Advice please - returning to work after second child

[wewereonabreaaaaak]

I’m after some advice about what I should do when I return to work in April after having my second baby please! I basically have two options that I’m deciding between:

1. Return full time (which I did after my first baby) where there is the opportunity of a promotion covering my manager’s maternity leave. This would mean a big salary increase and would give me development opportunities that haven’t arisen in the last seven years of working there. It would mean less working from home but would only be for a year and would ultimately give me more career opportunities for the future. It would be a big step up from my current role so would be a big change and adjustment for me and my family; especially after a year of maternity leave.

2. Put a flexible working request in to drop a day and work four days a week leaving me with a day at home to spend with my second child and able to do the school run with my eldest etc. I’m not sure if this would even be accepted by work or what role I would do but I know it’s within my rights to request it. I would love to work part-time but four days is all I am able to afford to reduce to. Not many people work part time in my company and it does have that ‘stigma’ around it which concerns me.

For context I currently earn around £10k more a year than my DH so guess I would be considered the ‘breadwinner’. I’ve considered compressed hours but I am contracted to 40 hours a week so would need to do ten hours a day to drop down to a four day week which isn’t feasible considering my commute etc. I try to talk to my husband but he doesn’t have much input other than ‘do whatever makes you happy’. After I had my first baby my husband dropped a day to take care of our son but only lasted about a month as he couldn’t handle it (rolls eyes) so him going part-time isn’t really a viable option. I spoke to my mum she said ‘well both of you can’t work full-time’ which just got my back up as lots of families have both parents working full-time. Especially in this cost-of-living nightmare that we are all in.

I guess I’m just after some outside opinions/advice as right now I just can’t decide what is best for either me or my family

I'd go for Option 1. It's likely to be best for your family in the long-term. If you use the experience to get a permanent promotion, you may well be able to afford to work part-time at a later stage if you want; it's often easier to be part-time and/or flexible the more senior you become.

I'd go for the promotion and consider a bit of a long game.

How likely is it that the current role holder might want to drop to part time when they return? Would the increase in salary mean you could drop more hours?

If so, would that role work as a nice job share - win win for both.

It would mean going back full time in the short term.

I'd do the second. You don't get these years back. I'm ambitious and want / need more money too but I'd wait until the youngest was a bit older to go for a more responsible role.

Just my view.

Thanks for your replies!

@Twizbe and @CakeIsNotAvailable this is what my head is telling me is the sensible option. It’s only for a year and then with the experience I will have gained I can look for part time roles if this is what I still want to do. Hadn’t even thought of the possibility of a part time job share but is a very valid point.

@keepaweatheredeye this is what keeps swaying me the other way but my concern is that I won’t have the experience for more responsible roles if I go part-time. I might not have this opportunity again and for the sake of a year I just play the long game as the other posters have said.