Best careers for frum women

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Forum -> Household Management -> Finances

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amother

Aquamarine

Mon, Nov 23 2020, 9:55 am

amother [ Amethyst ] wrote:

Nope. Therapist. Bh it's great. You are right though, teachers have a much harder job. Should have mentioned that

You're a speech therapist, right? OTs don't make $100K eight years in. Speech therapists in the DOE have a really cushy job. Those jobs are very hard to come by nowadays. There was a dearth even prior to COVID, and now there's a hiring freeze. It took my cousin 3 years to find a job in the DOE, and in a bad neighborhood.

Teaching in the DOE is not worthwhile unless you have REALLY thick skin, your idealism goes down the tubes, and your DH has flexibility or you have a nanny to pick up all the random times that you're not available.

amother

Amethyst

Mon, Nov 23 2020, 10:00 am

amother [ Aquamarine ] wrote:

All completely valid points. DH owns his own business so his schedule is super flexible. Otherwise you are right, wouldn't be manageable.
I agree about the idealism being crushed but I took my job not viewing it as anything more than a job. I'm embarrased to say so but I don't care much as long as I'm doing what I'm supposed to and doing a good job about it.

But yes, I guess I should have included more typical negatives in my original post. I happen to think I have the best job due to how easy it is and the flexibility DH has but I realize that is not the case for everyone.
Can't beat the benefits and pension though;) LOL

amother

Fuchsia

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 6:22 pm

amother [ Vermilion ] wrote:

You need to do what you like and work out the hours after. I’m begging you.
I took a career that’s the “best for a frum woman”, and guess what? I make $0.00 because I hate it so much that I gave up working altogether.

This. I also chose what I thought would be a great career for a frum woman and miserable. But I didn't know ahead of time that I wouldn't like it. It's good to be practical but also choose something that you like if you're able to.

amother

Aquamarine

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 7:41 pm

amother [ Amethyst ] wrote:

Again, as a speech therapist, you hit the jackpot. Good for you!

I would highly advise that anyone who is thinking of going into the DOE as a teacher think long and hard. Spoken as someone five years in who's looking to get out.

crossroad

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 7:41 pm

Pharmacist?

amother

Aquamarine

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 8:00 pm

crossroad wrote:

Pharmacist?

The years of schooling are intense. I believe it takes a minimum of 7 years to become a pharmacist nowadays. My friend did it online and paid through the roof. She had to take tests a day after having a baby. She had to travel out to a random state to do labs when she was in her 9th month.

After all that, she hasn't had such an easy time finding a job that is compatible with her life as a wife and mother.

amother

Slateblue

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 8:24 pm

Quote:

After all that, she hasn't had such an easy time finding a job that is compatible with her life as a wife and mother.

I have two friends who became pharmacists. It is almost impossible to find a job that does not require you to work on shabbos. One did find something after 2 yrs of looking, but she is not making anywhere near the amount "as advertised" for a pharmacist. The other one is no longer frum...

Moon613

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 8:26 pm

If you have the math skills another vote for actuary
9-5 hours
No
Problem with Shab/yt
200k possibilities
But you need to be a genius

amother

Coffee

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 8:29 pm

I think there is no real answer for this. It really depends what your values are. I am an OT in a public school district and I think it is highly compatible with my frum lifestyle. It is in no way "cushy" (but then again I am in the midwest so it may be different than the NY DOE) and yes the hours are challenging.

But: There is potential for increased salary (up until a point)
The environment is pretty clean (no foul language)
I work with mostly other women
I am doing something I like (working with kids)
I can take off for yomim tovim as needed (with minimal pay deduction)
I get amazing health insurance for my entire family
I have several weeks off throughout the year (2 weeks for winter, 10 [I think] for the summer, many Monday holidays off)
I have an amazing retirement package if I make it until that point
I have tons of paid sick days for when my kids are sick
It happens to be the district I live in so the commute is max 10 minutes

Every job will have its pros and cons and as another poster said- just do something you like!

amother

Seashell

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 8:33 pm

Certain positions in higher education (if you have the degree for it).

amother

Floralwhite

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 8:34 pm

amother [ Aquamarine ] wrote:

Why is it so much worse for a teacher than a speech therapist?

amother

Mustard

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 8:56 pm

amother

Navy

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 9:16 pm

amother [ Floralwhite ] wrote:

Why is it so much worse for a teacher than a speech therapist?

