Single Parents Education – Classes For Lone Parents

We all know that being a single parent is tough, even the easier days throw up challenges with childcare, usually requiring you to be in two places at once without a little family help or a friend to rely on!

Daily Life Is A Full Time Job

There’s nothing like that feeling of despair when you feel people looking at you as if you are a benefit cheat or tax dodger, especially from those who have no kids of their own and have no idea of the uphill climb getting the kids moving in the morning can be.

So, what can you do to prove to these doubters that you would love to have a job, earn some extra cash, and learn new skills? The common situation with single parents is that they have spent years bringing up the kids, and feel detached from the world of work, and lacking in the skills they need to get a job.

Your Kids Have Given You The Skills Employers Want

As with so many challenges in life, overcoming self doubt is half the battle won. Just because you’re a single parent doesn’t mean you have any less intelligence or common sense than anyone else!

In fact you probably have developed the patience of a saint, and the empathy skills an employer would die for. What you really need to do is learn skills on the job, or take classes to gain a new qualification or two.

You Can Be Paid To Learn

First, let’s look at the most obvious choice in learning on the job – customer services agents. Every company is different, has different procedures, processes and values. This means they have to educate every member of staff joining the company, and can involve a three or four week induction (training period).

For example, there are countless call centres across the country that invest heavily in simply training staff to listen carefully to their customers, and fix their problems. These kind of jobs don’t make millionaires, but you will learn everything you need to know in their training courses.

Companies Offer Flexible Hours For Single Parents

Single parents are often a brilliant resource for companies running complex call centre operations, since part timers are used to cover the busy periods. For example, a lunchtime shift between ten in the morning and two in the afternoon is very common (give or take an hour), as is an evening shift from eight until midnight when most staff would rather be at home. These late shifts are great for single parents that can call on their own parents to sit in with the sleeping kids after bed time.

Admittedly few of us aspire to work in a call centre, but this does highlight a way back into work for single parents on a part time basis, whilst at the same time learning new skills.

Evening Classes

The second option is the back to school route, remember how we once scoffed at the concept that those were the best days of our lives? How our opinions have changed!

Of course, you can’t go back to the time of no responsibilities, but you can make up for any lack of effort when you took your GCSEs (or O-levels for the more ‘mature’ amongst us). If you have an impressive list of qualifications from school, you can also choose A-levels and degree courses as a mature student.

How To Pay Your Way

The financial support available is incredible for returning to education, including help with childcare. You might actually find returning to education is more affordable than getting a job in the short term, and you will be improving the salary you can earn in the long term too.

Universities tend to have funds available to support the students requiring help financing their courses, and some are on a grant basis which do not need to be repaid. Even if you can only access loans however, you might want to think of borrowing the money as an investment rather than a loan, as you can often choose a loan which is only repayable once you earn a certain level of salary.

Get The Information You Need

To get more information on the help available through your local university, call their student support number and ask them what is available. Often the student support service is run as part of the Student Union, which is run by the students themselves, independently of the university itself.

Any investment in education will make you more attractive to employers as it shows a real commitment to returning to work. Whether you start at the GCSE level or head straight into a degree is irrelevant, the important thing is to take action.

If fact, if your circumstances allow, you might find you can work part time and fit in a part time course as well. This is a tough option and requires will power when the TV is calling and you’re tired in the evening, but focusing on a brighter future with your kids should do the trick!