AIBU to give up an £80,000 job to work part time school hours?

PLEASE think very carefully about your pension and income later in life.

You would be foregoing contributing meaningful amounts to a pension at the point where it has plenty of time to compound.

What income do you think you need to live on at 65? How big is your pension pot now?

https://www.retirementlivingstandards.org.uk/
Look at this to look at what your income needs to be to have certain living standards in retirement and then look at what your pot needs to be to achieve that.

Please don't ignore this - a grim retirement is not something to ignore.

How easy do you think it will be to find a relatively well paying job around school hours? They are like gold dust, even with a pay cut…

I’m not in the same position as we were, well are quite broke thanks to cost of living etc, so I HAVE to work full time, but, at first I dropped 10% of my hours (and salary) and worked 4 long days with Mondays off. Then when my child went to nursery, we could only use the funded 30 hours 9-3 Monday-Friday, meaning the long awaited for funded hours werent really going to save us any money, which we desperately needed. So I spoke to my manager and now do 2 long days WFH (8-5.15pm) and 3 short days (9.15-2.45) in the office, so back to 5 days a week. It feels like it’s the best of both worlds as I’m around for drop off and pick up everyday and 3 days DD can have all my attention as work has finished. I’m lucky that my company allowed it as I realise a lot wouldnt, but it works for us and I didnt have to leave a good job with a good company.

If spending time with your little ones will bring you more peace and more happiness than a big wage packet, then no, you are not being unreasonable and you should still be able yo live within your means. I went 3 days after my second, she is 4 now but I am in no rush to go back to being full time we manage well on a small salary, perhaps when she is older the extra money would be nice, but for now being present and there for them is my ideal, not having to rely on others for school pick ups, to attend school concerts and to be able to drop tools and go if one of them were ill in school is also great. But I am lucky in that my husband is a farmer, he has a tiny wage but we can always fall back on the farm income if needed.

This.
I think 60k ish is a low wage for an expensive part of the country. Would you be happy taking a lifestyle hit?
Once you make a big change it can be difficult to get back, but not impossible You say you’ll find school social hours, but that’s difficult. I’d stay where you are and drop a day.
it feels like too many big changes.
I became a SAHM and I’ve not managed to get back to work. Stay at work I say!!

I would try to go part time in your current role if possible. I did and don’t regret it for a second! I finish at 2.45 three days a week and it’s lovely to have that time to spend with my son. You can never have those years back again! Good luck whatever you decide x

You’d be mad to give up a role you enjoy, short ish commute and WFH 3 days for a decent salary, to something low paid. I agree with making your life easier by out sourcing more.

Sounds like a great idea to re-evaluate after you have soaked up the full.time maternity pay forms second time. I think the period after you go back from mat leave can be really overwhelming. I was close to dropping down to 3 days after my second and now really glad I stayed at 4. Four is the perfect balance for more time with kids while remaining a fully involved and appreciated colleague.

Could you compromise with a 9 day fortnight so you get every other Friday (or Monday) off? I don't think you should be reliant on a man - always have your own income (and given you have good earning potential, a big income!)

Check all your policies - parental leave, carers policy. I’d do all I could to stay in an 80k job and reduce hours temporarily

I’d say don’t do it. I gave up a well-paid project management job to become a SAHM. Although life is less stressful than when I was juggling kids, work and commuting, I really miss having a salary. After eight years out of a professional role, I have no idea how employable I’ll be when the kids reach secondary school and retraining would mean additional expense. Your job sounds great. What industry are you in?

Right now I think the world is quite unstable and the job market is going to change rapidly over the next 5 years or so, so I'd be holding on to the full time job and decent income for as long as possible to save as much money as possible.

Just move out of London into the green belt.

In your shoes I would not want a job with a long commute - Bath to London. V difficult when you have young kids if your partner is also working away, contract etc.

I would stay in London, negotiate fewer days in your current job with the convenience of WFH and good pro rata salary - and also keeping your foot on the promotion ladder for once the kids are in school.

With housing that you can easily afford you are free of the biggest barrier for young families in London.

And if you move out you will find it much harder, house price wise, to ever move back.

