Working Parents: Part-Time Job or Work-From-Home Franchise?

For many parents, working part-time or from home allows them to earn a flexible living, in order to raise the little ones while still having enough time to make memories.In this article we will weigh up the pros and cons of working part-time job and running a work-from-home franchise and then look at some of the top work-from-home franchise opportunities here on Point Franchise.

---

If you’re a parent who wants to find the right way of earning without sacrificing family time, you may be considering your options. Balancing being a parent with work can sometimes be tricky. While we want to be around as much as possible during those golden years, children are expensive and parental leave does not last forever.

Working part time or from home

A recent survey found that as couple families have more children, the likelihood of both parents working full-time decreases.

Part time work can be the perfect way to earn an income that fits around family time, but it’s not without its drawbacks.

Another option for many parents is working from home. In the UK, over four million people - or 13 percent of the working population - choose to work from home (Office for National Statistics). This is an increase of 800,000 people in the last ten years and is a trend that’s expected to continue.

4 million The number of UK workers that work from home

Let’s weigh up the pros and cons of part-time work compared with a work-from-home franchise.

---

>> Read more:

• Top 10 Tips for Happy Franchisees
• Innovation in franchising
• Top tips for being a productive franchisee
• Top tips for franchisees who need to secure finance
• How to keep your employees happy: Tips for franchisees
• Top Tips on How to Become a Profitable Franchisee

---

Pros of working part-time

• Maintaining your career – When family life changes your ability or desire to work full-time, part-time work can offer a great way to stay connected with your network and industry without the hours demanded by a full-time position.
• More time for family – Many job seekers are often looking for ways to create space for their families. Part-time positions can allow for less time in the office, which means more time for other parts of your life.
• Supplemental income – Part-time work can supplement the income of a partner in a dual-income household. If one parent is staying in full time work, the other can maintain their career and contribute additional earnings while saving time for family.

Challenges of working part time

• Usually no benefits – Many employers only offer benefits like insurance or pensions to their full-time employees. Some industries do offer these benefits to their part-time employees, but if you are in need of workplace perks, it is certainly harder to secure them in a part-time position.
• Doing more with less time – Many people with professional part-time jobs feel that they need to keep up with their full-time colleagues. This can cause increased stress and pressure to get the same kind of work done in fewer hours.
• Lower income – When you are working fewer hours, you will, of course, make less money. For many job seekers, taking a part-time position only fulfills part of their financial needs and they find themselves taking multiple part-time positions to make up for the full-time salary they need.

---

>> Read more:

• Starting a Franchise: Top 5 Things You Must Do
• When to consider starting your own business
• Basic guide to franchising
• Conquer your fears and start a franchise
• Reasons not to start a franchise

---

Pros of a work-from-home franchise

• No time wasted on commuting – Save time and money getting to and from the workplace.
• An improved work-life balance - Working from home enables you to attend events such as school concerts and sports days that you may have otherwise missed.
• No office or retail space expenses - Operating a home-based business comes with very few overheads. Not only are rental costs saved, but also office equipment, furniture and smart clothing aren’t required.
• You can choose your own hours - Work whenever and for however long you like. Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, you can pick when is best for you to work around any family obligations you may have.
• There are no geographical limits – You can work with clients from across the UK or even abroad. Without a set location to hold you back or tie you to one territory, you can choose to make your business as big or small as you want by defining the size of your customer base in line with your aspirations.
• Be your own boss - There’s no need to worry about missing out on benefits or not progressing fast enough in your career, because you’ll be your own boss! Running your own business means you’ll have no one to keep up or compete with.

Challenges of a work-from-home franchise

• You need a lot of self-discipline - Getting up and focusing on work every day when you are in your home environment takes a great deal of self-discipline and motivation. With younger members of your family in the picture, it can also be difficult to not get pulled away from your work.
• It's harder to switch off - There can be less distinction between work and family life when you work from home, making it harder to shut down and more likely that you will overwork.
• You lose living space - Creating a home office or workspace can use up living space in your home that you’d rather allocate to the family.

If weighing up your options has left you wanting to know more about work-from-home franchises, here are some of our best opportunities for you to consider:

Top working from home franchises

Auditel

Auditel is a cost management business that was established in 1994. It set out to help businesses understand the tariffs and service offerings that emerged after the utilities markets were deregulated.

• Becoming an Auditel franchisee: In being part of this business, you’d be supporting over 3,000 large and medium-sized organisations across the UK and Ireland in more than 100 areas of business expenditure. Being able to work from home means that you can join this franchise with just a desk, a computer, a phone and access to the internet. To find out more about joining the franchise, get in touch.
• How much you need to invest: A minimum investment of £20,000 and a total investment of £37,950 is required.
• What you get for your investment: You'll have access to all of Auditel’s support team, a comprehensive suite of training and the chance to earn an impressive income from this flexible franchise opportunity.

Promedica24

This home-based business may be of interest if you have the empathy and compassion to work in the care sector. Your role within the franchise would be to support individuals and their families to choose carers who will provide care 24/7, as supplied by the franchise. Promedica 24 aspires to provide clients with the most genuine care possible while attending appropriately to their specific needs.

• Becoming a Promedica24 franchisee: There's no need to worry if you've never worked in this sector before. As a Promedica24 franchisee, you won't be responsible for delivering the care yourself. To sign up, click here.
• How much you need to invest: In order to become a Promedica24 franchisee, you will need to make a minimum investment of £1,000 and a total investment of £40,000.
• What you get for your investment: You'll receive expert marketing support and have access to bespoke CRM systems.

Aspray

**Aspray **is recognised as one of the UK’s franchise leaders in the property claims handling industry. It specialises in building repairs and insurance claims, bridging the gap between the claimant and insurer during negotiations.

• Becoming an Aspray franchisee: If you join this franchise, you'll support clients when they need it most. You'll project manage property damage insurance claims from inception to completion of repairs. To learn more and sign up, click here.
• How much you need to invest: A minimum investment of £15,000 and a total investment of £37,500 is required.
• What you get for your investment: You'll get high-quality training, admin support and marketing help. You'll also be able to attend regional meetings and national conferences to upgrade your skills and expertise.

Fits around the family

As a working parent, prioritising family time can be difficult when you have obligations on the income front. The flexibility of franchising really gets put to good use when it can provide mums and dads with a work schedule that allows them to not miss out on the important stuff with the family.

Whether it’s a part-time job or running a franchise business from home, there are options for earning an income. Even if it’s a part-time income, you can make it work for you as a full-time parent. It’s a lot easier than you might think to start a business that moulds to your lifestyle.

If your considering your options and think franchising may be for you, get in touch today and we’ll help find the perfect opportunity for you that works around your family life.