Working freelance

 Linda is a freelance journalist and mother to Emily and Melissa, two-year-old twins. Linda’s partner Neil works full-time as a journalist.

"I decided to go freelance and work from home so that I could spend more time with Emily and Melissa. I was a newspaper journalist and working full-time in house means putting in long and unsociable hours. I decided that would be out of the question once I’d had a family.

"I had always wanted to go freelance but didn't have the guts – I’d always been too worried about whether I would make enough money. But after Emily and Melissa were born, I had nine months at home and plenty of time to plan ahead. And because we were living solely off my partner’s income, I realised we could survive even if I were earning very little.

"I only actually work three days a week but on the days I work I can be up at 7am and still at my computer at midnight, and I have to be extremely organised. But on the plus side, I don’t have to worry about what an employer would think if I had to leave early or rolled in late after a sleepless night. If I have to take Emily or Melissa to the doctor, I can just do it without having to ask permission.

"The downside is that I don’t get paid holidays any more, and I have to sort my own tax and pension. I’ve also struggled with childcare – Emily and Melissa go to nursery two days a week but there’s no room for them on the third day that I work. On the third day, the grandparents take it in turns to have them but this is far from ideal.

"On the whole, however, I feel I’ve been very lucky. Becoming a mum was the best career move I ever made – I have actually doubled my income.

"I would say to any working mum in a profession where freelance work is possible, go for it, providing you have the skills and confidence."

Pros of freelancing from home:

• You can set your own hours.
• You get to spend more time with your children.
• It’s much easier to react to emergencies involving the children or household.
• If you enjoy freelancing, you can develop your career or change direction; you may even earn more money.

Cons of freelancing:

• You’re very dependent on commissions and contracts, which may make life tough if you’re the main bread winner or a single parent.
• You have to sort your own pension and tax.
• You an feel isolated as you miss out on office networking and chat.
• It can be hard to get good childcare to fit around the days you work.
• You need to be able to push your own ideas, so confidence and good organisational skills are essential – and freelancing doesn’t suit everyone.

Read first-hand experiences of other options of going back to work after becoming a mum:

• working full-time
• working part-time in the office
• working part-time from home

Where to next?

• Read babyworld's pages on returning to work after having a baby, including how to prepare yourself and how to prepare your baby for your return to work
• Read about the various childcare options available to you and how to decide which is the best for you and your family
• If you're thinking of a change in direction, read about how to set up as a freelance or how to go about working from home. Or, if you prefer to work in an office environment read about how to go part-time
• Visit icircle careers for more on different working options, how to balance work and home life, tips on getting the job you want, details of your rights at work and more
• Share your own experiences of going back to work on our working mums discussion forum
• Read other babyworld features