I have a decision to make.
The school I work at for three days per week have asked me to stay on. I’m currently on a temporary contract, covering a colleague who is on maternity leave. I’ve been doing this job since September and after six months I feel like I’m getting to know the rhythms of the workplace, understanding the needs of the students, and forming good relationships with colleagues.
I’m acutely aware that this part-time teaching job helps to facilitate my other business(es).
I bracket the plural because initially it was one business: interior design, and that is still something I am very much pursuing, but it has morphed into more. I have paid subscribers here (thank you!) and I consider myself to be a writer. I really enjoy writing, and often the words just pour out, unstoppable. If you’ve been reading my recent posts, you will know that I’ve started making jewellery. Well, earrings but it may develop into other kinds of jewellery. My mother-in-law thinks buttons could be worth exploring too. She’s a keen knitter and apparently, it’s often difficult to find interesting buttons. Earring making is very much a hobby, but I am starting to test the water with an Etsy shop to see whether there is any interest in them beyond friends/family. Let’s see.
There’s also music tutoring (GCSE/A Level) and a little piano teaching in the mix, with the demand for tutoring increasing recently as exam season approaches! Last week I accepted a contract to do some A Level Music exam paper marking in the summer. It’s all online and doesn’t pay incredibly well but it’s a good insight into how the exams that I teach work and will allow me to earn some extra cash during the summer holidays. It might just about pay for a summer holiday.