Join in if you are self-employed and work from home

Catbells

I'm late getting to this thread and may not be the right one for me but here goes. I'm 57, divorced and two years ago gave up my teaching job expecting to sell my home and retire. ( I've got no mortgage thankfully. ) It didn't work out like that because of the recession and I couldn't risk it as my house is my pension so I'm a bit trapped. I started doing home tuition (residential) but the work has trickled in too slowly. I got a lodger who I could depend on for regular income and I do a bit o child minding and ebaying to earn a bit extra. Thing is I"m just bored stiff and going stir crazy at home (kids left) and I'm racking my brains as to what to do. I always wanted to write like some of you on here and have a novel or two in a half finished state. I think at bottom I'm scared and I don't like being scared. How can I get on the roundabout of working again. I don't want to 'go back' to teaching and will consider most things.

moneymabel

Hi Catbells- sorry I can't be of much help with advice but wanted to welcome you to the forum :-) I'm sure some others will be along later :-)

Amber_Sunshine

Horace wrote: »

Amber the more you post on here the further up the rankings you can go also by networking online (4N) will also help. .

Can you elaborate on what you mean, I'm not quite following how posting here helps my website ... probably not reading your post correctly!

Catbells, do you do GCSE tuition? What is your teaching experience in? How about adult education, giving talks and speeches, writing classes ...

Catbells

Amber_Sunshine wrote: »

Can you elaborate on what you mean, I'm not quite following how posting here helps my website ... probably not reading your post correctly!

Catbells, do you do GCSE tuition? What is your teaching experience in? How about adult education, giving talks and speeches, writing classes ...

Hi Amber, thanks for your reply - I've worked with all age groups but the last 10 years with infant children and specifically those with English as an additional language. I have a degree in English and Educational theory but am out of the GCSE/A level world these days but did a TEFL course and have put that to use teaching residential courses from home but you're on duty 24/7 and 3 meals and cultural visits and..... can only manage a week at a time then I drop! What and how could I give talks on? I feel I have a lot to give but don't know where or what and am secretly sure that ageism is my biggest hurdle and fear itself....

rag31

If you always wanted to write and you have the time and are already earning enough to cover costs then why not give it a bash? I highly recommend the Open Uni level 2 'creative writing' course if you want to get into it.

Also, I belonged to the Write Words website, and on that forum you can post up pieces of your writing for honest, supportive feedback and ideas on moving forward. It's a good site when starting writing.

Becky
xx

Amber_Sunshine

Age, pfff! Hey, you're far from past it! The idea of you doing talks just came to me, not sure why, maybe as a change from teaching. I'm not sure how you make money from it, but if you just want something to do, you could give talks to women's groups, residential homes, schools ...

Horace

Amber by posting on MSE and by posting on the online forum 4networking.biz your website will gradually move up the rankings. Also using keywords in your website will help - keywords are words that folks use to find sites on the internet e.g. I use words like bespoke, civil partnership, weddings that sort of thing. Don't pay a company to get you up the rankings either as that is a waste of time and money.

Welcome Catbells - being scared is good, all of us self employed peeps feel scared. When you are self employed there is no such thing as ageism. Instead of running residential courses from your home how about some courses for businesses where you visit their premises as opposed to them coming to you?

Catbells

rag31 wrote: »

If you always wanted to write and you have the time and are already earning enough to cover costs then why not give it a bash? I highly recommend the Open Uni level 2 'creative writing' course if you want to get into it.

Also, I belonged to the Write Words website, and on that forum you can post up pieces of your writing for honest, supportive feedback and ideas on moving forward. It's a good site when starting writing.

Becky
xx

Thanks for both of these suggestions. Will look at Write Words site.

Catbells

Horace wrote: »

Amber by posting on MSE and by posting on the online forum 4networking.biz your website will gradually move up the rankings. Also using keywords in your website will help - keywords are words that folks use to find sites on the internet e.g. I use words like bespoke, civil partnership, weddings that sort of thing. Don't pay a company to get you up the rankings either as that is a waste of time and money.

Welcome Catbells - being scared is good, all of us self employed peeps feel scared. When you are self employed there is no such thing as ageism. Instead of running residential courses from your home how about some courses for businesses where you visit their premises as opposed to them coming to you?

Very reassuring Horace and thanks for that. Also the rubbishing of ageism online is encouraging too.

Yes to the businesses idea. I thought about contacting Businesses in London and travelling in one day a week. I can see that working self employed and completely alone you have to build up other skills and confidence. Normally I've worked through agencies and schools.

Catbells

Amber_Sunshine wrote: »

Age, pfff! Hey, you're far from past it! The idea of you doing talks just came to me, not sure why, maybe as a change from teaching. I'm not sure how you make money from it, but if you just want something to do, you could give talks to women's groups, residential homes, schools ...

Cheers Amber. Thanks for the great approach to ageism online. Its all new to me - working from home.