Would you accept this job? Slightly intense, very inflexible, full time, with a young baby

[Needallthesleep]

I have posted recently about hating my current job. It’s making me miserable. I won’t progress in it and I’m utterly bored. It is however very very flexible (working from home a couple of times a week no issue at all), and I know what I’m doing so it’s zero stress.

I have been applying for other jobs but have been unsuccessful. I’ve been applying for about 10 months and I’ve been rejected from everything.

I have finally had an offer for a role. It’s a senior position in a slightly different sector to what I’m in now, so I would at least have a few months where I wouldn’t have a clue what I was doing. It’s totally inflexible, no home working, bums on seats in the office from 8am. It would be interesting, great salary, incredible for my future career. But a lot of work. My working hours would be a lot longer. I’m excited by the thought of it though.

Family life would undoubtedly suffer. But I could do it for a couple of years then plan to go part time? So a couple of years would be tough but it’s not forever?

Would you sacrifice the totally awful but flexible job for the exciting but totally inflexible one?

It is MUCH easier working ft with a child in a setting that operates 50-something weeks of the year. It us when they get to primary, and you have before school, after school, and ho,today cover to juggle. Plus requests for "Easter craft morning", assembly's, and 101 other invites to school as well, plus homework that it started falling apart for us. And indeed, i quit to become a SAHM when our youngest went to school.

I'd take the job now, with the hope of working in some flexibility by the time school comes round.

Snap, PinkOboe! You type faster than me!

Have you got any emergency cover for when your child is unwell? This might be worth looking into before you start the job as it doesn't sound like the sort of role you could take time off easily.

Honestly, most teachers have a similar workload and everyone else thinks it fits in fine with kids, so why not?

Firstly congratulations!

I dislike the "what would a man do?" comments. My husband turned down a great looking job when our eldest was 1 because they were upfront about expecting a lot of hours, and he felt that would not work for him with needing to do drop offs and wanting to spend time with the children. He is really happy with this decision.

However if you're sure you can put the hours in then go for it. People often say they will focus on their career when their children start school, but in many ways it's easier when they are smaller, are in one childcare setting 8-6 and aren't watching a load of their friends going home with parents at 3pm from school.

I'd go for it - your child will benefit from you having a fulfilling career, especially if you are currently very unhappy where you are.

But I'd want to make really sure that my childcare set up was rock solid if both parents' work situation is intense and inflexible. What is your plan for if your DD is unwell? Can you absolutely always leave in time for pick up?

A dad would never ask this question.

My DH is currently asking almost exactly this question (new role he's waiting to hear about, ask for a different internal role, reduce hours, or retire). The main driver in thinking about changing hours is our DS' needs.

Another one saying if you want to do it, do it now whilst the child is young and in nursery. My kids are school age now and it’s a nightmare with work - no breakfast club or childminder locally, school holidays, constant fucking events that mine are gutted if I can’t attend (dh works on an oil rig and they always happen when he’s working) Then the amount of school stuff you have to remember - Book Day, money for fundraisers etc. I wish I’d moved job when they were in full time childcare as the intense first few months of a new job are easier with them in childcare.