I want to be a work at home mum.
I have no objections to working outside the house per se (that is a word I have never written before. Had to look up the spelling!) but while Noah is younger I definitely want to be at home with him as much as possible and Shun & I talked about this before he was born and decided that once he was about six months old I would try to bring in some extra income if possible while also staying home with him. If it turned out that I couldn`t then maybe once he was a year old (and no longer breastfeeding as much) then I would look for part-time work outside the house preferably on a Saturday so that Shun could be around to watch the baby or on a Tuesday which is the week day my MIL has off work (and she has said she would be happy to watch Noah) although not sure how I would feel about asking her to watch him EVERY week. Once he was in school (and we plan to have another child so once that child also reached school age) then I would definitely consider returning to full-time work if I had to.
I currently do the occasional English lesson. Mainly English conversation as that is easy to do with Noah around (ie, no text book usually and free conversation style meaning if Noah is with me on my lap, or playing on the floor, it is no problem). Before Noah was born I did many different things. I worked in publishing and event planning for awhile for a foreign owned company here and also worked as an international preschool teacher and have also done a variety of English teaching type lessons for children and adults with varying levels of English. In Australia I did mainly government contract work as a personal assistant and also as assistant project officer on small to medium sized projects.
So I actually have quite a few marketable skills. I speak conversational Japanese but my reading is TERRIBLE (as my husband continuously tells me. He asks me all the time when am I going to learn to READ the stuff we get from the town hall and/or the grocery delivery place etc etc instead of piling it all up on the table for him to check and tell me what we need to keep and what we can throw away. I am obviously also fluent in English as it is my native language! Translation work is obviously out though since my reading of the Japanese language is still so poor.
I know if I put my mind to something then I could succeed. I just am not sure what I WANT to do or what could work.
I have tossed up a couple of ideas- I am happy to teach as long as students don`t mind if Noah is around (unless they want a weekend lesson, in that case Shun would be able to watch Noah on most occasions) and am happy to do that outside the house or at my own place. I could do freelance work for example in proofreading or as a native checker although would DEFINITELY need to brush up on my skills in this area. I could also write although not sure who would be willing to pay me to do that but it is definitely an option and I recently did an online course on writing for magazines. I have even thought about doing some kind of importing/exporting on a small level between here and Australia.
Since Noah was born I have thought more and more about what I want from my life and it is not necessarily that I WANT to work but more that I need to if I want to be able to go out with friends, have playgroup dates and travel to and from Australia each year. Shun & I also want to buy a house some day soon and on one salary it would be years before we could save enough.
So I want to hear about your suggestions and your experiences. I want to know if you have any ideas you think I should throw into the ring.
I also want to say that while I personally do not want to put Noah into full-time daycare I have nothing against mum`s that do this. My decision behind wanting (and of course this might change) to stay at home with Noah (and future children) and work from home is because I desperately want Noah to be fully bilingual and I think that since we could not afford to put him in an international daycare or kindergarten that me staying home with him is going to be the stepping stone for ensuring he is bilingual. I know that once he enters school here that Japanese will more than likely become his more dominant language which is why I want to give him such a good grounding in English to begin with.
So everyone, toss your ideas at me. Do you work from home? Why or why not? What do you do and how did you come to do it? Have an experience to share then please do!
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I am just a twenty something Aussie girl living in Chiba, Japan with my Japanese husband trying to make sense of the crazy Japanese world we live in! We welcomed our first son in December 2009 (Noah) and a second son in January 2011, 2 months premature (Shion). I am working hard at raising them to be confident, bilingual, happy kids!
I’m not sure what the laws are in Japan, but is it possible for you to open your own mini international day care? During the week watch 2-3 other children where you only speak English to them?
I think your options for working from home are probably limited to those you have mentioned – teaching English and proofreading (though I hear the proofreading is not so easy to come by). If you’re interested in writing for magazines etc. the best thing to do is just start doing it! I’m sure English mags like Metropolis and Being a Broad etc. would be interested in reading a proposal/reviewing a draft article. Even if unpaid at first it’s important to have some published writing to show in order to be able to get the paid work.
