How hard is it for a late 40s SAHM to return to the workforce?

[Anonymous]

SIL is normal, healthy, outgoing, and has a warm disposition. My brother's salary just took a $50K haircut, so their household expenses are tight. Their youngest child is in middle school, so why can't SIL go back to work? That hasn't even come up. I believe she dropped out of the nearby university they live near over twenty years ago. She worked a random office job until she married my brother. I have no idea what's realistic for someone with such a C.V. without going back to finish bachelor's degree.*

[Anonymous]

*I'm assuming a nursing program at the local university would probably provide immediate employment but I don't think they can afford going into student debt at the moment.

[Anonymous]

Any type of customer service or admin work. She can make close to 50k in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:*I'm assuming a nursing program at the local university would probably provide immediate employment but I don't think they can afford going into student debt at the moment.

Nursing students get paid?

[Anonymous]

You sound like a busy body. Of course there are jobs out there she qualifies for. Why don’t you just ask her why she isn’t stepping up to the plate and getting any kind of job at all and contributing? Isn’t that what you want to know?

[Anonymous]

And are you sure she isn’t working on returning to the workforce? I returned to work in my late 40’s and it was really hard to find a job. It took over a year to get an offer. One HR person told me straight up that I probably wouldn’t get a call back because I had a huge gap in my resume. Ouch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You sound like a busy body. Of course there are jobs out there she qualifies for. Why don’t you just ask her why she isn’t stepping up to the plate and getting any kind of job at all and contributing? Isn’t that what you want to know?

I don't know what you're personally attacking me. I have no idea what's realistic for someone of her age, employment gap, and lack of degree. Is it easy to get a job? How much could she make? I have no idea. Hard to have a sincere conversation with her and my brother without understanding the landscape.

[Anonymous]

In some households, the idea of the wife working isn't even considered. I'm related to people who chronically talk about how they never have enough money, and yet when I ask about the woman getting a job (especially now that the youngest is in middle school, one is in high school and drives, and the oldest 3 are out of the house), the answer is always "she doesn't need to work."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:*I'm assuming a nursing program at the local university would probably provide immediate employment but I don't think they can afford going into student debt at the moment.

Nursing students get paid?

All of the nursing students I know seem to be employed all through college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sound like a busy body. Of course there are jobs out there she qualifies for. Why don’t you just ask her why she isn’t stepping up to the plate and getting any kind of job at all and contributing? Isn’t that what you want to know?

I don't know what you're personally attacking me. I have no idea what's realistic for someone of her age, employment gap, and lack of degree. Is it easy to get a job? How much could she make? I have no idea. Hard to have a sincere conversation with her and my brother without understanding the landscape.

I think PP's wondering why you think you should be having a "sincere conversation" with your brother and SIL at all in the first place. Did they ASK for your input?

We are close. They confessed the salary haircut and struggles, so it would be nice to offer some advice. I'm trying to better understand her point of view and the job market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:*I'm assuming a nursing program at the local university would probably provide immediate employment but I don't think they can afford going into student debt at the moment.

Nursing students get paid?

All of the nursing students I know seem to be employed all through college.

Employed with pay, or like…fulfilling service hours for their degree? I truly have not heard of nursing students earning income during school

[Anonymous]

Good administrative assistants are hard to find. Best bet is a temp position first, be great, get hired full time. How much is her dh making though if he took a 50k cut? She probably does not need to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sound like a busy body. Of course there are jobs out there she qualifies for. Why don’t you just ask her why she isn’t stepping up to the plate and getting any kind of job at all and contributing? Isn’t that what you want to know?

I don't know what you're personally attacking me. I have no idea what's realistic for someone of her age, employment gap, and lack of degree. Is it easy to get a job? How much could she make? I have no idea. Hard to have a sincere conversation with her and my brother without understanding the landscape.

I think PP's wondering why you think you should be having a "sincere conversation" with your brother and SIL at all in the first place. Did they ASK for your input?

We are close. They confessed the salary haircut and struggles, so it would be nice to offer some advice. I'm trying to better understand her point of view and the job market.

Think of it this way - she has 20 years of opportunity to work and although it may be hard getting started, it is going to be a lot harder 10 years from now. If I was in her shoes, I might see if there is an admin job at the university. Maybe there is an option to take a class for a reduced cost so that she can bolster her resume.
I might also coach your brother to grow his skills as if he is the sole provider and is taking a 50K paycut, there might be more coming and staying fresh in the field / growing skills is important.

[Anonymous]

It won’t be easy, and with their youngest not yet driving age, her getting an inflexible office job will probably make juggling kid logistics challenging.

They should probably do a hard look at their budget. See if there are areas to cut back on. Maybe temporarily halt retirement contributions. What debts do they have? Any car payments that might be ending soon? Maybe she could get a weekend job to bring in some money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sound like a busy body. Of course there are jobs out there she qualifies for. Why don’t you just ask her why she isn’t stepping up to the plate and getting any kind of job at all and contributing? Isn’t that what you want to know?

I don't know what you're personally attacking me. I have no idea what's realistic for someone of her age, employment gap, and lack of degree. Is it easy to get a job? How much could she make? I have no idea. Hard to have a sincere conversation with her and my brother without understanding the landscape.

I think PP's wondering why you think you should be having a "sincere conversation" with your brother and SIL at all in the first place. Did they ASK for your input?

We are close. They confessed the salary haircut and struggles, so it would be nice to offer some advice. I'm trying to better understand her point of view and the job market.

What is their hhi?