I have been looking forward to the school holidays for weeks! Lots of lovely family things planned, and a real chance for some downtime. Things I will NOT be doing this break include:
- Mammoth marking sessions
- Lesson plans for next term
- Feeling unable to switch off
- Picking myself up after a difficult term of burn-out
- Worrying about starting back again after the school holidays
- Planning how to get out of a work environment that is uninspiring and unsupportive
If you are a teacher working in a school, we know how tough it is for you right now, and we empathise so much with you so much! There is another way.
School holidays are not a time for burn-out!
Since running Music Monsters, my holidays are genuine holidays. I spend the time relaxing, recharging, excitedly making plans, and enjoying time with my family. Many class providers don’t get paid during the holidays, if they are not delivering classes. This is not true for us. All of our students are on a monthly payment system (provided by Thinksmart), meaning that our franchisees all received normal payments throughout the school holidays – despite not needing to work during these periods.
There is another way – a way that will help you to feel excited, passionate, impactful and valued.
Hard work should feel rewarding – not overwhelming
When we first started Music Monsters, I’ll be honest, we worked every hour under the sun. We were writing the programme, marketing classes, experimenting with material, establishing our business, learning every day, understanding how to grow a business. Our children were very young, and we worked around nap times, evenings, weekends – whenever we could snatch a minute. It was intense, and a lot of work….but, looking back, I didn’t miss a single moment I didn’t want to miss. Even back then, when we just starting out, we got to choose. Luke and I were there for every bedtime, every poorly day, every occasion. Running your own business gives you the ultimate level of freedom.
Now, school holidays are sacred. They are our family downtime – for all 5 of us. They are an opportunity for us to holiday, visit family, have fun with friends, and take a step back to plan what we want to do next. We book in occasional themed holiday-sessions, to give a little boost to our income, and to give student the chance to check in with us over the holidays. But this is not compulsory at all for our franchisees, who often use the holiday times to just relax with their families.
How to keep the school holidays, but change your career!
If you are considering a career change, or find that your boundaries in your own business are becoming blurred:
1. Strip it back to what you WANT. Print off a calendar with a full year view, and block out the time you want off first. If you don’t, you’ll find work creeping into all of your days off, whether you want it to or not.
2. Work out your bottom line. How much money do you need or want to earn? How much do you need to earn each month, each week, each day to allow you to take the school holidays off?
3. How much money do you need to charge for your time?
If you are not able to take a plunge with a new career, could you carve time in your life for a side-hustle? Something that would allow you to build your income safely before taking the leap? Will these changes help you to get the balance that you want in your life? One step at a time – journal it all out, know the figures you need to make it work, and put a plan in place!
Lauren & Luke x
We would love to talk to you about the opportunities we have at Music Monsters, and to share with you all the ways that you can benefit from joining us. If you think that this may be of interest to you, let’s arrange a zoom call – we would love to connect.
