I agree with Driven. She didn't ask for an opinion on that. I think that she just wanted to highlight that she juggles PhD work and home duties and that she too is looking for ways to increase her budget.
I like people who express their opinion openly, but I think that here you are wrong Otto. Nobody here is in the position to express opinions because we know absolutely nothing about her situation -and again- she didn't ask for that.

Please, what I'm trying to say is that I'm not referring to PinkNeuron's personal situation or her case of homeschooling. I'm just trying to express my general concerns about the general issue of homeschooling. Maybe someone has different opinions and can convince me of the advantages, but there is no point in discussing if it's appropriate to discuss the issue at all. PinkNeuron mentioned the issue, maybe not to discuss it, but that's what happened by mentioning it. If it's a taboo to discuss general issues, than this forum is the wrong place to mention similar issues.

It's certainly not a taboo to discuss about it, but in another thread entitled 'homeschooling'. This thread is meant to help Driven finding solutions for his problem I think. On this issue I would ask Driven: Do you have any foreign language? - Because there are agencies and Language Centres in many Universities that look for people to do interpreting/ translations/ tutoring, and especially the first two are pretty well paid and usually flexible.

Corinne, we don't (and can't) always stick to the title of the thread but sometimes drift away and pick up things from individual posts and write our opinions about it in this forum. Therefore, I don't think Otto was doing anything wrong. PinkNeuron has every right to mention her day job; and Otto has every right to give his opinion on this subject. To be honest it is a topic that is very much open to discussion, and I think Otto made a very important general comment about this subject, without being judgemental to PinkNeuron. At least that's how I felt when I was reading this thread.

I'm informed that maths tutoring [GCSE/A level] is quite lucrative if you have the skills. I have friend who does quite nicely [£25 an hour with very limited prep] off an advert in the local paper re this.

I do a bit of A-level tutoring in the evenings (will stop after the exams for this year) it pays well and is relatively easy to get hold of, just do a search online for agencies, there are a few big ones which will help you start off.

Otto - re home schooling, to be frank it's none of your business really. The week I started secondary school aged 11 in a school next to my house, I got a racist comment. The following week I started at my new public school (I even had to wear a hat ). The point is, my parents could afford it and they cared enough to do something about my education, just like pinkneuron does.

Otto - i wonder why have issues with parents who give their children the best education they can. I think you should reassess your attitude towards the fact that this is a free world and people have choices. there is nothing wrong with looking for tutoring ( raised in a past tutor application thread), taking your child to public school everyone or homeschooling them. everyone, has a right to choose and no one has a right to question PinkNeuron's choices. i

get the impression that you are angry about something to do with this issue that you should seek help elsewhere to deal with, rather than take it out on everyone else. excuse me if i totally mis-interprete your intention but that is the vibe am getting from this and a past thread. driven - i would say tutoring pays well. there are a lot of agencies recruiting tutors for A-level, however am not sure where they advertise - try an online search? there are also a lot of GCSE-A level marking jobs around, however they don't pay as much as tutoring - about £8?

Driven, I am looking into doing some proofreading and abstract writing etc. from home. I am even setting up a website to advertise my services.


Thanks to all of you who supported the homeschooling thing, looks like I need to really watch what I say on here....
Otto, no hard feelings, I'm cool, I'm used to this....I suggest you Google homeschooling, you can learn quite a bit. To trash something before knowing about it can be compared to writing without refs....I know this is off topic but since others have chosen to defend me, I choose to defend myself too.
I have a large bunch of very bright children, my eldest started at the OU at 15 and is also going to full time college in Sep. to keep him busy as well as his degree.

My 2nd is off to college in Sep and has been commended at being a credit to homeschooling at the vet where she did 2 weeks, extended to 1 year part time work experience. She was then, not accepted on the course of her choice at college as she was 'too bright and knowledgeable about everything' and was put into a higher level course. She also won runners-up junior kennel club photographer of 2007 where her photo was displayed at Crufts. She trains a gundog and an agility dog and works at stables in her spare time. I have a gifted child who is designing an online game at 12, with his sister, who, not yet 15, is almost finished with her first novel and starts at the OU in Sep. I have another child who does ballet and is going to be on stage and is proud to do the splits two ways but can’t understand why the girls at ballet don’t listen to the ballet teacher.

. I have another child who rears chickens and ducks from eggs, belongs to the RSPB, can recognise every garden bird and their respective egg and is going to study organic agriculture, she is 10. To shock you all the more, I have yet another child who informs people he will be a Doctor, as he takes apart and re-assembles the plastic model of the human body in my kitchen but not yet, he says, as he is only 6. So, count the children!!! I have people asking me to educate their children at my home for them as at 10 years old, their children are still struggling to read well.
I have nothing to defend, I am proud that I have given them the education every child deserves but not many are willing or able to give, due to time, resources and effort.

I save the tax man money by keeping them home, I buy my own resources and fund my own extra curriculum activities. If Oxford and Cambridge are now thinking of entrance exams because the standards of the schools have dropped so much, surely, my children are not missing out on much!
Thus endeth the homeschooling lecture and I shall never mention homeschooling again on this forum
Back to the PhD please.....

PinkNeuron, I am speechless. You must be so proud of your kids, and they must be so proud of you. How nice

Otto, although the point you raised about a child's interaction with other children was very interesting, I think PinkNeuron's children are doing more than "great", don't you think so?

I am speechless either. Not been here for 24 hours and I come back and read a lot of crap:

1. "Otto - re home schooling, to be frank it's none of your business really"-- H, I'm entitled to have an opinion on this and if someone would have read what I wrote before you would know that I was never referring to PinkNeuron's children but talked about the issue in general. I'm not interested what your children are doing, PinkNeuron, and I think it's amusing how it is IMPOSSIBLE to have a normal discussion about issues on this forum without people feeling offended straight away for no apparent reasons.

2.

"get the impression that you are angry about something to do with this issue that you should seek help elsewhere to deal with, rather than take it out on everyone else. excuse me if i totally mis-interprete your intention but that is the vibe am getting from this and a past thread", JoJo, that's the biggest crap I've ever read. We are not talking about past threads here and you clearly did not read or understand what I've written at the beginning of the thread. So just read it again or shut up with your brainless comments