Did you take a career break to raise your kids? Here are some practical Career Options for Homemakers and Women on Sabbatical.

In a study by the World Bank, it was found that 20 million women in India quit their jobs between 2004 and 2012. Almost 70% of them never returned to their jobs. Many women take sabbaticals when they decide to get married or start a family, thinking that they would return when things ease up a little. But for most of them, nurturing their families and keeping up with their 9 to 5 jobs simultaneously can often become difficult.

I have met many women who have had similar experiences but didn’t want to give up on their professional lives. So, I am sharing the best careers for women on sabbaticals, homemakers, mothers, and women who simply have too much on their plate to be committing to a regular 9 to 5 job. If you fall under any of these categories, this article is for you.

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Career Options for Homemakers and Women on Sabbatical

Image Consulting

Image consulting has to be one of the best career options for women because not only does it offer the flexibility of working, it earns you well. I have trained many women during my career who are now successful image consultants easily earning from INR 1 to 2 Lac per project after gaining some experience in the industry. Moreover, women have a natural flair for styling and grooming, which is another reason why it’s a smart choice.

So, get certified, pick a niche (personal styling, makeover consulting, wardrobe consulting, etc.), market yourself, and start working on your own schedule.

Soft Skills Training

Almost everyone today, be it a student or working professional, requires soft skills training to put their best foot forward. So, you can become a certified soft-skills trainer and offer soft skills development training from your home office. You can also conduct soft skills development webinars and workshops without having clients visit you.

Soft skills management training includes:

• Personality development training
• Communication and networking skills training
• Employability skills training
• Confidence coaching
• Behavioural skills training
• Leadership training, etc.

The options are endless!

Freelance Content Writing

For women who have a flair for writing, freelance content writing is a great career option. It would be perfect if you have a network that can get you content writing gigs. If not, you can always try platforms such as Freelancer, Fiverr, Upwork, etc. Moreover, you can also set up a website, upload your portfolio and skills, and have people in need of freelance content writers reach out to you. The effort will be significant when you begin, but once you establish yourself, you will be able to get work easily.

Catering from Home

If you enjoy cooking, you can convert your passion for it into money by catering from home. You can start small by taking up catering responsibilities for your friends and family, and then expand from there. And since the catering business is a lot about word of mouth, you can expect to grow based on the quality of your food. However, here are a few more things you can do to keep the work flowing in:

• Print business cards and hand them out to guests who may bring you more business.
• Create a social media page or website so that people looking for local caterers can reach you.
• Create a YouTube channel where you can share your everyday recipes and build a presence.

Wedding/Event Planner

If you have experience planning family events, you can become an event planner. You can ask friends and family to get you more gigs and then, you can help clients by:

• Creating an event plan
• Setting and assigning a budget
• Coordinating with on-site staff
• Contacting vendors and making sure everything is in place
• Creating registration systems
• Collecting feedback after the event, etc.

And the good thing is that you won’t have to work every day.

Do not give up on your career because of your responsibilities. Find a way through everything and rediscover yourself.

 Author

An award-winning Image Management Professional, Suman Agarwal has helped students, home-makers, women on sabbatical as well as people seeking second career alternatives to explore Image Management and Soft Skill Training as a vibrant professional choice. She frequently writes blog posts about the urgent need of image consulting professionals and soft skill trainers in the 21st century and loves guiding people in exploring lucrative career options. Write to her at [email protected] to seek advanced career guidance. Check out more of her work at www.imageconsultinginstitute.com.