Returning to work

Like I've already mentioned I'm trying to return to paid work. For the last 6 years I've had a really good job with a really large firm and (for what I did), a really large salary to go with it. We're not talking 3 figures here but for a part-time job it paid pretty well. I worked hard to get to that point and had to prove to myself and others that I was capable. It's completely different to what I am trained in. And, I'm not sure I want to go back to the same type of role. So, now that redundancy has happened I have to find something else to do.

Easier said than done.

I suppose I should start by saying my family in Australia consists of me, my partner and our 2 children. The remainder of my family are overseas. So there's no family to help with childcare.
I didn't have children just to farm them off to before and after school care, etc, just so that I could work. I am relatively fortunate in that (at the moment) I don't need to resort to this.
My son does attend daycare 2 days a week - I believe it helps him socially, as he doesn't have interaction with other children or adults from other sources. My daughter is in school five days a week.
My partner works Monday to Friday. We are fortunate in that he is able to alter his working hours so that he can pick my daughter up from school 2 days a week when I return to work. So basically I need to find a job that allows me to drop my daughter at school and take my son to daycare, on the 2 days that he attends. I am not tied to a finishing time as my partner can deal with that. So I'm an educated woman with a great resume, great references, available 2 days a week from 9.30am (I'm being realistic with this time, if I get a job nearer home I can start earlier - it all depends on commute time.) I can work anyday after 4pm, and at weekends.

I've been to employment agencies - that I vowed I would never return to again - who promise the earth (again) and I haven't heard a dicky bird from them!
I've marketed myself to local companies that I think can utilise my experience, and who I know are looking for staff (albeit full-time).
I've applied on line to LOTS of different positions.

I have about 4 different versions of my resume - that I tweak again and again to suit roles that I like the look of, or that suit the days/hours I can work, or that I think I can do.

Demoralising, demeaning, crushing, confidence blowing, desperate ..... all things that I've felt or been made to feel over the last couple of months.
Not everyone has made me feel like this, but boy oh boy when you meet someone half your age who practically pushes you out of her office once she finds out you can't start till 9.30am, despite the fact that you have all the skills necessary to do the job, (probably in half the time) you feel crushed.

I'm fed up of checking the dozen or so websites for jobs, not just daily but hourly, for updates! So I've decided I have to kick this habit. Every couple of days is fine. No job is going to come and go that quickly. There's usually a closing date - there's no mad rush to be the first to apply. It doesn't work like that. I just get defeatist when I do check jobs available and make myself feel useless. So it's my new motto. If I find myself reaching for the favourites button, click on the blogger button next to it instead...

Here's hoping my new found, less desperate approach brings success soon.
Watch this space.