There are a few comments I’d like to make. Your baby is only 4 months. Right now he is your whole world, right? And rightly so. But based on my own and also some friends’ experiences in a few or maybe 6-8 months time you may start feeling like you want/need other dimensions to your life. You may start missing not only the income but the adult interaction and opportunities for meeting people that you wouldn’t meet if you were a SAHM, that paid work outside of the home brings. Also once your son is older (eg. two or even 18 mths), it’s going to be very difficult to do any work at home with him around. So I want to encourage your thinking about paid work and also at this early stage suggest you try and be open-minded about how you might achieve it. I’m not sure you have to choose between having your son becoming billingual and taking on work outside the home.
Jackie- I am not sure on the exact laws here either for that sort of thing but it is definitely an option. It is more of an option if we owned our own place- living in a rented apartment might make it a LITTLE bit difficult. I have thought about doing mummy and me classes in English (and having Noah with me)- but I am yet to ask the local community centres and the local parent/child cafe about this possibility. Should get cracking!!
Violet- Thanks for the comment. I am definitely not ruling out putting Noah in daycare or returning to full-time work or work outside the home at least but for the next few years I would prefer to stay at home- at least that is my thinking at the moment. Putting him in day care once or twice a week would be a nice option when he is older (like 18 months or so like you say) as I definitely think socialization is important as well but these part-time day care options are harder to come by in Japan (at least affordable options)
There is also no public daycare in Funabashi where I live apparently. So putting him in private might not be a financially viable option…
I am actually published so have some clips BUT nothing that has been paid. All from previous work in Japa and also a couple of things online and in Australia- some done in my married name, some done in my maiden name and also a couple things under a alias (the word for alias when write has totally escaped me? pseudonym, pen name) I have some articles that I could query out but I haven`t yet. I feel so lazy sometimes. I should of done it already. I am sure that if I put my mind to it I could do freelance writing part-time- It is definitely something I would LOVE to do.
I can definitely understand where you are coming from about wanting other dimensions in my life in 6-8 months time- ie more adult interaction etc but even if I put Noah into daycare or something I still think I would prefer to have a work from home option. I might change my mind though, that is for sure.
Lulu, I know exactly what you are going through. I’ve stayed home most of the last 5.5 years since giving birth to my first child. Jump to the conclusion, I have no regrets. When we lived in Okinawa, Japan, which was during my first child’s age between 1.5 and 3.5 years old, I was able to work as a freelance interpreter and translator quite frequently. I loved it. Since we came back to the U.S. 1.5 years ago, it’s been hard. The daycare in the D.C. Metropolitan area is double or more than you pay for a private option in Japan. Insane. During the last 1.5 years I learned a lot about myself and now I can say that it was good me to have gone through this period. I learned a lot about myself.
I also felt the way Violet mentioned about missing the stimulation you get in the working environment. I have some awesome, talented, inspiring stay-at-home moms who have helped me through these past 5 years.
There is one thing that senior moms whose kids are already old enough to go to college or work say to me. Why rush? Your kids stay little for so long. Noah will start “yochien” (preschool) at the age of 3 in Japan. That’s in 3 years. You can start doing more work then.
It sounds like you like to write. You should keep up your work on your blog. Start writing about things that you would like to market to magazines you’ll eventually want to work for. This is just an example, but if you would like to sell your writing to a travel magazine, start blogging about local spots tourists would enjoy going and report on your blog.
There are 27 public daycare in Funabashi City (I just checked online). The problem is that you have to have a job to be able to apply which is strange. Here’s the link for the information regarding daycare on the City Hall’s web site. You might want to ask your husband to read it since it’s all in Japanese.
http://www.city.funabashi.chiba.jp/hoiku/toppage/toppage.htm
By the way, if you want to google childcare in your region and put “daycare” in katakana, you’ll get the info. about elderly home because in Japanese, daycare means “elderly care”.
You can work on your blog when Noah-kun is asleep. During the day, I would say why don’t you start an English school at home for moms who want to learn the language. There are many Japanese moms with very young children like yours’ age who would love to learn English. Make it like a play date type of English class. You can also have classes for small kids. Parents always love teaching their kids English from their early age. If you have English classes for kids or moms with small kids, you can have Noah kun with you.
