Any moms doing PR? Have you looked for a job with more balance?

jetgrrrl

I have two kiddos, 2 and 3 and have worked full time for a major nonprofit since before they were born. I make a very good salary but live in a very HCOLA so we live a very middle-class life. Our childcare costs have been a killer, but we're at the point where our oldest is in Kindergarten so we have at least some relief there (although we still pay for a full-time program for our youngest and for extended day for the oldest) I've gotten to the point where I am just wiped out. We have a crisis a week around here and we have always been understaffed. I'd like to look for a part-time PR gig, but I'm wondering if anyone has been successful at finding a meaningful part-time PR job with decent pay. Obviously I'd expect a pay cut to work less, but I'm really getting to the point where I'm tired of always getting home late and seeing the kids for all of ten minutes (if I'm lucky) because I'm dealing with some media crisis. I troll boards for jobs but so many of them seem like they combine what should be the duties of two or three people into one. Anyway, really just interested in any moms doing PR who "leaned out" a bit and took perhaps a less intensive position and how that went for you.

jetgrrrl

OMG - I'm so burned out I included a typo related to my kids' ages - they are 5 and 3, sorry.

kristynachicago

I work in PR, so this maybe helpful for you.  I used to work in agency life and found it chaotic. Having to balance multiple clients and a media crisis at any given moment was just not enabling me to strike the right work/life balance.  

I moved to an internal, corporate position in finance and find the working hours soooo much more manageable.   I work 9-5, M-F, and get 30 days of vacation.  

Of course, with any PR job, you're working with reporters on deadlines and sometimes there's the need for early emails or calls from TV producers who want to book your spokespersons, but for the most part, I don't work much outside of my 9-5.  

If you look for positions labeled "corporate communications" instead of public relations, it may narrow the field for you and help you find something with the balance you're looking for.  Good luck!  

2-Step

At my previous job I was in a role where I was a marketing director and played a primary PR function. Between the travel, deadlines and emergencies I found it to be completely unmanageable to live the lifestyle I wanted. It's not that it couldn't be done, it just wasn't something I enjoyed. I chose to take a less rewarding, but also less intense, part-time marketing job and started freelancing on the side. The freelancing allows me to do a little bit of journalism, a little bit of PR, graphic design and marketing. I offer my services to small businesses but the pay is pretty good for contract work, which makes up for the less than stellar part-time work pay, but I get the stability of having a paycheck and benefit options if all my freelance work were to disappear or slow down. I found it to be a lot more flexible and, while I'm not climbing the corporate ladder at the moment, I do feel like I am much happier! My experience has been that most part-time marketing, PR, communications jobs are very low pay compared to a full time gig, but you may be able to find contract work or a more flexible work from home option at some companies.

KayteeGee

I work in PR and I think Kristy above has it right. I work at an agency my situation isn't one I'm willing to leave (for a lot of reasons that don't matter to your question) but in general I don't find agency life to be amenable to what most consider a good work/life balance.
I definitely think in-house corporate comm would be better for that.
I would've also said in-house non-profit (but I guess I'd have been wrong?  Or maybe try another non-profit? My non-profit clients don't tend to be emergency prone)
I have one former news friend who just transitioned to comms in higher ed... she seems to really like it!
The other alternative is to go out on your own consulting - that way you can manage your work load.  Many of my peers who started at agencies when I did have gone this route and it seems to be working for them? I'd think there'd be real value to non-profits to have someone like you to advise their internal teams?  There might be good business there?
I wish I could help from a "finding a new job" perspective, but I've been at my agency 12 years ... so I'm no real help there.
It's tough... it really is.  PR strikes me as a really demanding field that doesn't usually have very good ROI in terms of $$ or balance.  I've been really lucky, but sadly most of my peers have been less so.

rodiesmum

I agree. Was in corporate/internal comm before and it was a lot more structured than full blown media relations work. I know how you feel abt all the crisis, weekend work and after work gigs and out of town work. And although most single people enjoy it, u most working moms may hav a hard time finding the balance that theyd want. Add to that the stress of childcare afterworking hrs when there's this unplanned event that comes up or overtime work.
With another LO on the way, i too am worried abt how i could manage to be there for them plus this career. Dnt get me wrong i enjoy my job it is just that it gets harder when there's weekend work, night events, killer publication deadlines and out of towns.
Anyway, in your sitch, i agree with PPs, find something for the internal comms position or corpcomm because its more of a regular day job.

BabyHope2013

I agree with higher education. I do marketing at a university. You don't make as much as you would working in the private sector. But I've found the benefits to be much better. I also work 9-5 for the most part and they are very flexible when I need time off for my son. In higher education you also get some perks of break closures that match up with schools too--ie Christmas break, thanksgiving break etc.