Advice Appreciated.

[RainboweBrite]

I am a primary teacher, who hasn't managed to find another job, since the end of last January, when my maternity cover post ended. Since then, I have applied for 7 jobs and had interviews for 4 of them. I am in the North East, where there are very few jobs indeed.

I have childcare in place for 2 days a week (Thursday and Friday), so I am available for supply work then. However, since September, I have only had 5 days work. Until December, I used my husband's accumulated childcare vouchers to pay for the childminder, but this has now run out and I am having to fund it myself. Now it doesn't sound like much, £20 a week, but when you are on a low income, every penny counts. I could have really done with that £60 for food and travel costs last month, instead of paying the childminder with it.

I don't know if I should carry on, in the hope that I will get some more supply, and at least I can say I am doing supply when it comes to filling in job applications, or just take a complete break for now and be a full-time mother, which I mostly enjoy.(I am not one of those people who go mad at home, as I always find something to do.) I only have 1 child who is 9, and over the years I have often thought about having another child, but training to be a teacher (part-time for 2 years), looking for teaching work (it took a year and a half for me to get my first post and I have been looking for work for 10 months this time around) and then teaching have always taken priority. I am almost 34 though, so I am running out of time, if I want another child.

To be totally honest, I only wanted another chance at a teaching job to see if this is the work I want to do for the rest of my life. I only ever wanted to teach part-time, even when I was training, but I ended up teaching full-time for a year, and the advantage of this was I got my probationary (NQT) year signed off more quickly than if I'd secured a part-time post. However, in my year of teaching full-time, the lows outweighed the highs, but I wanted to have another go, in a different environment, before making up my mind.

So basically, should I keep struggling on, feeling cross about spending money on childcare when I don't get any work, as I don't see the situation getting any better and my child doesn't really like his childminder, just for the sake of being able to put supply on the application forms, or shall I call it quits for now, and see what the job situation is like in time, if that's what I want?

At the moment, I just feel trapped and, as you can probably tell, increasingly bitter about the whole situation, and maybe a complete break would help.

I know the decision is ultimately mine, but any thoughts/ideas would be appreciated. Thanks for reading this far.

[PopcornMouse]

I'm not an employment specialist, but your post makes me think that you are putting your whole life on hold while you look for a job, OP? And it doesn't sound like you need to, financially, or should, emotionally.

Paying a childminder 2 days a week for a year has cost you WAY more than you earned working 5 days over the year. In your shoes, I'd axe that immediately and only search for a permanent position and rethink childcare then. Ad hoc work is costing you money and, at that rate, probably not benefiting your CV.

I'd also wonder if the universe was telling me it was time for DC2, but I am ttc so I am geared to think that way currently! :o

[RainboweBrite]

Thank you for your reply, PopcornMouse. It does feel like that at times, and I am increasingly feeling resentful of it.
In fairness, I have only had to pay childcare since December, as I was able to use my DH's childcare vouchers until they ran out. Unfortunately, permanent posts are very, very rare indeed; part-time even rarer. Of the jobs I have applied for/thought of applying for, all have been temporary.
I don't know if at least I can say I do supply looks better than being a SAHM whenever I do fill in any job apps., IYSWIM.