to think that there are very few jobs which fit in with young children in school?

[jamieoliverfan]

Especially considering how often they get ill (my dc started in September and has been off ill for 20 days with 2 tummy bugs, 3 double ear infections and now tonsillitis and ear infection) plus then there are all the school holidays.

Both dh and I don't want to leave our dc in before and after school childcare or childcare during the Holidays as we believe that we should look after our own child. So I would like to know what jobs could you do between 9.30 and 15.00 Monday to Friday except term time and during illness?

I have contacted supermarkets: they were not interested re how to deal with flexibility in case of illness (dh cannot take time off in these circumstances)(i.e.unpaid leave I suggested, but that was not possible). Also contacted local businesses but they thought the hours were too restricted and that school holidays would be a problem.

Is there anybody who has a job during term time with some flexibility in case of children being ill? What do you do and how did you get it?

Thanks a lot.

Brilliant news bibbity

Only problem with advising people to work in universities, in whatever capacity, is like everywhere else they are shedding staff like buggery right now. And senior or academic jobs are like hen's teeth.

But I agree: getting and then holding onto a job that is good is the only sane way, even if that means enormous compromises for a few years. I think people often think very short termish about employment (for example, women rarely think about their pensions, partly because they have no choice...)

I was due to return on Monday after maternity leave. Thought everything was sorted. They finally confirmed my hours, ran through the new policies etc they buggered me then. I leave for one year and they let the management start "managing" instead of listening to Honeydragon who makes sense!

The only way I could work to what they wanted for certain periods was to pay the child minder for 4 days to cover cover 3 resulting in a take home of £103.00 per month on a good month.

Long chat with Dh, decided I would stay home and do more with our own business we've recently set up and look after the kids. Dh, is a lot happier as he travels a lot and works at least 60 hours a week so the majority of juggling is down to me. So fair do's.

So for the first time in 16 years of some kind of employment I am officially unemployed. No pension, no bonus, no perks.

I am scared. Happy I think , but scared.

No No No
I find my job at the University os incredibly inflexible. Its non family friendly. Dont do it.

is...so annoying i cant edit

Yes the staying with pre-children employer is what I did. I negotiated flexible working which was extremely rare there a decade ago but is now everywhere, and not just the preserve of parents.

And I have found the more senior you get the more flexibility you can negotiate. Obv this isn't the case everywhere but I have been lucky to keep up a good work-life balance really.

And the stranger I dumped my children on a decade ago has had a major part in their lives for those 10 years and I am very happy about it. They have had a little extended family of older and younger children for all that time. In fact we have only just switched to after-school club now as the eldest has outgrown the stuation somewhat.

My pooter ate a long post, how very annoying

Anyway

I am a childminder, I offer a service tailor made to the children in my care; I keep my numbers deliberately low; I pick my parents as carefully as they pick me

The oft-repeated 'leaving your child with strangers' is very very far from the truth - how many children are left at the CMs/nursery/pre school with no getting-to-know-you or settling-in period? Not many

Being a doctor can be flexible but not such a great option looking after your own sick children, onetoomany, or for school holiday cover. Especially if you end up married to another doctor..... At the beginning of the week DH and I play a sort of TopTrumps game with our work commitments to provisionally cover any disasters but it can be pretty tricky - it's a bad feeling to let down a waiting room full of people if school or nursery phones with a vomiting child.(Fortunately doesn't happen too often - because I am an evil WOHM and my children have been institutionalised from a young age - thereby putting them at great risk of turning into sociopaths - they seem to have excellent immune systems)

Congratulations bibbity and so lovely to see you back.

Have nothing of use to add to the discussion but am still snorting with laughter at moonbag hahahaha

Blimey! Have none of you's every worded anything wrong???

She only asked a question ffs! so why all the nastiness?

