If you’re a new mother or expecting, you’re likely busy planning for your maternity leave. But even if you’ve got it all figured out whether you’ll stay home or go back to work, and what your life with baby will look like there’s still an important piece of the puzzle to consider: finances.
As much as we’d all love for maternity leave to be the sweet time it’s often advertised as, the truth is that being away from work can come at a big cost.
On top of that, there’s a good chance you won’t get paid during your leave or at least not nearly enough to cover all of your expenses.
So how do you maximize your income while taking care of yourself and your baby? It might be easier than you think. Freelancing is a great way to earn extra money on the side while still taking a break from full-time work and spending more time with family. Here are some tips:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Freelancers can navigate maternity leave with careful planning and preparation. |
| 2. It is essential for freelancers to understand their rights and options regarding maternity leave. |
| 3. Financial planning, including saving money in advance and exploring insurance options, is crucial for freelancers during maternity leave. |
| 4. Freelancers should consider maintaining client relationships by communicating plans, setting expectations, and providing alternative contact points. |
| 5. Researching government programs and benefits specific to freelancers on maternity leave can provide additional support and resources. |
Plan Ahead
Now that you’re a freelancer, you can finally plan your days. It’ll be up to you how much structure and organization you want to create around your workday.
But planning, even just for the morning and afternoon of each day, will help ensure that you are productive when working on projects for clients or completing tasks for yourself.
Planning will also help reduce stress and prevent procrastination from creeping into your daily routine.
You don’t want to be scrambling at 4:00 pm trying to figure out what needs to be done before lunch tomorrow or scrambling at 10:00 am trying to figure out what needs to be done after lunch today!
Creating a calendar with deadlines (even if they’re loose ones), it’ll keep things organized so there’s no worrying about what comes next in terms of deadlines or deliverables.
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Use Your Networks
If you’re expecting a baby, your career is at an exciting crossroads. You have the chance to leave behind the old and embrace something new but it’s not going to be as simple as just jotting down some ideas in your planner and setting aside time for chai lattes.
You’ll need to start thinking creatively about how best to utilize all of your skills. So how do we get started?
One way is by using our networks: We can ask others for help, advice, or introductions. We can also ask people for referrals or introductions to others (who may be able to connect us with even more opportunities).
This strategy has been proven effective time and time again by people who have found success making these types of connections during their maternity leaves.
Master Self-Marketing
Self-marketing is a skill that you will use throughout your career. You need to understand how to market yourself and your business so that you can be successful in whatever field you choose to pursue.
Some agencies can help with this, but not all of them are created equal. For example, some agencies might specialize in one type of freelance work (such as copywriting) while others may have a broader focus on creative services (such as graphic design).
If an agency is not right for you, it won’t do anything except waste your time and money; this means that every step along the way should be carefully considered before making any decisions about which company might be best suited for what needs.
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Get Talking
To get the most out of your pregnancy, it’s a good idea to talk to others who have been through the experience.
If you don’t know anyone who has had children, try talking to other women about their experiences. You may be surprised at how many people will open up and share their stories with you if you start a conversation that way!
You can also talk to your doctor or midwife about what he or she knows about other pregnant women in his practice or clinic, as well as what kinds of things worked well for them during their pregnancies.
He may also have advice on how best for him/her after giving birth and getting back into work full-time and whether there are any special considerations he thinks should be factored into those decisions (or whether from his point of view there might be any reason why they shouldn’t).
Talk with friends and family members who’ve gone through similar situations themselves; they’ll have useful insight on what advice would’ve helped them along their journey toward parenthood and possibly.
Even offer some reassurance that having an illness during pregnancy won’t automatically prevent someone else from doing exactly what they did (as long as precautions are taken).
Talk To Other Women About Their Experiences
The best way to prepare for maternity leave is to talk to other women who have been there, and done that. Ask them about their experiences: What worked and what didn’t?
How did they manage their time and juggle childcare with work? What tips do they have for managing your emotions as a working mother?
These conversations will help you get an idea of what to expect during this period in your life. You might even find out about resources or programs that exist in your area that can help make things easier on you!
Find A Mentor
To learn a new skill, you need a mentor. Mentors are people who have experience in what you want to do, and they can help you get started in your new career by showing you how they did it themselves.
They can also help develop your skills and knowledge until you’re ready to branch off on your own.
