Motherhood versus career. This is always the dilemma that a working woman goes through the moment she finds out she’s pregnant. Society thinks that when a woman enters motherhood, she should give up her career development to rear the child properly. And, if the mother is ambitious about her career, she’s almost immediately labeled as a bad mother. However, if one opts to become a stay-at-home mother, people will immediately tell her that her career’s at its end. It seems that there is no “in between” jobs that benefit both motherhood and career.
The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology‘s study explains how society and one’s family view a working mom’s choice. But, a mother should never have to choose between working and child-rearing.
With that said, you can choose to earn a decent income even if you’re a stay-at-home parent. Or, if you can find a job that can benefit your role as a mother as well, it’s a win-win situation.
If you’re eager to find out what these jobs are, below are the 12 best careers that will benefit these 2 vital roles in your life.
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Table of Contents
Jobs That Benefit Both Motherhood and Career in 2022
1. Children’s Dance Instructor
If you love to dance, you can consider becoming a dance instructor for kids. Aside from teaching dance techniques, it is benefit that you can help to hold classes with a carefully prepped curriculum suitable for kids’ age. Another thing I am particular like is the class rules from a mother teacher, is always considering the kids development. For example, my daughter’s ballet teacher, with a rule of “no whisper”, to avoid certain group glue together and other girls feel to be left out.
2. Parent Educator
Motherhood is a tough balancing act, indeed. This is where you come in as a parent educator as you can share your experience and expertise with fellow parents to benefit both motherhood and career.
With parental burnout rates on the rise, it is great for parents to have a point person to fall back on. You can easily customize plans for your clients concerning the following:
- Parenting strategies
- Discipline techniques
- Proper nutrition
- Budgeting
- Stress management
At some point, you can suggest extra-curricular activities to help your clients interact more with their children. After all, your main goal as a parent educator is to help your fellow parents navigate the rocky road of parenting.
If you’re interested in this fulfilling career, Climb the Ladder lists out the duties, requirements, and skills needed for the job. On-the-job training is also part of the process, but what is putting in a little bit of effort when you can earn between $30-$41 an hour?
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3. Daycare Assistant
If teaching isn’t your forte but you’d like to take care of children, being a daycare assistant can be the jobs benefit both motherhood and career. Indeed.com defines a daycare assistant as someone who works with a childcare teacher in providing a safe learning environment for the kids.
Daycare assistants work in childcare facilities, daycare centers, or even preschools. You’ll be tasked with the common errands in caring for a child: serving meals, tucking kids to sleep, and even changing diapers.
But, before you can qualify for the job, ensure that you have secured a high school diploma. You can also earn early childhood care & development diploma for further certification. Then, you’ll have to undergo several trainings and OJT’s to make you eligible.
Despite these requirements, being a daycare assistant can help you hone your mothering skills while earning a decent salary. After all, you’ll be exposed to kids from various age groups at the same time.
4. Youth Sports Coach
Sports-oriented mothers would love to become youth sports coaches. For the most part, they’ll guide children in learning the basics of the sport they signed up for.
Whether it’s soccer, hockey, baseball, volleyball, or basketball, you’ll be able to impart the values of sportsmanship, teamwork, and fair play. The best part is, you get paid for training kids while playing your favorite sport.
Though cost and time-intensive, being a youth sports coach can help you enter your child’s world. If you still aren’t convinced enough, Moms Team has listed the pros and cons of engaging in youth sports.
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5. Child Portrait Photographer
Now, if you love taking pictures of your kids, turn that hobby into a side gig and become a child portrait photographer. Armed with a camera, some props, and editing skills, you can bring out a child’s personality through captured images.
But, taking photos of kids need not be confined to a studio. You can unleash your creative side by planning outdoor venues according to the theme.
If you’re hesitant to start this career path, practice taking photos of your kids. Then, upload them on your Instagram account. Not only are you able to preserve memories, but you now have a portfolio for potential clients to see.
Plus, you have another hobby that you can teach your kids later on. So, if you’re interested, know that you can potentially earn an average of $30 an hour for being a child portrait photographer.
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6. Reading Specialist
Since we moms are our kids’ first teachers, becoming a reading specialist is a fitting extension of our roles. This career path will help us pass on to our children the love for reading.
A reading specialist helps kids, especially school-aged ones, enhance their comprehension skills. You can hold one-on-one sessions, but group sessions are common as well.
But, before you interact with the children, assess their current reading skills first. From there, identify the problem areas and develop enjoyable strategies that will help the kids hit their reading goals.
Just make sure that you have at least a bachelor’s degree in reading and literacy as well as a license. Some school districts may even need a master’s degree. Regardless, you can earn an average of $53,000 a year for this career option.
7. Social Worker
It’s innate in us mothers to care for our children. We possess the many qualities that allow us to create a bit of a difference in a child’s life. A Nation of Moms even points out the various qualities that moms have that make them good social workers, too.
Most of the time, we link social workers as those protecting vulnerable children from abuse or neglect. But, a social worker also counsels and refers patients to treatment centers. Add the fact that you need to maintain accurate records.
