Anyone balance supply work with childcare-if so, how?

[cleoteacher]

Starting back to supply this week after 9 months maternity leave and ds is going to a cm. No work today so have kept ds with me and told the cm he's not coming. However, we are still paying for the cm. Don't want to get into a situation where we are paying the cm but I am not getting work. Currently I've committed to two days a week with the cm and one day ad hoc where we don't have to pay if I get no work. Not ideal but a fairly good deal.

How do other freelancers deal with the prospect of paying for childcare when they aren't getting work themselves? How do you balance your mornings when you re waiting for that call for work?

[NotAsTired]

It's a tricky one. When DS was little, even if I did not get the call in the morning, I would still take him to nursery but it was only three mornings a week. I was lucky that if I got work, my parents would pick him up after lunch or I did, if free.

Perhaps take him to the cm anyway? So that DS gets into a routine? That's how i would look at it. Not ideal though, is it? Maybe take him in for half day, if you don't get the call.

Talk to your agencies about getting as much pre-booked work as possible. I only do pre-booked days, but then I've been a supply teacher for a few good years.

[cleoowen]

Thank. I ve been doing supply for a long time too before maternity leave so have always had between three and five days a week. But feel might take a little while to build my reputation back up after ml. Already wasted £50 today paying cm but not working and will,be £100 if don't get anything tomorrow too. I really hope it picks up as cannot afford to pay out for cm when making no,money.

Did you find you were doing this lots?

[cleoowen]

What did you do instead miaow? Tried to do the maths but it's tricky when you don't know how much you're going to earn or how many days you will get. As long as I make what I was getting on ma should be ok.

[NotAsTired]

did you do this lots?

In September and early October, it was a lot. But by Spring term, it was once every couple of weeks or so.

[cleoowen]

No work again so that's £100 now. Going to take ds to cm anyway today as needs to get used to it.

Should have had longer ml at this rate as although no ma atleast I wasn't loosing money!

Think will have to stop thinking on a day to day basis and just work out how much earnt and paid cm at end of each month. Can't sustain this for long though. Really wanted supply Teaching to work out as not sure what I'll do instead.

[MummyCoolski]

I'm freelance and our nursery (Co-operative Childcare) allows you to add extra sessions with about a week's notice. So my DS goes two mornings and then when I have a project booked in, I request the extra sessions atnursery. The slots aren't guaranteed unless they are your usual slot, and the later you leave booking, the more likely you'll miss out add they try to get staff ratios correct for the number of bookings & shifts are arranged in advance.

[cleoowen]

Mummy that sounds a better way of doing it. Do you find you're paying for nursery much when you have no work?

My cm wanted me to committ to two days a week and then wed ad hoc so we're lucky with that, atleast not paying for three days.

[CremeEggThief]

I paid childcare for two days a week for ten months. I got just ten days work in that time, before I packed it in.

[NotAsTired]

cleo working it out monthly is a good plan. Remember, September is always quiet.

As an aside, how many agencies are you with?

[cleoowen]

Yes, always panic abit and join more agencies and then it picks up. Just loosing money now got cm to pay for rather than just not making any. Been supplying for years so should know by now. But it does seem to be slower and slower every year.

I am in south west and have re joined three agencies who I got plenty of work through before ml. Which one are you with notastired?

[NotAsTired]

Yes, I am tearing my hair out here with boredom and trying not to get anxious about money. I know it will pick up. I have been fairly lucky in the past two years as I had long term maternity cover supply work, I had forgotten how quiet it is at this time of the year, actually. Just have had to re-train my brain. What age range do you teach?

I'm with 2 local companies and since I had to get the new DBS check done with its update service, I am about to re-join another. I am seriously thinking about taking TA supply work as well.

[cleoowen]

I teach reception to year 6. Just looked at my diary from last year and had,had two days a week every week by now. Got two half days ppa cover at same school so that helped.

[uselessinformation]

when I did supply I was a single parent with no other income so had to take every job that came in. no family childcare so I had to pay the nursery fees whether I worked or not. It was stressful but I got by for four years before I got a permanent job.

[Cynderella]

I would err on the side of caution. Last year, we hardly saw a supply teacher in our staffroom because we employed another cover supervisor and courses etc were almost forbidden. This year, even worse with two of our HTLAs doing cover when needed. My friend used to get regular supply until last year and she will take anything. Since Easter she has only been offered supply on cover supervisor rates and is applying for CS jobs because she is desperate for work. This is in the south-east so things may be different elsewhere.