The first 3 years of your child’s life is a critical part of his foundation, forming his personality and teaching him behaviors. It’s the molding stage. I’m no doctor or psychologist, so don’t quote me on this, but from my own experience, once they pass those first 3 years, it becomes more challenging to influence them. They have their own opinions and become a little person. If you your gut feelings tell you that you want to spend more time with your son, I’d say do it. You can always go back to work if you work hard for it, but your kid will never grow back younger. Obviously! Surprisingly enough many people forget about this fact! Savor every moment with your son. There are hard days and there are moments I wish I had a job because going to work is far easier than taking care of your own child. However, you can’t pay for the experience you’re having right now. Don’t forget to keep educating yourself, too.
As for teaching English to Noah-kun, it is very important that your son will be able to speak English when he grows up. Unfortunately, Japanese is not as useful as English. Your son will appreciate you if you teach him English.
Alright, it’s time for me to wrap this up. It’s like a novel… Ooops! I write way too long….
I hope you’re having a good weekend!
Kaho
I hope you don’t think I’m crazy! MY LAST COMMENT IS REALLY LONG!!! Dang.
Hey! My comment will probably be most boring to you since we’ve talked about it a few times already. As you know I’m sort of stuggling with the same decision(s). Currently I’m making a decent but small amount a month as a translator and deciding whether and how much work I can take on is difficult. On the one hand, the extra money is great but on the other hand making sure Sakura is looked after while I work is difficult too.
I did use the part-time daycares in Niigata, and would consider using them here too. (Esp. just once a week) but Sakura is older and drinking from a bottle now which makes that a decidedly easier thing to do.
I agree that taking on some proofreading would be lucrative. When I have some spare moments I can see if I can find a couple places for you to send a resume out to off of my “propspective translation agency lists” I have seen quite a few of them looking for proofreaders – unfortunately like translation its a chicken or egg situation where you need experience to get work, but no one will hire you without experience.
RE full time working. Our situations are a bit different as you have decided to stay in Japan (pretty much right?) and we are considering moving back to America in the near future. Having recent fulltime work on my resume would probably be helpful when looking for a job when/if I go back. I’m not super keen on sending Sakura to full time day care under 3ish but debating with looking for a full-time (or better) part-time “real” job from this autumn.
I’d say if you are only looking to work to add to your savings, you wouldn’t necessarly need a full-time job just yet. BTW – I will get the friends I asked about in touch with you and see if you can talk about tutoring her dad. Deciding what to do and how much of it is difficult – but like you said you are very talented and marketable and I’m sure if you set your mind too it, you won’t have too hard a time. Its difficult with a 4 month old, but like others said even in a couple months time he will be more independent and you can see how you feel then!
Sorry I wrote a lot too…
Oh the joys of deciding what to do!!!
I have worked full-time (operating room nurse), went back to work when the kids were still quite small. So I don’t get the Mother’s Guilt that people seem to put on you because you have to work if you want all the extra things in life. I tell myself it’s not the quanitity of time I spend with the boys but the quality. On my days off we have a family day where we go out either to the park, beach etc or just playing board games and reading together. The boys certainly aren’t missing out because I work. The only time I feel really bad is if they have something special at school and I can’t get there.
Anyway things I had thought about doing if I was a stay at home Mum included: selling Tupperware or Avon, babysitting, ironing and gardening.
Take care!!
Alannah
I didn’t meant to put you on a guilt trip by writing what I wrote. I’m sorry if I did. From what I sensed in your words, it seemed that you felt strongly about staying home at least when your child was very young and you were searching ideas to work from home, so I just threw some thoughts out there from that perspective. At the end of the day, it’s your choice. You have to trust your instinct and do what you think is right for you. Frankly, I’m not totally on a stay-at-home-mom side, either. I myself would love to work to some extent, maybe not full time yet as my kids are young. Working part time would be nice if my circumstance was different. I agree with Alannah that it’s definitely quality of time, not quantity and I do remind myself of this all the time. Unfortunately, in term of English language acquisition you are concerned about for Noah when you start leaving Noah at a daycare, the quantity of time that he is exposed to a language wins his language preference.
