To think it's next to impossible to find a job as a single parent?

you sound like a silly bitch

I employ 3 mums. One of them single. They are all part time, 20 hours per week and totally flexible. One is very senior and very trained. The others are in admin roles.

We are out there I promise. Keep looking!!

I'm in the same boat op! Apart from I'm still with dp and we are still struggling to make ends meet! The rent prices are crazy where I live it's actually painful to watch that money leave every month and then bills on too fooking heck its a lot! I'm currently trying to set up my own business as I honestly can't see a way round it cannot go back to work as they don't offer childcare vouchers and I'd be minus £5 every day so no point in that! Start having a think about what you can do and see if you can do it online ... think info not a product necessarily as you want to make money while you sleep etc. You can earn money just from advertisements so if you start a blog for example and get lots of people looking you will attract adverts.... write a book and self publish it might only earn a bit but it's still something coming in ... if you can bake you could sell cakes for a few quid locally or offer car washing thats cash in hand xx

ime, school jobs are always gone before they're advertised. Big competition for those

You're not wrong. It's so hard. For a long time I couldn't earn enough to pay for the childcare costs that would have been involved. I was finding it impossible to get even a low / modestly paid job. I'd been out of the workplace, didn't have a degree.....
I'm working now but kids teens. I still end up leaving them on their own for longer than I want to.

It's HARD. And, when I wasn't working, people judged me for being on benefits as though being 100% responsible for two children and yet somehow working and earning enough to make it feasible is EASY.

I hope it gets easier.

Have you looked at General admin type jobs in the NHS or local council? Most of those are Mon-Fri and 9-5. They are not the best paid, but they are solid jobs and reputable employers. No zero hours shenanigans.

This is what I do. I get to walk out at the end of the day and leave my work behind, and take home a little over £20k a year.

I've no doubt it's harder in the private sector, but I've been employed consistently for the 8 years I've been a single parent, apart from 6 weeks where I was redundant a few years ago, but I was just waiting for my new job to start. But all the same I went from one 9-5 job to another, and I've done that 3 times in 8 years(career prigression).

No, sorry, I don't. I work and I'm a single parent.

My mother was a single parent with no family over her or any money paid to her by my father.
She worked full time and I was looked after by a friend across the road she paid. There were no after school clubs or breakfast clubs.
When I was 11 she was a mature student and trained to become and Drama and English teacher which she was for many years before retraining to become a counsellor.
It can be done!

Have you considered working in a nursery? Lots employ unqualified lunch cover from 8-2 or 10-2 could be something to think about?

Also look at universities and colleges. There are admin, finance, IT, library, catering, cleaning - all sorts. I manage a big professional services team, and gave three line parents working for me. One does standard 9-5 M-F, one 8-3.30 M-F, and one 9.30-3 M-Th. obviously depends on needs and negotiation....

nokidshere If you have to go to work you do what you need to do. It's $200 for 8 hours, as you have to pick up before she picks up kids from school, so about $25 (about £16) an hour and there is no sales tax for childcare.

starlight It meets the criteria for self employment here.

Also vouchers barely touch the sides of what the cost is. We are set to spend $46k (about £30k) on childcare costs this year. We are very willing to pay so we can work and that means hiring good people. When my child isn't well enough to go to school and I have to go to work I'll pay a premium. I also pay for her lunch and ger Uber. She gets a nice gift for Christmas and if it's been a week of a sick child I will give her extra.

Office admin. M-f 9-5 fits around nursery and then breakfast and after school clubs which run m-f 8-6.

Local authorities are you best bet. With a degree you can work up.

AnnieAnoniMouser

We’re are you looking it took me 3 months from choosing to go back to work and the first job I took they were taking the piss so I left and got another job for weeks later

Would you tell me the area you live I bet I could find out 10 jobs for your to apply to

I am a support worker I work 20 hours a week 8:30 till 3 my childcare is £18 a week

I married but my husband is a helpful as the cat with childcare very selfish even if he’s home early he doesn’t pick the kids up

Not sure I agreee with it at all even

If a job is advertising full time you can always ring and ask if a job share is a option

Maternity jobs will always be willing to flex not council jobs flex and the council only opens office hours any way

Most shops flex I would say pretty much all supermarkets flex and also most food places flex

Their a numerous jobs in schools dinner ladies
Ta
That flex

Nursery work is good as a single parent if the work place will let you use their wrap around care. Hours can be long but likely negotiatiable.

I struggle too. 9 to 5 jobs are very thin on the ground now. Everywhere has longer opening times. I've seen some excellent jobs advertised as 9 to 5 but then it says "must be flexible to work evenings and weekends" or "must be able to attend evening meetings". I can access childcare from 7:30 til 6pm, they won't stay open for me to attend a bloody meeting!
It's driving single parents out of the workforce and keeping them in poverty. Most of the jobs that fit around standard school/childcare hours is low paid admin/receptionist/teaching assistant. It really annoys me. Something needs to be done about this.
I trained as a further education teacher teaching adults as I thought that would give me some stability and fit around school. Unfortunately jobs are very few and far between and most vacancies are temp jobs through agencies. I'd struggle to get to different jobs as I can't drive and I can't pass my test and pay for a car and insurance until I get a stable job with more hours. All I want is stability.

Most are not prepared to pay cash in hand as they can use childcare vouchers, tax credits. Ip could find herself in a lot worse position if caught.

The lady who works in our area charges $200 a day and she is the go to person

200 a day

I got office work by signing up to several temping agencies- that meant I was never without work, and on more than one occasion I ended up with longer term contracts covering sick/maternity leave so some stability! My typing skills were not sufficient to work as a secretary, so I largely got taken on as a receptionist, but it paid the bills and was always within available childcare hours.

I managed to get my professional qualifications studying part time, while working part time too, so eventually I got out of the minimum wage jobs.

Best of luck!

As a working parent I'm always needing help with childcare now the DC are in school. Is that something needed in your area? Most families are willing to pay cash in hand too so you would be doing your own self assessment but could make yourself a company so you could deduct a lot of the expenses most families expect you to absorb.

I pay a fortune for coverage when my DC are off sick. The lady who works in our area charges $200 a day and she is the go to person. She is great with them, like a grandma and she has them tucked up on her sofa watching a movie.

What is your degree in?

It's tricky I have a partner now I can cope on my own but it's cheaper if I can manage without massive childcare costs I was literally paying half my wages on childcare and half on housing I lost my job two weeks ago and all the jobs around are working weekends or way out of my area so long commute it sucks to be me and my kids right now

I've been turned down for every single job I've applied for due to "not being able to be flexible". It's not my fault my ex cheated on me and that me and my two kids had to move out. My mum lives in France and my other family are mostly dead or nc.

I studied to be a teacher as a single parent. If you have a degree you can do a PGCE/PGDE in 9 months but it's bloody tough!! I had a part time job too! You get bursaries but we did live off a student loan plus my p/T wages. It was really hard going fir a short time but well worth it and you get help with paying child care from uni and tax credits.
You can do it but you need to really want to do it.
Before teaching I had 2 jobs Tomane ends meet, teaching assistant full time then I worked 2evenings and every 3rd weekend. Paid a teenage neighbour to babysit in evenings and my dc dad had them that weekend. Issues started when he stopped seeing them but that's another story.
Good luck and I hope you find something.