IME London is a brilliant place to bring up kids, everything close by, not driving everywhere, loads to do and much of it free, etc

Hi @fieldmouse231 I’m the only one in my org in my role and I work 85% of a full time role over 4 days so my son is only in nursery 4 days. It’s often as you describe it.

That said, I still appreciate having that day. My partner does full time hours compressed into 4.5 days (he’s off half a day when I am) and it just gives us more family time and more me time.

I’m now considering whether I go full time when my son goes to school in September and really don’t know what’s best. School is a whole different kettle of fish.

I’m the lower earner by £30k

@fieldmouse231 I earn more than my husband (c.£30k more)

This is the most important fact. Your earnings are colossal, and they are colossal compared to your husband's.

If I was your husband, I would be looking to reduce my hours and stay at home so I could support you continuing to work.

It makes no sense for a high earner to become the stay at home parent.

Definitely a good idea to look at possibility of varying the hours, rather than leaving the company. Your job (and the company you work for) sounds amazing. I think it's pretty rare to have a supportive company, great salary, with the flexibility for WFH 3 days a week. I'd be holding on to that at all costs!!

I'm a B6 nurse (mid B6, so on £40k). My SALT colleagues are B5 - B7, working 8-4, Monday to Friday. This is in a large NHS hospital. Our roles are not very flexible!

I reduced hours after my first to 21 hours a week, 3 day. After my second was starting school to 21 hours but 9.30 to 2.30 a day to work around school. I have recently gone back full time, my husbands job has recently got more flexible so he was able to do the school run. I loved my part time hours and being able to do the school runs.
would your current job change to part time?

Apologies if I'm repeating as I haven't read the whole thread but are you aware how badly paid TAs are and how stressful the job can be?

It's barely above minimum wage, part time hours and term time only. They spread the pay over the year so you get paid monthly but you aren't paid for the school holidays. The advertised rates of pay in no way reflect the actual pay once it has been made pro rata.

For that I know TAs who have to plan and teach groups, cover lessons with no notice, deal with the children who have the most challenging behaviour and do medical stuff like administering insulin to diabetics which could be fatal if done wrong.

TAs also often have to work beyond the end of the school day (so can't pick up their own children) and can't get time off for Nativity plays, sports days etc.

I actually love the job I have now, in secondary, but I experienced most of the above working in primary school and the pressure put on us was unreal (having to produce data to show our interventions were effective for eg).

I just dont want you to have this idealistic idea of working as a TA being paid enough to live on and playing with children/washing paintbrushes. You actually have to really want to do it and ideally have an OH that earns enough for both of you.

Can you and your DH, shave off a day off work each so both work 4 days and work flexibly to support drop off and pick ups. Also consider a nanny for the other days. I wouldn't be leaving my job but make it work somehow.

Erm yes I do. Why do you think not? I’ve seen first hand in my industry how many admin roles are now being automated. There has been lots of published research into this, including from DSIT. Roles at risk will be customer service, admin, supermarket workers, retail etc. Lots of minimum wage roles. Why do you think differently, can you explain?

www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2024/10/28/how-ai-could-be-detrimental-to-low-wage-workers/

I suspect you don’t have much experience of working with AI …..

I did this OP. I didn’t give up my job but I stayed at the company, changed my role (demoted myself) so I could work part time. It was a big loss financially to us but one we have made other sacrifices to be able to afford. I have absolutely loved this time with my children before school and not regretted it once.

OMG you are in an enviable position. You have a relatively small mortgage, a huge amount of savings & both earn good salaries in jobs that you enjoy.

I'm wondering how your DH feels about this suggestion as he's on a second career which no doubt involved some study for him.

But if DH is up for it why not? Personally I wouldn't go for Bath though. if you want SW I'd go for Exeter as it's much better placed for trains with trains going to Paddington as well as Waterloo whereas, I understand, Bath Spa only goes to Waterloo, you can buy a lovely house within your price bracket & there are excellent schools. Bath is a bit out on a limb transport-wise, is also extremely expensive (unless you're living on the outskirts]
Edited for grammar