Op here. I have worked both in public & corporate accounting, I always work with my boss, my team & clients to schedules meeting time that work for everybody. I just avoid some time slots, and I have 5-7 clients. As long as I make up the hours at night or weekends & get work done, so far my company has no problem with me doing flex hours if things come up related to kids or school. When it comes to summer, I go to office like 9:30pm to 2:30pm for some weeks because my kids camp hours are 9am to 3pm. They know they will lose me if they do not give me the flexibility. It has never been an issue to me at current company. I do try my best to sign up at some camps with longer hours. I thought other companies are like that when they would try to accomondate working moms with younger kids, doesn't it? Are other companies that harsh and not flexible to working moms? I am a senior role, not a newbie staff in the industry. I am a laid back person, and I have no intention to open my business.

Why do you need childcare for a middle schooler? Unless there are special needs or maturity issues, s/he can do an activity after school or just walk home on their own when school gets out and let themselves in the house. You work 10 minutes away, close enough for any emergency.

Remote work is great, but you forfeit DC area locality pay.

I am a manager of a 100% remote team.

The big issue here is the multiple pickups at 3:30 from different schools. Does that mean nobody can schedule anything with you from 3-4?

Anonymous wrote:Wanted to just note that you’re not just looking for remote. You’re wanting to be able to also flex your hours. My job is almost fully remote but there are set work hours so no random drop offs and pick ups of kids unless they are outside of set work hours.

This. OP's job hunt is a lot harder than just remote because she wants a job that will not schedule any meetings at her pick up and drop off times. I'm 100% remote but no way can I disappear daily for two blocks of time during core hours. I drop my kids off before people log on and pick them up after 4:30.

What do other MS families do for MS? That is a problem you have to solve, but I bet other families don't all WFH.
(I have the same problem and my solution is to go in early and leave early, partner handles mornings. I wish I had a 10 minute commute, that would be amazing.)

Anonymous wrote:WFH jobs are more competitive because they can hire nationally and a lot of people want them. But of course they do exist, it's about how you compare relative to that applicant pool and also if you're willing to take a pay cut. There's no way to know other than to job search.

This. If you have a unique skill set or connections or are in-demand in your field, you can get a well paid remote job. But you have to be realistic about what a "unique skill set" actually is.

I was able to pivot to a remote job at a pay increase but I came from a bigger-name entity and was known by clients. But I gave up that big name for a smaller name company.

Can partner pick them up for drop off or pick up if there is one? Or a sitter (college-aged could be less expensive)?

Wanted to just note that you’re not just looking for remote. You’re wanting to be able to also flex your hours. My job is almost fully remote but there are set work hours so no random drop offs and pick ups of kids unless they are outside of set work hours.

There is no harm in looking, but echo the please be grateful; the economy has been rocked this year and so many people/households without jobs, remote and any job extremely competitive to get.

You can find a remote accounting role - just browse indeed or respond to linkedin recruiter DMs.

Don’t be alarmed by a high number of applications to remote jobs too - if the posting is up, apply. I am part of the hiring team at a public firm that has been hiring fully remote senior/managers and 95% of the applicants are useless. It’s mostly people overseas looking for visa sponsorship or people with 0 experience in corporate or public accounting. We move fast to interview anyone with legitimate experience but those applicants are few and far between.

WFH jobs are more competitive because they can hire nationally and a lot of people want them. But of course they do exist, it's about how you compare relative to that applicant pool and also if you're willing to take a pay cut. There's no way to know other than to job search.

Why not ask your supervisor for more flexibility? Why can’t your spouse handle the pick up the other days?

Ask if you can come in earlier so you can leave early and finish your missed hour(s) at home after pick up?

And by all means search for fully remote, but realize that might ultimately entail travel or having to come in for random meetings at inconvenient times.

I’m sorry to say you have a good thing. Be grateful. Not to discourage you from looking for a job but I am not sure you realize you have it pretty good now. Can you be a solo CPA and start your own business?

My current job allows me work from home 2 days a week, less than 10 mins one way, and gives me some flexibility to work from home due to family or kid matters. My boss knows that family is a priority to me, and I am a working mom that prioritizes my kids. The biggest con is that they work you like a money maker machine, and I am sometimes a bit stressed out with all the workload and I wish I do 3-5 days remote from home. I am the only person in the team working 2 days from home, and others come in office 4-5 days a week.

Is it realistic that I start to look for a fully remote job in this job market? I want more flexibility to be able to pick up my kids from school everyday if I want instead of them staying at school childcare or take the bus or walk home. I drop them off every day in the mornings before 9am, and pick them up around 6pm. I pick them up from school at 3:30pm on my remote at home days. They are all in ES. In a year plus, one will attend MS, and there is no busing and no after school childcare at MS. Is it silly to change job because of that reason? I am CPA, specialized in corporate accounting. How's RTO trend in my field?