Balancing parenthood and freelancing is something I write about pretty often \u2013 it\u2019s probably my biggest daily challenge, and one that doesn\u2019t have a sense of an end date any time soon. A number of people I know are starting a family while freelancing, and it\u2019s got me thinking \u2013 what would I have done differently if I\u2019d freelanced through my maternity leave\/return to work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If it\u2019s important to have a rainy day fund when you start freelancing, it\u2019s vital when you\u2019ve got dependents. It adds a significant extra weight of responsibility when you have other people to take care of and from a practical point of you, it also significantly adds to your outgoings. At the height of our bills, we were paying a lot more in childcare a month than we were on our mortgage. There\u2019s also extra uncertainty about if\/when you can return to work, so as a minimum, have a 3 month back up of all your side of the bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maternity leave through employers is really structured and I didn\u2019t find it always fit my preferences. There were lots of times I felt able (and really wanted) to do more work than I was allowed under maternity leave rules. It meant my income was capped (frustratingly low at just statutory maternity pay for most of my maternity leave) and I felt I wasn\u2019t able to keep progressing, using my brain and being valued for my knowledge\/experience during that time. Freelancing could offer much more flexibility around taking on work that can be at days\/times to suit and if the right work is available allow you to earn more and keep your \u201cadult\/professional\u201d identity going a little stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d definitely build a network of people who\u2019ve been through it or who are about to \u2013 there\u2019s nothing like hearing what someone else\u2019s experience has been like to help prepare for any imminent highs and lows. I’d also see if there were people who might be able to act as a nominated second if I kept working, just to manage some of the risks, as well as someone to sense-check work with or bounce off of when the sleep deprivation really peaked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re not entitled to statutory maternity pay if you\u2019re self-employed as a sole trader (although I think it\u2019s possible if you have your own limited company), so I\u2019d definitely have to put some research in to understanding what else you qualify for, including Maternity Allowance as it\u2019s not something I know much about. And as part of this, whether other support channels like income protection would add any extra safety net during the main period of maternity leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suddenly spending your time tag-teaming the care of children with a partner has huge implications for work. Whether it\u2019s not being able to travel for a course, or run a session on a day you can\u2019t get childcare, or the upheaval that family illness brings, you suddenly don\u2019t have the same freedom and certainty you might be used to. I\u2019d look at my business offering and build in balance of working from home, especially at the beginning, to mitigate the risks of not being able to travel or make as many in-person events. It would also be amazing to look ahead at how work will play out against short school days and term time only structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having kids brings a whole new meaning to the idea of being partners. What we learned the hard way was that communication was key – to flag when you need help and recognise that neither of us are at our best when chronically sleep-deprived. Not unique to freelancing, but even considering a theoretical extra child makes me think about how you have to confront uncomfortable truths about being the product of your own childhood, how it\u2019s a constant journey of exploration, joy and challenges and how easy it is to underestimate how hard it is to be the one doing the caregiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There a few unique challenges to freelancing through your parental leave, but I also wonder whether it might give more freedom at a time when you need it the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photo by\u00a0Megan Menegay<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Balancing parenthood and freelancing is something I write about pretty often \u2013 it\u2019s probably my biggest daily challenge, and one that doesn\u2019t have a sense of an end date any time soon. A number of people I know are starting a family while freelancing, and it\u2019s got me thinking \u2013 what would I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[37],"tags":[13,11,12,21,25,10],"class_list":["post-557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-development","tag-charity","tag-consultant","tag-freelance","tag-non-profit","tag-self-employment","tag-start-up-2"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t