I really know how you feel – I love having time with Ali, and it seems like our children are young for such a short time that it is a pity to miss out on it if you can afford to work part-time or work from home. Even though Ali is in daycare two days a week I have been doing freelance work from home or close to home, and only choosing work with flexible hours so that I can put him there 8.30-3.30, whereas if I had a job in the city that was 9-5 he would have to be in daycare 8-6 which seems too long for a toddler. (And I know that I am lucky that we can afford to live mostly on one income right now, and I haven’t been forced to go back to work full time for financial reasons)
I would like to keep working from home, and I’m doing an amazing course at the moment, http://www.biznessbabes.com.au – which is designed to help mums set up their own businesses (it’s free, and provides childminding during the classes!) Even though it’s in Australia you could read some of the case studies for inspiration (and maybe one of the Brisbane courses will tie up with one of your visits home some time? It wouldn’t hurt to add yourself to the mailing list). One of the former students who came to guest speak this week runs an online shop from her home, and has structured the business around being available for her 3 children under 4. She has been really successful and now employs her husband! (the site is at http://www.ashnjuls.com.au, if you want to take a look). Do you think you could start some kind of small online business from home, like an Etsy shop? They don’t always need a lot of start-up money, as long as you start small. So many people love Japanese fabric and cute things like decole.
Hum. I thought there was a lot of public daycares in Funabashi. There are no public kindergartens though. I could be wrong but I’m almost certain the two daycares near my house are public. There are also two private daycares near me that are also have kids who are “assisted” by the city but I am not sure how that works. You might have more options in that area than you think.
PS I think my comment got marked as spam because it has links – it’s “awaiting moderation”…
Chuzai Living (Kaho): I found your comment extremely helpful (so don`t worry! I did not feel like you layed guilt on me!)- your perspective is kind of what I am leaning towards. Would love some part-time work from home options (and thanks for suggestions) but REALLY want to be around to spend time with Noah as well. Financially, for us, if we want to buy a house, then i have to at least earn my own pocket money and also help save towards trips home. I plan to go home once a year and my husband wants to come every second year so we have to make sure we put money aside for this.
All Public daycare in Japan (from my understanding) has to have the mothers working a certain number of hours a week. I think it is also possible if you have a certain number of children at home but I am not sure. It might depend on the prefecture one lives in. But yes, you need confirmation from an employer to be able to put your children or even apply for public daycare. I can understand this though- in Australia I don`t think we have public daycare and it is VERY expensive- the system in Japan seems a lot better.
As you said I really do want to be at home with Noah til he starts kindy- that is what I want (at the moment) more than anything. But I do need part-time work that I can take him with me or work from home otherwise I won`t be able to do this.
Thanks for your advice- always nice to hear from sempai mama`s! Oh and I leave seriously long comments on others blogs sometimes so I don`t think you are crazy at all.
Sara: Yeah, we have talked about this before. I have experience doing proofreading from my old job (definitely need to brush up on my skills though) and also did a government based proofreading and editing course when I was back in Australia (just a 2 day thing) so if I wanted to do it TECHNICALLY I could say I have experience. I am much better at proofreading others work than my own. My blog is an example of HOW bad I am at proofreading (or lazy, as I just don`t bother usually)
I have a couple places to apply to for this already but if you find some more please let me know. I want to spend some time working on my skills and updating my resume before applying though: my current resumes (I have 2) are more geared towards temp government work and the other towards teaching so I have to make a new one or at least revamp the govt work one.
THanks for the input!
Allanah: You had a career before you had the boys so I guess it was a little easier to go back to maybe? I was never in a job longer than 18 months since I left uni so I have no “career” as such. Well no one career as I do different work depending on the country I am in. I miss teaching kids- I really enjoyed it and it would be great if I could find a place where Noah could come with me like in another international kindergarten setting although I think I would have to wait til he was weaned at least unless it was just a part-time gig. I have thought about speaking with the private kindys and daycares in the area to see if they want someone to come once a week for English time. I really need to get my act together!!
Perhaps next weekend when Shun is around again (tomorrow is our anniversary so we are going out) I can get him to watch Noah for a couple of hours so that I can make up some plans.
Oh and I totally agree with you- it is the quality not quantity of time that is important. This is a FANTASTIC point and something I will have to remember!
Suzy; I saved your comment. Thanks for letting me know!
It is great that you do freelance work from home: that would be awesome. What sort of work do you do? Writing or design? I know you have experience in both since we used to work at the same place :S
So do you usually only do the work the two days that Ali is in daycare and/or when he is asleep?!
