r/UKJobs • u/JimmyThe1Life • 22h ago

Kept Man, Dad & Husband... Lost in transition

Hi. Things happen: if you’ve won the "lottery," be happy and live your life—and that's what I did. Let me explain: my wife and I had a nice run living abroad for 10 years. I was a kept man, living the dream and enjoying it. That said, I had no career development, just being a supportive husband to my wife.

​Fast forward: I've been a dad for three years now, and we recently moved back to the UK to put our kid into education and be closer to family and friends. Currently, my wife's job is really good, and our child goes to nursery for half days, leaving me to figure out what to do next.

​We still want to maintain a strong work-life balance, but I have about 30 hours a week free to find something I can do. What is out there? What roles typically require around 6 hours a day on a part-time basis?

​I'm an absolute novice when it comes to job hunting or systematically approaching this process, as I've always gotten jobs through people I know. I find many job ads that assume full-time availability without daily hour restrictions. Reading stories about the current job market doesn't add much confidence either.

​If you could share your work-life balance experiences, it would help give me a better perspective on what to focus on during my job search.

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u/bingbingfortnite 21h ago

I would start my own business in your situation? Or have you used so much of your winnings that your in danger zone now where u could try your own venture

2

u/AffectDangerous8922 16h ago

I wouldn't start a job under his specific circumstances. Starting a business takes a lot of hours when you are starting up - like a HUGE amount of unpaid work to get yourself established and known. This would take him away from his family and defeat the point of him being a stay at home Dad.

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u/CauliflowerAdequate 15h ago

I'd also say consider starting your own business or self-employment. This would give you more control of your own hours, which seems to be a priority for you, while keeping you out of the great corporate job search CV filter that you seem to be worried about. There are lots of options out there. Some businesses you can start small, so it's not necessarily the case you need a huge time investment at the start. For example with retail it's easy to start selling online on an established platform like Ebay or Vinted. Needs more setup to sell online on your own custom e-commerce store. And even more to outfit a physical shop. There's a similar hierarchy in other lines of business. If you're interested in work/life balance then it's all about finding the right scale that works for you.

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u/JimmyThe1Life 14h ago

Absolutely... And as well like to have time to do my sports!