Working while home educating

I think one of the major concerns many people have when it comes to considering Home Education is how they will manage financially. Many people seem to assume that those who choose to Home Educate are either wealthy or doing so at the expense of taxpayers (a phrase I hate). This couldn’t be further from the truth of course! Most Home Educators I meet are hardworking and muddling through as best they can... and doing so because they believe that Home Education is the best route for their child! I’m not going to lie and say it’s easy to Home Educate and work... But, there are many families who manage it. ... But how? Well, no two family are alike, but we can share what we have seen work and if you have something to add to this do let us know so we can update it. Two parents/one wage... Many families choose to manage on one wage. Now, of course, there are families who have a high earning parent and can do this easily, but I think for most it’s a case of budgeting well. There are tons of inexpensive and even free resources available to those who seek them out (watch this space for a list coming soon), there are libraries and museums, charity shops and freebie sites, and some places even offer educational discounts to Home Educators... Families who Home Educate tend to have a lot more time together, so the focus is often around filling that time in a productive way, rather than being focused on stuff and belongings and I think this helps massively. Working outside of the home... Of course some families are single parent families or they need/want both parents to work... and this may mean seeking employment. Home Education does not have set times, it doesn’t have to take place between 9 and 3 the way school education does. There are no set hours that must be filled and no set way in which you must educate... This freedom can often make work easier. There are childminders who will take Home Educated children, some Home Ed families do childcare swaps, there are Forest Schools or educational groups that can provide childcare, and family and friends may help out... Utilising these and working around your childcare can be a great option. Then you are able to educate in the way you choose when you are at home (or set tasks to be completed while you’re working!) Working from Home... The majority of Home Educators I know, particularly those who are single parents, work from home in one way or another. Samantha created Whole Brain Home Education when her daughter (Teacher Frankie) was young, and it’s grown into the amazing platform you see today. Many of our team are Home Educators, Jenny also runs Forest Schools sessions... Nic, our content creator runs a small business as a writer. Many parents use their talents to start small businesses, making all kinds of fantastic things and offering all kinds of wonderful services. It’s amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it. We suggest thinking about your strengths and going from there... It’s not easy, but it’s possible! A wonderful bonus to this is that our children are able to see how work pays off and the efforts that go into getting a reward. They gain an insight into life that kids don’t usually see until adulthood. Our little mascot Santiago (Samantha’s Son) even helps to put together the packs! Home Educating on benefits... Home Education does not affect the benefits you are entitled to. If your family is living on a low income, you may be entitled to top-up benefits and this will be especially helpful if you’re needing to make changes to work or if you’re starting a small business... you can claim Tax Credits and Universal Credit just the same as school parents. The only issue you may find is that some job centres have been known to accuse families of using Home Education as an excuse not to work... which is super annoying. You still need to be actively looking for work or actively trying to improve your finances if you claim benefits. Some may frown on us for mentioning benefits, but I have two thoughts when it comes to this... the first is that many schooled families cannot manage without some top up support and it’s no different, you’ll still be looking for work, just maybe different hours! The second is that it costs around £6000 per year to send a child to school, we don’t receive any of that... Many Home Ed families are actually saving money in the long run! So, maybe parents shouldn’t feel too bad if they need a little extra help! So, yes, you absolutely can Home Educate and work... Most of us do!