Mamabee

Top Tips to Double Your Salary during your Parental Leave

Even a few years may seem like a long time to wait for the recognition and salary that you feel you deserve. However, the saying ‘easy come, easy go’ holds a lot of wisdom when talking about life’s biggest challenges. One of which is your career and professional development. 

Building the knowledge and resources to create a more stable income and more enjoyable work hours takes time and a lot of energy. Having emphasized the amount of hard work required to double your salary, the huge reward of more money and your pick of positions far outweigh the energy expended.

Some methods of salary growth may require an upfront financial investment, which should always be thoroughly vetted for legitimacy. If you are not in the position to afford the chance to grow, government schemes and charities can help supplement the money you may want to invest.

Why should you use your parental leave to advance professionally?

In the USA, employers with more than 50 employees are required to afford mothers up to 12 weeks off, which may or may not be paid. Parental leave is a time most often spent with family, nurturing the pregnancy, having the baby, and getting accustomed to life as a parent.

Amongst time spent feeding, bathing, and changing your bundle of joy, many new parents become complacent, missing being in the professional loop and their social lives. Boredom is hard to come by as a parent, granted. However, if you are feeling the need to fill your spare time, before or after your baby has arrived, you can expand your professional skills across a multitude of mediums that won’t interfere with new motherhood.

What will a higher salary mean for you?

As well as considering the obvious financial benefits, have a think about what the increased income will mean for you, day to day. It won’t just bring fast cars and backyard hot tubs into your life; your status will make you an industry leader, a great new title, opportunities to be charitable, or even titan-status in your professional sector.

With these great additions to your life comes great responsibility. People will expect more from your work and you. Making the effort to remain up to date with relevant current affairs and stay on top of policy and procedure are great ways to show people your expertise and keen affection for the position you hold.

Who can use these tips to score a doubled salary?

These tips are largely aimed at degree educated individuals who are in professional fields, although they can be applied to any sector, at any level for success. To help you envisage your success, each of the top tips holds a case study about a healthcare professional, but you can apply this to any role and sector.

To expand in your field, you’ll need to adapt your skills for the responsibilities that you want to end up with, wherever possible. Outline your goals, map out a step by step to success, and remain self-motivated. By identifying what you want to achieve in the very beginning, it’ll be easier to track your progress and stay on route with a view of the big picture.

If you’re looking to expand on your current position, ensure you and your boss agree on any paid working days before your parental leave begins.

Tip # 1: Learn new, specialized skills

Take courses, either online whilst your baby sleeps or in classes while your little one bonds with family or friends. The psychological stillness that many moms experience during this time is often responsible for new ideas, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. This could be skills or hobbies that they’d never thought to attempt before. 

Pursuing these opportunities while not working full time can be a great way to return to your original role with a motivated attitude and new skills to utilize. It can even prepare you for a promotion or an entirely new role.

Impress yourself and your boss when you unlock your true potential through further education programs!

Case Study: A healthcare professional

Registered Nurses, or RNs, are clinical professionals who have usually taken an associate degree or closely managed placement and practice in both hospital and community settings.

Firstly, as an RN, you can plan your victorious return to your much-loved job taking care of others. What could be better to go back to than a higher salary and new, exciting opportunities and responsibilities? Graduate nurses can now undergo extra training from home to become a family nurse practitioner or FNP.

FNP professionals have more responsibilities but take home almost double the average RN salary. In addition to the duties of an RN, an FNP has extra responsibilities such as preventative and safeguarding measures. It is the role of an FNP to ensure fast and effective solutions to these issues are utilized.

You can work at your own pace to become an FNP with an online degree program and get 1-1 support just as you would in the classroom, all while the baby takes a nap.

The FNP qualification takes a little longer than most parental leaves last. However, planning for your family’s future and taking steps to enter and begin the program while you’re on parental leave can help you map out the steps to double your income in no time!

Tip # 2: Go self-employed or start a side hustle

In whatever sector you occupy, there’s always room for expansion. Self-employment is becoming a more and more popular choice, with the potential to earn more and work less.

Although it may take an exact combination of skills to achieve business success, these skills can be learned and adapted for each customer interaction.

You can stay comfortably within your professional field or even enter a new one with a mound of research and a new perspective on your transferable skills.

Self-employment requires attention to detail, passion, and dedication in unmotivating moments. It eats into family time and often must take priority over things you’d rather be doing. Having said that, it can provide more flexibility in the long run, as well as taking home 100% of the profits you earn and potentially doubling your income!