I'm assuming b/c teachers have a lot more prep work and hours they dont get paid for, while speech therapists have more prep time built into their schedule?

I am a speech therapist. Don't work for the doe. The other speech therapist was lucky her husbands work was flexible, but mine is not, and we don't have a nanny. So I just do contract work. This is a great set up for a frum women b/c I just work by the hour.

Yes, I don't get any benefits etc but I didn't think it was possible to have such a tight schedule while also having all the childcare responsibilities- just taking off for yom tov etc. Would use up all the sick days, and then what would I do if one of my kids actually gets sick?

No, I don't make that much money at the end of the day (every year is different, but I think I took in around 40,000 on a normal year) b/c I am home by 3:00 for my preschoolers, don't work yom tov and chol hamoed or summers, so I work very very part time, but the trade of is the flexibility. Hopefully once all my kids are grown, I can take on more hours and make more.

I feel like everyone just wants to know what job they can do that allows them to basically not work at all and still take home enough money to live a frum lifestyle. Unfortunately I don't rlly think this exists, unless maybe your a genius and can do the actuary or the very part time lawyer?

Usually I think you take out what you put in (Yes, I think Hashem is still in charge, and I recognize that even more b/c I do contract work. One client can just be sick one day, and then I lost that whole session). But basically if you want to make a lot of money, the job doesn't rlly matter, you just need to work alot! I even know secretaries who worked themselves up in the business and are now making more than me.

amother

Honeydew

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 9:18 pm

Playgroup Moarh you work when your kids are in school take off when they are off.
If they get sick stick them in their room with a movie

amother

Coffee

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 9:22 pm

amother [ Navy ] wrote:

I feel like everyone just wants to know what job they can do that allows them to basically not work at all and still take home enough money to live a frum lifestyle. Unfortunately I don't rlly think this exists, unless maybe your a genius and can do the actuary or the very part time lawyer?

Yes to this. I get this feeling too! Sounds like a dream. I would 100% like to work very part time and make enough money.

amother

Blue

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 9:32 pm

amother [ Honeydew ] wrote:

Playgroup Moarh you work when your kids are in school take off when they are off.
If they get sick stick them in their room with a movie

Yes, this. Also, depending what age you do, you can keep your little ones home with you.

amother

Jetblack

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 9:43 pm

Law gets a bad rep because people tend to think of biglaw as the only career path where you work a million hours and make a lot of money. But if you go in with the intention of finding a more "lifestyle" career it can be a good one. For example the NJ Attorney General's Office has a starting salary of almost $90k plus you get all the benefits of government work-good hours, great benefits, 6 weeks off.

I specifically only wanted a career where I had the option to do it remotely. I didn't want to have to deal with scheduling around my kids school plays etc. I don't work for the AG, but seriously considered it. I ended up with a firm job that's super flexible. I work a decent amount of hours but my firm doesn't care when I do it as long as it gets done. I can come and go as I please so if my kid has an appt or needs to be picked up I can just do it without anyone breathing down my neck. Obviously it's not comparable to a teacher's hours but its more flexible.

That being said, I think a PA is the ideal career for a frum woman if her interests align.

amother

Aquamarine

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 10:41 pm

Moon613 wrote:

If you have the math skills another vote for actuary
9-5 hours
No
Problem with Shab/yt
200k possibilities
But you need to be a genius

Getting through the tests is brutal. If you're a woman with a head for math, you're better off going into data science or software engineering. Maybe the upper boundary isn't quite as high, but the pay is very good with far less schooling. Actuary may only require a bachelor's, but it requires years and years of studying. Additionally, 9 to 5 is not where the money is; if you want to make the money actuary is known for, you're doing 9 to 7 minimum.

amother

Aquamarine

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 10:43 pm

amother [ Floralwhite ] wrote:

Why is it so much worse for a teacher than a speech therapist?

Speech therapists work one-on-one or in small groups. Teachers can have 30-34 kids in a classroom. Speech therapists get paid as teachers plus an additional $6K for their NPI number (whereas OTs get paid separately and much less). They don't really have observations (okay, officially one or two, but it mostly doesn't happen). They're kind of left to their own devices by most principals.

amother

Aquamarine

Sat, Nov 28 2020, 10:46 pm

amother [ Jetblack ] wrote:

That being said, I think a PA is the ideal career for a frum woman if her interests align.

There are so many different opinions on this out there; I never know who to believe.

I always thought PA was a good compromise if you're a frum woman who wants to go into the medical field and also raise a family.

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