The decision to return to work is a difficult one for many new mums but it doesn’t have to be a choice between a financially rewarding career and being there for your child – with Tupperware, you can achieve both.

Returning to work after having a baby can be an exciting and liberating time for many women – they get to use a different part of their brain, regain some financial independence and stability, and have time away from the domestic frontline. Then again, the thought of long hours, long commutes and long waiting lists for a spot at a decent childcare centre may take the shine off for some mothers. A job with flexibility can be the key to harmoniously juggling work and family life, as two Tupperware Managers can attest.

Both Mel Hage and Vanessa Campbell started working with Tupperware originally because they wanted to organise their pantries. When they realised how well their new roles would complement motherhood, it was an easy decision to make it a long-term career move.

For Adelaide-based Classic Sales Manager Mel Hage, who was previously a nurse, having her children in childcare wasn’t something she wanted to do. “Starting my Tupperware business enabled us to start a family earlier – we would have had to put it on hold for a lot longer to be able to afford it,” she says. “It means I can be a full-time mum but also have my own business.” The flexible hours are a large part of why Tupperware works so well for Mel, who has a 21-month-old son and 16-week-old baby girl. “If I was still working in nursing, I would be an exhausted, shift-working mother with children in childcare. Now, I can work the hours I want to. I choose to work around my husband’s hours, so he’s at home with the children when I’m doing a party or training with my team.”

A mother of two girls, aged three and six, Vanessa Campbell also appreciates the flexibility that Tupperware offers – something that was lacking in the demanding advertising role she held previously. The Sydney-based Stellar Sales Manager explains: “When I had both my babies, it was very easy to pull back and take some time off, then get back into it when I felt ready. And as a Manager, I had the financial security of income still coming in and the fully maintained car.” Vanessa welcomes the control she has over her income, saying, “I love that you can write your own cheque. The more I do, the more I get.”

An important benefit of the extra income is that it helps Vanessa maintain her autonomy. “I’ve always been quite independent. I never want to have to justify to my husband why I need money – say if I wanted $50 to go out with my friends.”

Mel also gets more out of Tupperware than just fiscal satisfaction. “The money can be amazing; I can earn in one party what it would take me eight hours to earn nursing,” she reports. “But it’s also ‘me time’ – doing something for myself, by myself. It never feels like it’s a job because it’s really fun going to customers’ homes and showing them fabulous products I believe in.”