20 Jobs for the SAHD

[kb2]

6.} Mother’s Assistant

A mother’s assistant could do a variety of things childcare, cooking, cleaning etc…. Sometimes a young mom with little children just needs a little extra help to get everything done.

I like the way she feels the need to explain this. We know, dearie, the question is do you?

[thoughtful]

Seriously? I can't believe that she put photographer on the list. To not be a fauxographer, it takes a lot of skill, training, and the right equipment. It annoys me when fundies, or anyone else for that matter, seems to think that photography is such an easy thing. I run a small photography business and guess what, to do it right takes a whole lot of effort, time, and money. It isn't something that people just decide to do and get great results from.

Ditto for teaching music.

[JMarie]

This isn't a list of jobs for the SADH. It's a list of jobs for the SADH who remains unmarried.

[dawbs]

Really.

If she's willing to go outside the home for the gig (and all those various "XXX helper" jobs at least require you to go to someone ELSE's house, even if you're picky about the work being done in a house) then she might as well just do the normal thing and go apply for retail jobs, fast food jobs, and waitressing gigs.

*snip*.

Those 'go to someone else's house' gigs also have a LOT more risk.

I can say that sexual harassment has, IME, been a bigger problem at small companies, for me personally--there was no one to complain to (owner = boss = harasser...and I was to 'keeping sweet' to react how I would now) and unless you vett your employer super well...well, you're going into another person's house--that makes people who do these sorts of gigs (mother's helper, house cleaning, whatever) pretty vulnerable.

Maybe I"m paranoid, but, I'd feel safer sending my teenage daughter to work at McD's. (or the hardware store I worked at, where, yes, the boss was the owner but I was treated like his own daughter and he gave hell to the people who gave me crap ;)

[GenerationCedarchip]

Those 'go to someone else's house' gigs also have a LOT more risk.

I can say that sexual harassment has, IME, been a bigger problem at small companies, for me personally--there was no one to complain to (owner = boss = harasser...and I was to 'keeping sweet' to react how I would now) and unless you vett your employer super well...well, you're going into another person's house--that makes people who do these sorts of gigs (mother's helper, house cleaning, whatever) pretty vulnerable.

Maybe I"m paranoid, but, I'd feel safer sending my teenage daughter to work at McD's. (or the hardware store I worked at, where, yes, the boss was the owner but I was treated like his own daughter and he gave hell to the people who gave me crap ;)

Yes, that is a good point. I worked in a daycare center and I also did in-home childcare when I was in school. With the in-home set-up there's definitely a lot more potential for all kinds of creepy stuff. I never had to deal with sexual harassment, but I definitely had to deal with all kinds of other fun and games from employers. At the center, my supervisor would shut down parents who tried to jerk us around on pay, but when you work in someone's home, there can be all kinds of control games that go on.

[dawbs]

Yes, that is a good point. I worked in a daycare center and I also did in-home childcare when I was in school. With the in-home set-up there's definitely a lot more potential for all kinds of creepy stuff. I never had to deal with sexual harassment, but I definitely had to deal with all kinds of other fun and games from employers. At the center, my supervisor would shut down parents who tried to jerk us around on pay, but when you work in someone's home, there can be all kinds of control games that go on.

UGH, the paycheck thing.

Who hasn't been screwed over babysitting/housecleaning/something?

Nevermind the red tape if you try to 'do right' and pay Soc. Sec. and taxes the like. And the complete lack of protection when you're 'laid off'....

Just start with what happens when they say "no no, I said $7 per hour, not $8, and this was 2.5 hours, not 3, you were late"

(I'm not saying it always works taht way--I'd clean-houses again if I needed to. It mostly worked well. But when it goes wrong, it goes HORRIBLY wrong and there's no good way to right it.)

[2xx1xy1JD]

Transcription does require some training (need to be familiar with special terms).

Hubby actually did use a religious mom working from home to do his transcriptions (I found her on a mommy board, then we became friends IRL), but it's getting harder to find work since much of it is now being done in India. With current technology, the work can be done anywhere in the world.

[2xx1xy1JD]

I must be a bit dense, since I don't really understand why a SAHD would take some of these job that require her to be out of the home.

Why not just do a list of work-from-home jobs?

I was also struck by how many of these jobs are really at the bottom of the pay scale.

Why not talk about:

- tech support (much of it is done remotely)

- bookkeeping (can be done remotely)

- various types of remote office assistance

- search engine optimization

- financial planner

- graphic design

[SquirrelySquirrel]

The amount of people I know who think they can start a photography business is laughable. I have 3 or 4 in my 200 or so FB friends now, none of whom are what I'd call better than average or have taken any kind of classes or done any real training. They just may have a slightly nicer camera than the average Joe. Big whoop.

I also don't understand the point of some of these jobs if they aren't willing to go out and work anywhere else. And along with the other points against being a nanny or mommy's helper, how many fundie parents would allow their daughters to go work for a heathen working mother? She mentions working for dual-income families a few times.

ETA - Also wanted to add that if there really were such wonderful options to make a real, viable income from home, the jobs would already be taken by women who desperately want to be home with their kids! Go to any mommy board and the subject comes up frequently. How can I earn money from home? There just aren't that many options that aren't scams. I'm one of the lucky minority who gets to work remotely for a very large, legitimate company, and if I had a dollar for every mom who asked me to get her a job with my company I wouldn't have to work anymore.

Only the truly skilled can make it work with stuff like Etsy or home businesses like she describes. People who can sew a smock or bake a cheesecake are a freaking dime a dozen.

[hapamama]

The amount of people I know who think they can start a photography business is laughable. I have 3 or 4 in my 200 or so FB friends now, none of whom are what I'd call better than average or have taken any kind of classes or done any real training. They just may have a slightly nicer camera than the average Joe. Big whoop.

I have about a half dozen friends who are photographers, plus another couple of friends who are married to photographers. Some are better than others. Some have a lot of training, and some are just mommies that want to make a little money on the side. Some range from just awful to really lovely work.

[Anne Tudor]

It's interesting to me two jobs that weren't mentioned: monetizing a blog, and joining a pyramid scheme a la Stacy McDonald and her damn oil bullshit. These are the two "jobs" I see most successfully modeled for these girls, the most LIKELY, I'm wondering why they aren't even mentioned.

[DistantStar]

My biggest worry if I was looking to hire a fundie as a babysitter or nanny is -- are they going to abuse my kids when I'm not around? We're talking people who are sometimes brought up to think it's acceptable to hit babies. Would they know anything about age-appropriate behavior and how to handle kids without using Pearl-type stuff, no matter what they say in an interview situation?

[VVV]

It drives me insane when people think that because they have achieved some level of competence on a musical instrument (usually less than they think), that they are qualified to teach music lessons. Not so. Not even remotely so.

[ElphabaGalinda]

I must be a bit dense, since I don't really understand why a SAHD would take some of these job that require her to be out of the home.

Why not just do a list of work-from-home jobs?

I was also struck by how many of these jobs are really at the bottom of the pay scale.

Why not talk about:

- tech support (much of it is done remotely)

- bookkeeping (can be done remotely)

- various types of remote office assistance

- search engine optimization

- financial planner

- graphic design

Probably because for the jobs you listed, you'd need more than a SOTDRT education. The daddies of those SAHDs wouldn't want their girls actually learning things and having skills that could *gasp* make it easier for them to escape and support themselves. Or interact with the heathens! They also would have a harder time pretending that those jobs aren't real work. The jobs they listed they could give the excuse that they're doing "women's work" so it's still ok. Or something.