A mentor will be able to advise on how to approach potential clients and manage the finances of a business. They’ll also help with writing your business plan, which is important because this document will guide all of the decisions that come after it’s written!
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Adopt Flexible Working Practices
To ensure that women can continue working throughout their maternity leave, you might consider implementing these flexible working practices:
Flexible start and finish times. This way, the employee can attend to his or her children first thing in the morning and work later on in the afternoon.
Work from home options. If an employee is unable to be at work because of childcare commitments, this can help him or her complete tasks from home using a laptop, tablet, and mobile phone (if necessary).
Remote working opportunities. Employees could be permitted to work remotely for part of each day so as not to disrupt their childcare arrangements if they have them in place already (for example, if they are dropping off children at school).
Transfer Your Maternity Rights To Paternity Leave And Pay
The following are the ways you can transfer your maternity rights to paternity, shared parental leave, and pay:
Transfer maternity rights to statutory shared parental pay. All employees who have worked for their employer for at least 26 weeks (183 days) in the 66 weeks leading up to when they want to take shared parental leave must be allowed to take it.
You may be eligible if you’ve not been able to take any maternity leave since giving birth because of illness or caring responsibilities.
If so, speak with your line manager about transferring some of your remaining maternity leave into statutory shared parental leave. This will enable you to receive more money while staying home with your baby.
Transfer maternity rights to statutory shared parental leave (SPL). If you’re an employee and want SPL when they become a parent.
They must first give notice that they intend on taking this type of leave from work within 28 days after becoming pregnant or adopting a child under 18 months old;
Otherwise, all other arrangements regarding payment will apply automatically instead such as SMP or Maternity Allowance which may mean less time off overall due to its limited duration compared with SPL which can last up until 20 weeks including paid holiday entitlement
Don’t Feel Bad Saying ‘No’
When you are pregnant, a lot of people will want your time and energy. Many of these opportunities will be unpaid or underpaid, which can make it tempting to say yes to just about everything.
If you are like me, the thought of turning down work makes you feel guilty even though it’s okay! I don’t feel bad when I turn down something that doesn’t align with my goals or values because there will always be other opportunities out there that do.
You also might find yourself in situations where someone says no to an opportunity with little explanation or reason and this is okay too! Some people simply don’t have time for new projects right now and that’s okay!
It doesn’t mean they’re not invested in their career path or don’t want to grow as an individual; it just means they’re choosing their priorities right now (and those priorities might change soon).
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Turn Down Work You Know You Can’t Do Justice To
When you’re pregnant, there is a good chance that your energy levels will be low. If you know ahead of time that an assignment would require long hours working late into the night and getting up early for meetings, turn down the work.
You are not going to be able to give it your best effort or have the highest quality product at this point in your pregnancy, so don’t take on something that is going to leave you feeling guilty or stressed out about completing it on time.
If you’ve had a history of poor quality work as a freelancer or if this is just not your area of expertise (for example, if someone else does all of their legal paperwork), then think twice before accepting any more assignments in this department while pregnant.
The last thing anyone wants is to get sued because they didn’t do their job properly. After all, they were too busy caring for themselves!
Go Online And Make New Friends
Your online networking can also be a great way to learn from the experiences of other freelancers in your field, who you might otherwise not have had a chance to meet.
It’s worth taking note of how others handle their projects and how they balance work-life balance with their children. Use social media as an opportunity to learn what works for them and how you might use that information yourself!
If you’re looking for help in any area of your business, social media is an excellent resource for learning more about specific problems and solutions.
You’ll find plenty of groups on Facebook or LinkedIn where people exchange ideas and help each other out with technical issues that come up during their workday.
Join A Social Enterprise Like Mums Enterprise Roadshows Or Home Working Mums To Meet Others In The Same Situation As You
If you’re looking to get out of the house and meet some like-minded people, then joining a social enterprise is a good way to do it. Mums Enterprise Roadshows, for example, is an organization that runs events that connect business owners with potential customers and clients.
It also offers support services including mentoring and training in areas such as marketing and accounting.
Home Working Mums is another good example of an organization that helps mothers develop new skills by providing them with free access to resources on their website from books about self-employment to courses on financial planning.