I'm intrigued by what you actually said to the potential employers; the supermarkets and local businesses. It sounds like you rang them up and said 'If I wanted to come to work for you, could I just do 10-3pm with all the holidays off. Oh, and when my kids are ill (which is probably going to be loads) I won't be in then either. How does that sound-did I get the job?'

You sound like a right catch.

On a more positive note-two of my friends whose littlest children have just started school have started up as self-employed cleaners. This offers lots of flexibility as they have both found jobs for teachers who only wanted a cleaner during term time and they can move around the days if they need to (due to illness/school concerts etc) Or what about starting a dog walking business-I know of a mum at my children's school that does that.

I have to say though, that I am a teacher and whilst it's brilliant for some things; eg the summer holidays, it's completely inflexible over others; just like many other jobs. We don't get paid if we need to take time off for our children's illnesses, we can't just pop off to their assemblies etc (I have never seen my eldest DD in a concert :( ) and we can't take them/collect them from school as we are seeing our own class out to their parents. With some other jobs, you may have the potential to 'make up' the time-but you obviously can't as a teacher. I just wanted to add that even that isn't the perfect solution!

Teachermum - how do you find teaching with three dc? I am really keen to teach ( it was one of the best aspects of my previous job) but am wary of the huge workload term time. How do you manage?

CD, I teach p/t (3 days) and am a mum of 3. As I posted earlier, the term time aspect is great without a doubt but the inflexibility menas that I have never been to a sports day or seen a class assembly.

The workload is better than it used to be esp if your HT is fully supportive of PPA and makes sure you get it when you should. However, I still always seem to devote at least 3 hours to planning and prep at the weekend which isn't great for family life. Once my youngest starts school in 2yrs I'm sure I will manage to do that on the days I'm at home for for now, it's being done at the weekend.

Hours wise, I'm in for 8am and usually leave sometime between 5 and 5.30. This is fairly typical I'd say, although our Reception teacher in in by 7am and leaves by about 3.45 to pick up her kids. She's a great teacher and gets it all done. It wouldn't work for me (juniors) but probably works quite well in an Early Years setting.

If you really want to do it and you genuinely love it, it's the best job in the world! However, if you're considering doing it because you think it's family friendly; don't! Not only is it quite inflexible but if you don't enjoy teaching you will hate it more than you can imagine.

Thanks!

Well there are other jobs I could do that may be easier with three DC. I am under no illusions about workload especially teaching secondary English.

But teaching has always nagged at me - both parents, my sister, MIL and granny are teachers so I have grown up with it.

I still get The Fear though sometimes when I think about how organised I will need to be. But if others can do it, so can I.

I have a good friend who teaches English (she's f/t) She gets more time off in the working week than she would as a primary teacher but obviously her marking workload is vast. I'm always amazed that her teaching timetable isn't less than her colleagues who teach subjects such as maths or D&T-But maybe that varies from school to school.

Maybe you could teach in an FE or HE setting for a while before commiting. That way, you wouldn't need to do a PGCE/GTP before trying it out. I know positions like this are hard to come by but certainly you could volunteer and teach some evening classes to see how you liked it.

Well, you never know your luck. I have mostly been part-time since the kids were born, and was looking for a new job a few years ago... So I had an interview, but I'd decided I didn't dare mention wanting to be part-time. The interview went well, and they asked me what salary I was currently on. I actually didn't know! Having been part-time for so long, I couldn't remember the full-time rate and said so, and rather than thinking I was a total numpty they said, "Would you rather work part-time?" Naturally I said yes, and when they said, "What hours?" I said school hours. Got the job and am still there .

I do have to work school holidays, and always have. That's the one thing I'd love to change.

'Teachermum - how do you find teaching with three dc? I am really keen to teach ( it was one of the best aspects of my previous job) but am wary of the huge workload term time. How do you manage?'

On around four hours sleep for the last 15 years.

