perhaps completely unexpected for you, but very interesting and profitable business. You will need healthy adventurism, determination, and patience. Good luck to you and, of course, good luck!