Case Study: A healthcare professional

RN and FNP professionals may never have planned to deviate from their professional field, but when family life begins, plans can change, and other pursuits take precedence. The great news is that it’s your choice. Whether you’d like to continue in your pre-motherhood role or switch to something completely different, being self-employed puts you in the driving seat. 

Agency work can be a great side hustle for an RN or FNP, working flexibly around your normal hours. All RN and FNP professionals can complete agency work when their parental leave has ended. The salary is higher, and the hours are more flexible than fixed positions. Make suitable arrangements after considering the best option for you and your family, bearing in mind the pros and cons of each path.

Tip # 3: Reimagine your professional experience

Rejigging the name of your role, unofficially, to best show your current position (to whoever you’re communicating with) can relight your experience in a far more plentiful way. For example, you may not be your team’s leader, but you could be leading a new initiative, or perhaps you could use titles including the words ‘coordinator’ and/or ‘senior,’ with your superior’s permission.

This won’t change your current role, but if you’re looking for a new one, this might help to reshape your experience, which, in many sectors, is valued over formal education. Customizing your title to different people to help them better understand what you do daily is fine, as long as your official title remains on your work documents.

Case Study: A healthcare professional 

On your CV, you must be completely honest about your qualifications and competence. Regardless of whether this could affect patients, transparency is a factor that all employers and educators will look for, so be honest. 

However, if you’re attempting to steer away from a previous role in the ER and into a healthcare helpline position, you’ll want to stress the skills that make you most attractive for the role. So instead of talking about the surgeries you’ve performed (certainly mention them at some point), prioritize getting across your amazing communication skills and high performance under pressure.

The skills you once thought were useless could be your next employer’s ideal set. Simply shift your perspective.

Tip # 4: Utilize maternity comeback coaching

Check if your company has any support for your transition back into the workplace; chances are there will be at least a point of contact for your support liaison. Be sure to explore these support options as early as possible, as the process may cover you before, during, and after your parental leave.

Many workplaces have maternity comeback coaching sessions, either in small groups or personally targeted, for mothers integrating back into their work lives, as well as 1-1 support for any other issues that arise. 

Case Study: A healthcare professional

As an RN or even an FNP, you will benefit from a high-ranking individual and passionate people-person to liaise with throughout your leave and to make arrangements for your return. It will help keep your mind at rest when it comes to issues unique to motherhood and you. 

This person may even become your go-to for future issues. Don’t be afraid to discuss changes to shifts or any other motherhood-specific inquiries.

Tip # 5: Be genuinely interested and plan ahead

A genuine interest in every aspect of your job will lead to you learning information you didn’t know you needed. A keen eye for specifics and good organizational skills will impress your superiors and make your life easier, too.

It may be hard to get your mind off baby-talk TV and to get the nursery rhymes out of your mind, but refocusing with a genuine love for what you do and the service you provide, can help you to integrate back into work more smoothly.

A great way to achieve this focused mind is to practice meditation and to remind yourself of your ‘why.’ Your ‘why’ is the reason that you decided on the career that you have. Rediscover this prospect by visiting the spot where you made the choice, speak to colleagues, and plan for your future growth.

Being organized is always an advantage, in and out of the office. You can use your maternity leave to plan your success story in a step-by-step format that you will be able to read in six months.

Case Study: A healthcare professional
Remind yourself why you chose to work in the public sector and why you gravitated towards a social position. Was it because of a desire to help people? Maybe it is because you have a passion for healthcare itself. Get organized for your return, or a new career adventure, all from your makeshift home office, whilst Dad takes his turn feeding. This will make you feel mentally prepared to return or to pursue new passions.

The bottom line…

Developing your skills is a guaranteed way to double your salary. Despite being one of the most long-term and demanding options, further education, such as training as an FNP, can add endless value to you as a candidate for a higher-paying position. 

Channeling your passion into a side hustle where you’re in charge can have limitless financial possibilities, too. If you are planning to return to your current position, keeping in contact with colleagues and management can help you to slip back into your work routine more seamlessly and refocus your energy back into work.

Being genuinely invested in your work by reminding yourself of your ‘why’ can be important for career-confidence and organizing your goals can ensure the transition is smooth.

The sooner you begin your journey of professional development, the sooner you can double your income and add some flexibility to your work! Get organized, start planning, schedule comeback coaching, and prepare for your career journey to continue with speed.

Finally, the ultimate tips to achieving success: remain confident, motivated, and focused on your end goal!