FInancially is what is difficult for us I think. We can live on one salary- and we are doing okay but if we want anything “more” then I really need to work. Ie, a house or international travel. At the moment we are not saving much each month and we want to start saving more. Combined with budgetting and if I worked part-time or freelanced from home then this could be possible.
I know we talked recently about a possible at home business that you and you friend might be starting. I have some more ideas for that for you actually!
I have thought about an etsy shop selling Japanese crafting supplies etc- I know there is a market for it but I do worry that there is a lot of others doing a similar thing. A search on etsy brings up a fair bit. I do love etsy though!
The course you mentioned looks interesting. I will look into it further and read the casestudies. Thanks!
SHerry: I got confused about the public daycare and public yochien. I knew that one of them was not available in Funabashi. Now I realize there is public daycare but NOT yochien. I should probably look into short term daycare anyway just in case I ever have an emergency come up or have to go somewhere where I can`t take Noah. Will do some research and then check to make sure I am reading it right (ie, ask Shun! HAHA).
Thanks everyone for all of the comments. This is exactly the sorts of things I was hoping to hear and advice I needed when I wrote about this on my blog. Please keep the comments coming!
I teach ESL from 2:30pm – 7:00pm every Tuesday (5 classes, 18 kids). I use our church building since no one is using it during the week and most of the kids are from that neighborhood. My husband works from home that day so he turns into “Mommy” and I get to be “Sarah” for awhile! I’m actually thinking of starting another day in our neighborhood and renting the “neighborhood house” (こうみんかん？) I asked around and I can rent it for the whole day for 1000yen. It already has tables, chairs, a blackboard and an A/C unit so it’s perfect. Once Natsuki starts preschool, she can stay in the afterschool program and Emi can watch Misaki & Sakura once they get home. I’m thinking of starting with two classes and go from there. Anyways, all of that just to say that you might be able to do something like this in your neighborhood, too.
For babies/toddlers, sometimes area daycares or preschools will have services available where they’ll watch your baby just for one day a week or other variations. Depending on the school, it can be very affordable. Maybe that would be a good compromise between full-time daycare and doing nothing.
Good luck! I’m sure you’ll find something that will work for you!
Well I’m a working mom but had a SAHD for the 1st two years of Dylan’s life. Now we have Annika and also have our niece to be a full time nanny to her so that DH can go back to work.
I’m not cut from the SAHM cloth, so I’ll save the comments about that. I really do like having adult time and all that but have my moments of SAHM envy too — it is all a tradeoff!
As for working from home, I do freelance writing and get paid enough to supplement my salary fairly easily. I’m lucky that the main site I write for lets me do loads of interesting articles and writing them is fun and challenging, but I got the job by applying for it like everyone else. Try signing up for guru.com, they are all about freelance jobs and have a lot of creative stuff on there. There are also some freelance writing sites you can work for that will pay you to write wiki type articles, try looking on http://www.workplacelikehome.com/ , a forum for working from the home that has a freelance writing section, because I’ve forgotten a lot of them. You can actually get paid quite well for doing online freelance writing, it doesn’t have to be magazine articles or even really anything particularly interesting, but if you are good at it, have good technical writing skills and a way with words (not necessarily creative, just good at phrasing things) then you can do well for yourself.
Wow, I’m on the entire same boat. These comments have all been so helpful though of course it still comes down to finding what I want to do, and going out and grabbing it. Same as you, I’d just love to have the extra pocket money to go out and enjoy life while it’s here. Me working would also bring us closer to our dreams of travelling all over the world, and buying a house. I don’t doubt Tetsu can work hard enough to provide such life, but the sooner the longer we can enjoy said pleasures right?
I have no real education or expereince, but I was thinking of working part time (MAYBE even full time) at an English preschool/kindy/daycare etc if they’d take me. I can’t think of anything I can do from home, but I think for you proofreading, occasional English lessons, and some writing could earn you quite a bit!! Don’t you think? You even have experience in all three.
Anyways, ganbarou! If you find any brilliant from home job idea pass it along eh?
