Category Archives: Money & Work

Can you afford to be a stay-at-home mum?

Do you dream of quitting your job to stay at home with the kids? If so, you’re not alone. According to a survey by uSwitch, three out of four new mothers would stay at home to bring up their children if money were no object. But with the high cost of living here in the UAE you might assume that managing on one salary is not possible. While every situation is different, we’ve put together the following tips on how to reduce your expenses. Some savings are big and some are small, but as they say, every little helps!

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Back to work after a career break: 7 tips to help you succeed

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Remember your first day at senior school? Multiply those fears by 10,000 and you’re half way there. Whether your hiatus is down to travel, relocation or maternity leave, returning to work after a career break is a scary business. Fear not though because we sat down with the guys at Hopscotch, a company that helps professional women find flexible working options, to get their top tips on how to get you back into the work place after a career break. Here’s what they had to say.

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Part-time work for mums: How can you do it?

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Part-time work for mums? Does it even exist in the UAE? We’ve all had a conversation when we’ve moaned about the struggle to find flexible working hours. It’s a particularly important issue for mothers in this part of the world, as positions that offer child-friendly hours are few and far between. Many mums are confronted with an all-or-nothing decision to either return to work full-time or give up on their careers altogether. Fortunately the tide is turning with the arrival of Hopscotch, a platform that matches up professional women and companies seeking flexible working options. A subsidiary of the recruiter MCG Group, the company was co-founded by husband and wife team, Helen and Justin McGuire, after they noticed a severe lack of part-time work opportunities in the UAE. As JustKidding has always been proactive in hiring mums for part-time roles, we decided to sit down with Helen to get the lowdown on what Hopscotch has to offer and how you can get involved.

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Things You Should Never Say To A Working Mum

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Editor’s note: This week we handed over the reins to Riyadh-based mummy blogger Ya Mama. As a working mother with four children, ranging in age from three-and-a-half to almost 13, she knows all about juggling career and family life. But while managing a tricky schedule can be tough work, according to this popular Saudi wordsmith, it’s actually the comments from others that really push her buttons. Here’s what she had to say…

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Beat The Back-To-Work Blues

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For many new mums, returning to work after having a baby can be a terrifying prospect. Visions of your little one being scarred by separation anxiety or mistaking the nanny for mummy is enough to keep you awake at night. Fortunately we caught up with international parenting coach, author and founder of Munchkins, Andalene Salvesen to get her top tips on making that transition as painless as possible. Read on…

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6 Unexpected Costs Of Becoming A Parent

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Before I had my daughter I always did a major eye roll whenever people talked about the hefty costs of being a parent. But then I became a mummy myself and reality hit. From out-of-the-blue costs that you don’t anticipate to seemingly obvious expenses that somehow manage to blindside you, the unexpected costs of becoming a parent can really throw your finances into disarray if you don’t plan for them. Continue reading →