Have only read the 1st and last page of this thread but just to put my tuppance worth in.... I'm really shocked that anyone could suggest that I would be 'dumping' my child by using before and after school care!!! I am a single mum and work so that I am not a drain on society and that I can provide for my dd. I really don't get it, if you don't work what are you teaching your children about being financially independent, about valuing your own skills and worth, about contriguting to society??? I work part time so I have some balence between working and being a parent, on the days I work my dd goes to a wonderful cm that she loves and she has gained a huge amount from going there. My advice to the op is you get over yourself and stop congratulating yourself on being so blooming perfect and get a job that you enjoy doing, with hours that suit you and work out childcare arrangements like the rest of us have to - rant over!

[wanders in from 2 hour drive home from working in London, spots Honey gibbering in the corner and strokes her back consolingly]

[then slyly pokes LeQueen just to keep in practice]

girlie friend - you and the rest of us! Don't worry - the OP has been back to say she knew it was offensive and posted it anyway.

TOUGH SHIT

sorry but these attitudes hinder women in the workplace

we want equality, then we expect special treatment cos we have kids

i dont blame child free people for getting annoyed when stuff like this is spouted

three words: unpaid leave, holiday

Having been left with a load of random neighbours and relatives as a child, I too was adamant I wouldn't embark on the childcare route. Until I realised I wasn't SAHM material.

However, I can't imagine how bored my DD would have been with just me in the house had she not had a couple of mornings at nursery and a couple with our childminder. She has met loads of friends, had some great experiences and learnt things I'd never thought of teaching her.

She has definitely enjoyed the experience. I think it was valuable life experience for her. And you do have to prepare them for school when they are going to have to fend for themselves without you.

Too true, at least I am not home forever... I could not imagine them being school age and me not working it's a doddle by then. I have had to make an economic decision and at hard one at that, to do the best for our family dynamic at present.

Porcamiseria: that's all fine and dandy, but very often, using unpaid leave and holidays intermittently and unpredictably also hinders women in the workplace. And men.

My ds is poorly today. High temp, possible ear infection. It's his fourth illness since starting nursery in November. Dh covered the last illness so now it's my turn. We don't have friends or relatives who can provide emergency cover as we are new to our area. We both have a small amount of flexibility built into our working arrangements (I can work an extra day a fortnight, which will make up for today: dh can make up similar amounts of time). However, if this illness lasts a week, we have no option but to miss work. Payment is not the only issue in employment: most professionals are required at work as their workloads impact upon other people, so this illness will cause issues.

Equality really isn't the issue here, is it? Unless you are talking about equality with other adults who do not have children.

As nursery provisions have very strict government-enforced guidance on taking in children who are sick, there is likely to be an issue for most parents when children are poorly. Besides which, well... leaving a very unwell one year old without a parent is not the best.

I don't know the answer to this one, but unfortunately "tough shit" doesn't really solve the problem for many.

As more women take the brunt of childcare, yes - it probably is a feminist issue. A feminist issue in that "equality" in the workplace means playin by old boy's rules in which there is always a woman somewhere to deal with the thorny aspects of family life when work is more important (be it the mother, grandmother, nanny or sitter).

jamieoliverfan - how about doing some voluntary work and seeing where that leads?
I have 3 under 4 and enjoyed doing a voluntary role for 2 years, very much to fit with the children. (quickly want to say to all others reading this that I know how lucky I am to be able to choose whether to work or not)
I did this voluntary work as I wanted something for myself that wasn't to do with the dc and also so when the dc are older and I do go back to work, I have something else to put on my cv.
My cousin also did this, she has done some voluntary work for a fairtrade shop. She has done such a good job for them they are going to give her some paid work doing some marketing for them, but she can do it to fit around the children......
Just a suggestion

Very true, LeQueen, your last post.

This gal doesn't want to work, she started a thread with deliberately inflamatory language, which continued further in the thread, to stick the knife in at WOHPs, hence, the insinuation they do it to fund holidays and cars and gadgets and 'dump' their children with random strangers.

That's why I didn't take it seriously.