Hi Lulu,
I set up my own Mummy and Me English class for the first two years of Kiki`s life. It worked out well but was a lot of preparation so you have to figure that into your working hours!!! It was a success though and I managed to get a regular set of Mums coming. I printed a flyer and gave them out at the hokenjo when Kiki had her jabs or at the park or local jidokan. I charged them each 1000Yen a session (1 hr but with 20mins of free play time) and held it at my house. I stopped when I had Isla as trying to keep the house tidy/clean enough to teach the class and do all the prep became impossible. I have now started working at an international preschool/kinder in my area and I am allowed to take Kiki with me when I work. Thank god as I was being driven made after over two years at home on my own with the girls (as people have mentioned before your feelings may indeed change a little over the next year or so..or not as the case may be!). Unfortunately Isla is now attending a private nursery until she is two and can come together with me and Kiki. I have felt very sad and guilty about this but if I had had to stay at home for another year I think I would have gone mad!! Good luck with finding work!
When I was younger my mom used to watched other kids that would basically spend the day with us and be picked up in the evening by their parents. It was a good extra income but she stopped doing it after awhile. I think it was too much on her, because she had four kids on her own and then others running around the house.
It sounds like you still have some time until you want to go back to work, in whatever form that may be. Maybe now would be a good time to brush up on your skills. Maybe do an evening class or online course? I realize that it would cost money but maybe the investment is worth it. And it sounds like you did do a lot of different kind of work. I wouldn’t worry too much about not having had a ‘career’. You’re still young so I don’t think anybody would expect you to have a ton of experience. It’s all about how you make it sound on your cv.
As for your concern about Noah not being bi-lingual if you don’t stay home long enough. I don’t think you should worry about that. I studied linguistics at school and did some classes on child’s language development and bilingualism. Apparently the most important thing to do is to only speak in your native language to your child. So as long as you only speak English with Noah and not interact with him if he tries to speak Japanese with you he should be fine on the bilingual front. Kids are smart and know exactly which parent to talk to in which language. They pick that up really quickly. Now, this is not my first hand experience, but I did meet some bilingual kids in the States (actually met them in their teenage years) and they were still doing that. Speaking German to their mother and English to their dad. In the same conversation just switching back and forth with no effort. It’s impressive.
I hope this helps a little bit.
With the internet connecting everyone, don’t forget you are not limited to things you can do person-to-person. Although that is a very quick way to build a business.
You have many skills to bring to the table. Write everything you have done in years past down. Including your blog! Where have you worked? What charity organizations have you helped with? Everything is a marketable skill and you can build an awesome business around any and all of them
Good luck!
Lulu, sorry just had to comment- this is my first time I think. My kids are grown now, but when they were small, even if they had been in hoikuen, there was no one to ask to care for them if they had been sick, so I didn’t feel as though I could work. When my youngest was 3, I had him in the nursery, and taught English one morning a week, and luckily he was never sick on Tuesday mornings. Anyway, I was remembering when my daughter was under a year, and still not mobile, I took her with me to Japanese classes once a week (it was a free class sponsored by the community). She would basically behave herself during the 2 hour class, so I felt like my Japanese was progressing a bit. Once she started to walk I had to quit.
One idea for jobs is that you could maybe teach as an assistant teacher once a week in a Jr. High on Tuesdays, if you could find a part time day care for Noah, and have your mother-in-law as the back-up person. (you would probably make as least 10,000 a day; I think that I read that Chiba schools have to do direct hire now. I personally think that going out to teach once a week, is so much easier that trying to organize something in your house (cleaning, and trying to collect money etc.from people etc.)
I was just thinking that you could use these years as a prep time to get a teaching certification if you didn’t have one yet. The yearly teaching schedule is so great since you are off when your kids are off, and you have the time to take long trips home. (something you would never be able to do with a normal job in Japan). I was just looking at the website for the Makuhari International School- it sounds like it would be a lovely program (and I think much cheaper than the normal international school since it’s sponsored by the government (or isn’t this true…??) Just had to say hi. Good luck with your plans! Sincerely, Nancy Tsurumaki in Tokyo
These comments are all amazing. I learned a lot about what’s available to mums with young children here. I’m also thinking of having kids in Japan in the future so this is great information.
I might throw up another idea that has nothing to do with Eng teaching or translation — how about a small online business? Your blogging skills are def there and lots of small at-home businesses start by using a blog format to sell things. You could focus on the Aussie market because that’s where you are from and Japanese products are seriously popular overseas.
Best of luck in finding your niche as a working stay-at-home mum. I would def do that when I have babies.