Occupational Outlook Handbook lists all the details, requirements, and even the pay a social worker receives. You’ll also find the types of social workers that you can become if you follow this career path.
8. Music Teacher
As mothers, one of our arsenals in keeping our children calm and happy is music. It can also be a way for us to connect with our kids when words fail to express what we want. Even a simple lullaby can do wonders for our child’s temperament.
Bright Horizons has listed out the various benefits of music in a child’s development. Hence, another great job opportunity for mothers is becoming a music teacher. Basic duties include teaching kids how to play instruments and various musical techniques.
Some music teachers may even lead a band or a choir if affiliated with a school. No matter the setting, music teachers can help build a child’s confidence in nurturing their talent, something that moms are already good at.
If you feel that a job related to music will help your role as a mother, Betterteam discusses what a music teacher does. You can also learn from Jessica Peresta about her experience in juggling motherhood while being a music teacher.
9. Nanny
Caring for our children is one of the innate roles that mothers have. Hence, becoming a nanny is one of the most natural jobs that moms can take. After all, a nanny’s work is centered on everything and anything to do with rearing a child.
But, before you can become a nanny, you need to obtain a bachelor’s degree or certification at the very least that is related to the job. The best part is, can have the option to choose your work schedule.
Of course, some nannies offer full-time services, which may mean having to live with the family. Though the working hours can be long, being a nanny helps you get great [arenting style ideas. Plus, you get to learn new ways how to take care of children while getting paid.
If this will be your first work experience, you better work with a nanny agency to up your chances of finding a family to work with. Nanny agencies already have a vast network of clientele, as well as placement counselors to help with the matching process.
10. Becoming a Preschool or a Kindergarten Teacher
If you love teaching your children basic academic concepts, then you can become a teacher for preschool or kindergarten pupils. But, while these roles involve teaching kids, they are quite different.
A preschool teacher helps children adjust to a school setting. It will be your job to help the kids develop their social skills as well as language and motor skills.
Kindergarten teachers, on the other hand, help the children in transitioning to a bigger school. Since kindergarteners are to enter elementary soon, it’s your job to enhance their reading and writing skills.
If you’re interested, Love to Know lists the minimum education requirements to become a preschool or kindergarten teacher. Aside from those requirements, take to heart that becoming a teacher entails patience and creativity on your part.
After all, you’re not only teaching the basics of academics. You’re also imparting vital socialization skills that will help the young kids survive school life.
11. Childcare Worker
Becoming a childcare worker can be your next career move if you’re not into teaching but you love to work with kids. Being a mother, you’re already quite familiar with some, or perhaps, all, of the responsibilities of caring for children.
Aside from preparing meals and feeding children, childcare workers are also expected to play with them. Of course, you’ll need to plan those activities first before implementing them.
Sometimes, you get to accompany the kids to social events and even help them out with their homework. But, don’t forget that since parents entrusted you with their children, you need to make sure they’re safe under your watch.
With that, you also need to be knowledgeable in first aid. But, once you get through all the adrenaline, you’ll be able to apply those learnings in case your kids (God forbid!) have any emergencies.
For more information on what childcare workers do, Betterteam has listed them for you. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (UBLS) lists the details on how much childcare workers make, both hourly and monthly.
12. Special Education Teacher
If you have experience taking care of children with special needs like autism, consider becoming a special education teacher. But, mind you, you need all the patience and a big heart to teach these kids as it isn’t an easy path to take.
Technically, special education teachers adapt general education lessons to developmentally-appropriate teaching methods. They then create individualized education programs (IEPs) and coordinate with everyone involved in the kid’s education.
If this job interests you, you can find more details about the job description and average salary from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Just make sure that you already have a Masters in Childhood Development to qualify for the job.
After all, you can share your personal experience with your students’ parents through this job. There’s even this interesting study on how the special education teacher’s parenting experience affects their pedagogy.
Jobs benefit both motherhood and career — Are There Any?
Now that you know what career opportunities can also benefit motherhood, is there one of them that can be considered the best?
It’s definitely a challenging question to answer if you only base it on what the experts say. If you let the opinion of others dictate your choices, you can even end up not getting an answer at all.
However, the only person that can find out the best job for a mother is you. No one can dictate what career path you should take to feel fulfilled.
After all, every mother brings with her a unique set of experiences everyone can learn something from. What works for one doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work for you as well.
Once you find that job you consider your calling, follow the 5 tips that will help you achieve your career goals. It pays to have a plan that will serve as your guide on how to navigate the process.
Even if your career starts to flourish, don’t forget that you’re a mother first. The most important job is still being a mother to your children. You can still find another job if your first career path isn’t faring well, but your kids will never find another mother like you.
Remember, no one can survive motherhood on their own. You’ll be needing all the help you can get, even if it means learning valuable lessons from your career.
About Me
Hi, there. I am Lin. Together with my husband and two kids, we live in the beautiful Netherlands in Europe. I am dedicated to self-development, creating quality time for the whole family, and fully supporting kids with their potentials and possibilities with all I have learned from engineering, MBA, and 10+ years of working experience in the energy sector.
