Q  What do you do?  A  Well at present I am almost through a course on Indian Head Massage, from which I qualify in a few weeks. I have also been doing an aromatherapy correspondence course and later, when I get my practice up and running, I intend to train as a certified Bach Flower Therapist (Bach Flower Remedies are homeopathic tinctures which gently bring about changes in attitude and shift negative emotions, turning them into positive personality traits.) When I qualify I want to work as a mobile IHM therapist, with the other things as sidelines, building my skills in these other complementary therapies. I also have 2 websites which run along with this - Aromatherapy for ADHD and Autism in children and Mind, Body 'n' Soul a site offering online aromatherapy, crystal healing and Bach Flower Essences consultations  Q  What was the deciding factor to help you to decide to work from home?  A  I have always worked from home really. I have a son with special needs which means I have to be available when he is off school or for many of the appointments we have to attend. I used to be a knitwear designer which entailed designing and making garments for national knitting magazines and yarn companies, more recently I have written a book about my son and had quite a few articles published. It has always been the natural thing for me to work at home. Regarding the complementary therapies, I started using aromatherapy to try to help my son (he is diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger Syndrome) and I have had some success. Apart from this, the whole family has seen the benefits of using aromatherapy. Through this I became interested in other holistic therapies and when I saw my local Tech had an Indian Head Massage course, I enrolled immediately. I believed this massage might also alleviate my son's symptoms somewhat, but having almost finished the course now I feel that there is a real gap in the market in my area, so I have decided to try to make at least part of my living from the therapy when I get my diploma.  Q  Where do you work at home?  A  My writing I do on a computer in the lounge, but we are moving to a home with a separate room for all my office equipment shortly. My complementary therapy practice will be mobile, whereby I will travel to clients homes to provide the therapy. I also intend to build up a clientele of stressed office workers - Indian Head Massage is convenient and doesn't entail undressing, so is excellent for doing in situ in the workplace. I will be advertising my services to companies in the Leeds area so I would come in on a particular day and massage company employees.  Q  Do you manage to keep your work and home life separate?  A  With some difficulty. Having a hyperactive teenager and a 5 year old can sometimes mean constant - CONSTANT interruptions. Some days I seem to be juggling a dozen balls in the air. In term time however, things are not so hectic.  Q  What is the best thing about working from home?  A  Not having to contend with office politics. Being able to decide what I want to do when I want to do it. Having the convenience of working round school holidays and appointments. Not having to do as I am told by someone else.  Q  What are the negative points about working at home?  A  There aren't any.  Q  Does your homeworking pay the bills?  A  Sometimes I have done really well; the knitwear designing was more or less a full time thing. The writing brings only a small income. I hope however, to build up my complementary therapies into a full time endeavour over about a 2 year period.  Q  How did you manage financially when you first started working at home?  A  Relied on hubby's wages.  Q  What sort of work did you do before you worked at home?  A  The only time I have worked out of the home was a 2 year stint as a customer services advisor at Yorkshire Electricity. It was telephone work and the hassle and complaints from customers really got me down. I make a really bad employee <g>  Q  How do you manage your time?  A  You tell me! Sometimes I don't know myself. I seem to muddle through.  Q  How do you cope with distractions at home?  A  I just have to take a deep breath and get on with things. Usually things even out. I may find myself behind one day and then in front another. When I qualify in Indian Head Massage the writing and internet may have to take a back seat for a while until I get my name known, but I intend to book appointments for only certain days of the week. Other days will be 'family' days.  Q  How do you cope with the isolation of working at home?  A  Love it. It suits me down to the ground. I have so much hassle with my son that I don't think I could cope with having to devote all my remaining energy to a job for someone else or a company. This way when things get tough I can take on or drop as much work as I see fit for that particular time.  Q  What three pieces of advice would you suggest to someone considering working from home?  A  Always put more money aside than you think you will need to start your endeavour. There are always hidden costs you don't consider when you are starting up. Network, network network. Always be willing to offer help and advice to others as you will often find they will return the favour later on. By nurturing a supportive network of friends and colleagues there is always someone there to ask advice, and if they can't help you, they often they know someone who can. Always be kind, helpful and courteous to people on the way up as you might pass them again on the way down!  Q  What else needs to be said?  A  Working from home is the greatest. You can plan your own days and weeks and if you have children, and skills which can be utilised in a home business, then you never need worry about the hassle of childcare during the school holidays again. You can just plan less work around those half terms.

Thank you Gail for sharing!