9 reasons to train to be a sleep consultant

If you’re fed up with missing out on family time, stuck in a career that bores you silly or looking for a challenge that revolves around you rather than the kids, training to become an infant sleep consultant could be for you.

We know change is hard, particularly when you have bills to pay and hungry mouths to feed but becoming a sleep consultant provides you with the flexibility to work your way, alongside the financial freedom to live the lifestyle you deserve.

If you’re weighing up the pros and cons of sleep consultant training, here are 9 reasons we hope will give you the confidence to go for it, and empower you to change your life for the better.

1. Be there for the moments that matter

You’ve no doubt seen the social media reels that heart-wrenchingly remind you that you have just x amount of bedtimes/weekends/summers left with your children while they’re little. Whilst we’re not keen on the excess pressure these might inflict, they do hold an important message.

Too many parents are missing out on family time and precious memories due to excessive work commitments. As a sleep consultant, you choose the hours you want to put in, when you work and where, meaning you have the flexibility to be there for the moments that really matter and the headspace to embrace them.

2. Banish the mum/dad-guilt for good

With 79% of working mums saying they feel guilty for not spending enough time with their children and 56% feeling guilty for not working enough, it seems that as working parents, we really can’t win.

Except it doesn’t need to be a merry-go-round of guilt and fully flexible working really does exist.

Most sleep consultants now work virtually, so there’s zero commute and no getting stuck in the office. Running your own business also removes the pressures of proving yourself to your peers or employer, so lightens the mental load too.

3. Gain the freedom to make choices

This was a big one for us personally when deciding to leave our former corporate careers and take our sleep consultant certification. Choosing who you work with and how much you work empowers you to choose how you spend the rest of your time – your most valuable asset.

In our opinion, this is one of the greatest luxuries that being a sleep consultant affords. It enables you to choose how to live your life, from spending time with your family to socialising with friends or pursuing dreams that you were previously forced to shelve.

4. Find a career with the purpose you crave

Having kids shifts your perspective in many ways, and we often hear from parents who find their jobs or careers meaningless post-children. Perhaps you’ve never found your job fulfilling or you’re looking for something meaningful to focus on now the kids have flown the nest.

Research shows that making a positive impact on others leads to fulfilment, and

helping families who desperately need it is pretty much as fulfilling as it gets in our opinion.

Sleep-deprived parents can feel incredibly low and by helping their babies or young children to sleep, you’re transforming lives, which in turn can help transform your own.

5. Continue to learn & grow

A huge amount of fulfilment is also derived from continuing to learn and grow as an individual. However, excessive work pressure and a busy lifestyle often mean self-development is limited or nonexistent.

By completing your sleep consultant training with us at The Sleep Consultant Academy, as well as learning a host of new skills and gaining a whole load of knowledge, you receive an accredited Open College Network (OCN) qualification, which from our own experience, and our students’, feels pretty damn good.

6. Rebuild your confidence (if of course, you need to)

Confidence and self-esteem are two qualities that can be easily dented when you start a family and rebuilding them isn’t always easy. A lack of self-care, an altered relationship and a long period out of the workplace are just some of the reasons we sometimes need to reequilibrate and rediscover our mojo.

Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone, but if you are looking for a way to boost your confidence, upskilling and learning something new are great ways to start. You also have access to a community of other students and sleep consultants if you choose to train with us, which is a great source of support, friendship and advice.

7. Build a business that works your way

From a side hustle to a six-figure salary, you can practice as much or as little as you like once you qualify as a sleep consultant.

Some people prefer to work with one or two clients in the evenings and weekends whilst retaining their current job, whilst others go full throttle and embrace a full-time career.

That’s the beauty of training to be a sleep consultant. You can create a business that fits your lifestyle and you don’t need to decide how you’ll work straightaway. We often recommend our graduates start slowly alongside an existing job if they have one and only leave their current role if and when they’re ready. It’s baby steps for some and a giant leap for others and that’s ok.

8. Gain the financial freedom to live the life you deserve

Your earnings as a sleep consultant depend on how you structure your business but it can be an incredibly lucrative career. Everyone has different expectations and desires when it comes to lifestyle, so as part of your training,

we’ll help you find the right balance for the life you want to live.

As a rough guide, sleep consultants typically charge between £250 and £450 for a virtual consultation, and in our role as The Mummy & Daddy Sleep Consultant® we were working with 8-10 clients per month in our first three months. How much you earn is really down to you, but following your training, you’ll have the skills, knowledge and confidence to build an incredibly successful business.

9. Because we believe you can!

What if I’m no good at it? What if I can’t find any clients? What will my other half think? All common and legitimate concerns that we had ourselves (aside from the last one!) when embarking on our sleep consultant training.

The key here is that if you have a degree of empathy, patience and the dedication to complete your sleep consultant training, we’re confident you can go on to build a successful business or career as a sleep consultant. We did it, we believe you can, we’ll share all of the firsthand experience we’ve learned along the way, and we’ll hold your hand through every step of your journey.

Convinced?! Read more about our Sleep Consultant Certification Course and our Sleep Consultant Certification & Business Start-Up Course to find out which training is right for you.

This blog was written by Chris and Dani McFadden, Founders of The Sleep Consultant Academy and leading, global infant sleep consultancy, The Mummy & Daddy Sleep Consultant®.