Up Your Administration Game
There’s a lot of paperwork that comes with running your own business. Before you think about babies and maternity leave, get yourself set up to handle all the administrative details that come with being self-employed.
Keep track of invoices and payments by using an app like Xero or Freshbooks. Set up reminders for yourself about important dates and tasks (e.g., “cancel membership” or “pay rent”).
If you prefer paper, use a planner or notebook to write down dates and tasks; then transfer them into your electronic calendar when you’re done so they’re in one place.
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Work With Agencies
If you want to make some extra cash with your new skills, there are lots of companies looking for great freelancers.
That could mean working directly with an agency or company, or finding freelance gigs on sites like Upwork and Fiverr but either way, it’s a fantastic way to get paid while also working on projects that interest and excite you.
You can also work from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection and since many of these jobs are technical in nature (web development, design work), they don’t require much face time anyway!
Learn From Others Who’ve Been In The Same Situation As You Are Now
You’ll learn from other women who have been in your shoes. This is a great way to get advice on how to make it work and what works for them, as well as what they wish they had done differently.
You’re bound to find a few useful ideas that will help you manage your time, energy, and resources when working from home during maternity leave.
Focus On The Positive Changes In Your Life
While it’s important to take a step back and recognize what you can do during this time, sometimes it’s just as helpful to focus on the positive changes in your life. For example:
One certain thing is that you’ll have more time than usual to sit back, relax and catch up with friends and family. Take advantage of this by scheduling regular phone calls or Skype dates with those who mean the most to you.
You won’t be able to work as much or travel as often but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to make money! Use this extra time at home as an opportunity to build relationships with clients/customers/clients while they are still available via email or social media.
This is also a great time for planning so that when baby arrives, it won’t be business as usual (for either party). Think about how much easier it would be if everyone had already been briefed on their workload before the big day comes along!
Take Care Of Yourself, Take Care Of Your Business And Have Fun At The Same Time
When you’re pregnant, there are a lot of changes that happen in your life. These can be exciting and overwhelming, but one thing you’ll want to focus on is taking care of yourself both physically and mentally.
You know what they say: “You’ve got to take care of your body because it’s the only place you have to live.” So listen up! Be sure to eat right, exercise regularly, and make sure to get plenty of rest every night.
It’s also important for your business to stay healthy while you are away on maternity leave.
You want someone else not only taking responsibility for the day-to-day operations of your business (such as making sure invoices get paid) but also someone who can focus on long term planning such as growing revenue through new clients or products/services offered by the company
Conclusion
If you’re expecting a baby, there is no need to put your career and work on hold, especially if you’re self-employed. I hope this article has given you some encouragement and inspiration for how to make it work and keep working if you want to.
The transition from employee to employer can be stressful at times but being aware of the pitfalls in advance will help you avoid the worst ones. Good luck!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources for further reading on the topic of freelancing and maternity leave:
The Guardian: Advice on Maternity Leave for Freelancers and the Self-Employed: This article provides valuable advice and insights on how freelancers and self-employed individuals can navigate maternity leave.
IPSE: Guide to Freelance Maternity Leave: IPSE offers a comprehensive guide specifically tailored to freelancers, providing information and guidance on taking maternity leave.
Contently: You Can Take Maternity Leave as a Freelancer, You Just Have to Plan Ahead: This resource emphasizes the importance of planning ahead for maternity leave as a freelancer and offers practical tips for managing the transition.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about freelancing and maternity leave:
Q: Can freelancers take maternity leave?
A: Yes, freelancers can take maternity leave. It requires careful planning and understanding of the options available in your specific situation.
Q: Do freelancers have the same rights to maternity leave as employees?
A: Freelancers typically don’t have the same legal rights to maternity leave as employees. However, there are strategies and resources available to help freelancers navigate this period.
Q: How can freelancers financially prepare for maternity leave?
A: Freelancers can financially prepare for maternity leave by saving money in advance, exploring insurance options, and considering alternative income streams during their leave.
Q: Are there any government programs or benefits available for freelancers on maternity leave?
A: Government programs and benefits for freelancers on maternity leave vary by country. It’s important to research and understand the specific programs and eligibility criteria in your location.
Q: How can freelancers maintain client relationships during maternity leave?
A: Freelancers can maintain client relationships during maternity leave by communicating their plans in advance, providing alternative contact points, and setting clear expectations for their return.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.