Your options Having children changes everything, including how you work. Don't be afraid to make changes – it may be the key to holding everything together.

Different ways of working

As a working parent, there's a range of ways you can tailor your job to your life. Be bold and imaginative, many parents take steps they never would have considered before, working part-time, for example, or job-sharing. See it as an opportunity, rather than a stumbling block but remember, you’ll have to convince your employer that it will work for both of you.

Here are some of the options available:

• Part-time Allows you to combine time at work with time at home as a parent.
• Job-sharing You and another person share one job, sometimes overlapping for a few hours each week to confer.
• Career break Many public sector jobs offer the possibility to take time out of your career, returning when your children are older.
• Freelancing This gives you flexibility about where you work, when you work and how much work you take on.
• Teleworking or homeworking You work from home, sometimes going into the office to keep in touch with colleagues.
• Flexiworking You work when your partner can care for your child - over the weekend, for example.
• Compressed hours You bunch all the hours you work together, allowing you to take an extra half-day off each week, for example.
• Term-time working Some employers will allow you to work school terms only, so that you can care for your children during the holidays.

Each of these has its pros and cons, but what you're aiming for is a solution that keeps you and your employer happy.

What's right for you?

You'll need to work out your priorities and what you want most from your working life. Do you value being home for your baby's bath time above all, or would you rather have uninterrupted weekends at any price? Do you like to fit work into a neat weekday box, or don't mind if it spills over into the rest of your time?

You'll also need to consider what sort of working patterns your jobs lends itself to. Does your work have to be done in an office, in office hours? Could elements be shared with someone else? Could you redefine what you do so it fits in more with what you want from your life as a parent?

You'll need to be imaginative and persuade your employer that things can be done a little differently. On your side is the fact that employers are increasingly realising that it's cheaper and more efficient to hold on to skilled people. By accommodating your needs they'll hold on to your expertise in the future.

To find out more about negotiating a deal that suits you see What are your rights?

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