Should I admit I have children?

Have been pondering this question all morning as I'm preparing to apply for work again. I haven't worked since early 2005 and made the decision to be a SAHM until my daughter reached Prep. She starts prep next year and I had another baby last December. Money is too tight and I not only can't afford to live well now I have two but I'm going stir crazy with cabin fever - I really want to get out and work again not just for the money but for the social aspect and getting into a job before next years school leavers enter the work place!

It's been said employers will dodge applicants who have children, should I admit I do? I'm going for supermarket/department store positions.

I was thinking of leaving it out and just stating I was working for myself - as I was though only ebay sales and so on which keeps me ahead.

Thoughts?

You should, because if you got the job based on you not having children, and then turned around and either told them, or didn't tell them until you had to take time off because one of them was sick, then there goes your reputation right there. It would be very hard for an employer to trust you I would think. I really don't think that for the type of work you are looking at that having children would be a disadvantage to you. Good luck!

Hmm. I think I'd be honest. They will want to know what you've been doing with your time.
Some might prefer a mother who can be very well organised, others may not. It all depends on the employer at the time. I wouldn't assume they will all turn you down for that reason, although I see your point.

I wouldn't lie, you could leave it at home duties if you wanted.
If they have any issues they can always be addressed in an interview

Dunno. As an employer, I'd rather take on someone with kids who I thought had a legitimate reason for being out of the workplace than someone with big gaps on their resume. That said, if you were working on eBay sales then that fills in the gap. But honestly, I would think that a lot of people in those positions would have families wouldn't they? I'd probably just tell the truth - and say you were raising a family and working part-time - that shows you can juggle a few things and have the get up and go to do the eBay thing.

Be honest it would be hard to avoid the topic at work and if you need time off if they are sick it's better that your employer knows. You can tell them that you were a wahm, there's nothing wrong with that. At a few of my jobs we prefered to hire a mum with kids for the part time positions as it suited everyone.

definitely be honest. they'll probably ask why you left employment etc for that time anyway.
plus I have found the mums i've worked weith are much more efficient at their jobs. they know they have a limited number of hours to do what they are getting paid to do ie they can't stay back and do overtime cos they slacked off during the day or had a longer lunch. So they really get into it the minute they walk in the door. They are reliable and responsible - i'd say that's pretty good hiring characteristics!

i dont' see much point in omitting it - if you can put on your resume that you were on home duties AND operating a small business, you show you're able to multitask. if they don't want to employ you based on you having children, they're not really going to be understanding later on if you DO need time with your kids - and they're probably NOT the employer for you. something to think about is having a contingency plan if your kids are sick that you can outline in an interview if asked. so something like - kids are in daycare but if daycare is unavailable due to colds etc, my mum will step up, so i'd only need to take time out if they are very ill. if you can show you've thought through the impact on your workplace of you having children kwim?

maybe look at applying for positions that fit around your DH too - so nightfill etc

Thank you all for your considerate answers - it has helped greatly in making my decision, I definitely will not hide it.

thankyou ladies for this as well, ive thought about the same thing...

i also didn't know what to put on my resume for the last 3yrs i have not worked and i think "home duties" is best :)

thankyou heeps to belonna for starting this

They walk a fine line if they're asking about this in an interview, the only thing reason they might need to ask is to determine your ability to be there during the likely scheduled hours, in which case you only need explain that you have a child care arrangement and a back up plan in place. I wouldn't necessarily think you needed to advertise that you have children, but definitely don't conceal it. It is worth asking why they would need to know if they ask about it though...

It's illegal to discriminate against someone who has/doesn't have children, so they shouldn't even be asking the question.

If there's a gap in your resume you can legitamately fill in as Self-employed, then do so. Obviously add in the details and achievements.

If you have scheduling issues, then certainly bring that up, as there's no point lying and saying you can work X hours when you can't, but otherwise, it's none of their business.