Financially sustainable Home-Ed and Interviews

[Roxibillion]

Dear All, 

My first post on the forum and I'm looking for some guidance in two areas, perhaps some of you can help. 

I have been listening to Stef for approx 2 years now and through his work and the work of others I have been 'red pilled' just in time and now plan to start a family with my
husband and use my 'eggs' before they expire. 

I would consider my husband and I to be relatively intelligent, however we have not been motivated to bring home large incomes in the past and have therefore both 'settled' in our average low skilled (essentially admin level) jobs, valuing time at home more than time spent working. Although I am the highest earner we both agree that our only option is for me to give up work to raise our children, for the first 4 years at least this is non-negotiable. I am currently employed by a well respected privately owned organisation and am keen to leave on good terms with them as they have treated me well, and - were it not for our family, I would not see any reason to leave. 
It is fair to say that I have some concerns on how we will continue to make ends meet in our current situation as we just about manage now whilst we are both earning. There are definite sacrifices to be made, but our largest outgoing (mortgage) is not one we are prepared to compromise on as we feel it will reflect negatively on our children to move to an undesirable area where undesirable characters will be our community. The property that we have is good value for the location we are in and boasts the space we need, downsizing is not an option as we have children from a previous marriage to consider also. 
I wonder if it will be possible for me to find something to do using my existing skills which can generate an acceptable/ comparable income from home whilst being able to put the majority of my time, focus and energy in to our children and ensure that I am around and engaged enough to be able to love and educate them. This is consuming my every waking thought and I am very keen to get some feedback from others on the forum based on your experiences. There are no others around who can care for the children, nor would I wish there to be. 

As we have not yet conceived, my employer is not aware of my 'new' life plan and so the other thing I am looking for guidance on is with regard to interviews that we are currently conducting at my place of work for a new member of our team, and eventually for my replacement. Once we have identified their capability from a professional perspective I am keen to ensure that the new person(s) who come in are a good fit for the long term and that they are moral/ ethical and hard working individuals - what is your advice to me to decipher this from their character in a short cultural interview where I would spend no more than 30 minutes with them. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this. 

[barn]

Hi there @Roxibillion,

The main points perhaps (I reckon could be helpful) regarding your inquiry are:

1. 'Scaling down' - To a point where your means are in harmony, enabling a healthy focus for a suitable work&life balance, with THE CHILD(REN) in the centre of any and all decisions. Stefan Molyneux's short titled 'Teeth' sprungs to mind (income, parental attention, priorities) on the wayside.

Homeschooling gives your kids an advantage
(Peaceful Parenting, headstart in reading comprehension or math skills... etc)

You only need to ensure that 'the arrow is placed in a well aimed, sufficiently drawn bow' - the first 5 yrs (I hear people say) , after which the bulk of parenting is done. Maintaining/aiding a good heading becomes so much easier. It's due to established trust, reinforced critical thinking, loving reciprocity, an incremental growth in becoming independent and encouraging assertiveness (and btw... are all part of being a responsible parent/guardian, I strongly believe.)

2. 'Security is an illusion' - diversifying skillsets, pursuing efficiency and investing in becoming more employable over time will raise the likelihood of better adjusting to unexpected events. What matters is that you have a steady income, more important than what's that you actually do in the moment (you can work towards a goal and achieve it over time I'm sure but it's awfully difficult if you are anxious in the process, having to continuously worry about the next day/month. So I'd stabilise first, then look for venues to expand. Foundations(scaling down helps a lot, here) )

3. Interview - Do you know EXACTLY the qualities (traits, experience, skillset, overlaps) the job requires, what makes the person doing that specific job someone productive? How do they compare to those who are bad at it, why that is?

caveat <If an applicant possessed 75% of the requirements you'd established, what could be perhaps overlooked, reinforced later in the job, while at it?>

If yes, well..

Merit based filtering, people who are 'in motion', have proof(experience in the field) or achievements to show for are the way to go, I think. The most important thing being (from my own personal experience) is to establish whether the person is going to be a burden(no good foundations) or a fine addition(learns quickly, willingly, organised). People who simply do stuff, only coming to you if their best wasn't enough or if they see something down the line that could become potentially a problem and you should be pre-warned ahead of time to prepare adequately.

(if it's required...) What are the signs that indicate critical thinking, pro-active attitude, constructivity is present in the candidate? Any real-life event based interview question in mind?

I'd consider an individual who'd done things in the real world much more seriously than someone who only has 'papers'. If I'm being asked intelligent questions with hints of prior preparation of thought, that too speaks of 'how will I fit here' NOT 'what can I get from you' characteristics... etc.

Have a look in here (getting a job, evaluating, to do's)
 

And also here (for more resources for homeschooling related topics)

"Dr. Duke Pesta is a tenured university professor, author and the Academic Director of FreedomProject Academy, a Live Online School offering individual classes and complete curricula for students in Kindergarten through High School.(...)"

Will you let us know how things progress? (I'd be curious to know)

Barnsley