to think your child starting school can actually make it harder to go to work not easier

[Pinkiemum]

I have read many threads that have said that once your child starts school you should be able to back to work. Considering that schools starts about the same time as people start work in the morning and ends very early in the afternoon do many people find this is really feasable unless they work part time only during school hours.

I currently work three full days a week and my dd starts school in January and her school starting time is the same time as I start work, therefore I would have to reduce my hours of work even if she goes to afterschool care.

I will actually be on maternity leave for the first few months of her starting school so that will be easy, but if I go back to work I will have to drop the baby at the childminders, take my daughter to school and still work, pick her up from after school care and then pick baby up. There is no way I could continue working the hours I do unless I work an extra day a week which increase my child care costs and make it not feasable to work.

(I appreciate I do not live in the UK and schools may have more flexability with drop off times than where I live. Also had problems getting her into afterchool care.)

So i suppose my question is it really easy to start back or continue to work once your child starts school.

Sorry so long

[jellybeans208]

theIt girl - what about cms most here will take 11+ also they do holiday clubs sports related or geared up for teenagers to amuse them for up to 10 hours a day. Do they not have any in your area?

[Cocoflower]

£3!

Here its £50 per day with food extra on top.

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

It is harder. DD1 has just started school, and afterschool club shuts at 5.30. So in essence anyone who works in our nearest town needs to finish work at 5 at the very latest in order to get there. I'm lucky as I jobshare, and am able to do my hours flexibly across the week, but lord know how full-timers manage.

[jellybeans208]

Would never pay that I wouldnt pay more than 35 at the very most for 10 hours care with food in and trips. Even that is the very expensive end of the market

[SurprisEs]

6 pounds a day, £30 a week, £120 to £150 a month. Do tax credits cover that? If they do, then I'd be ok. If they don't I'd be screwed. But as I said before, I haven't got that far, DD is 2.

[donthateme]

Charlotte- it might be worth asking if the club could stay open later if theres enough demand. I had a similar problem when my little ones were at nursery- but at the other end of the day. The nursery officially opened at 8, and as a teacher I need to be in work by then. The nursery agreed to a 7.30 am drop off (though I had to pay double rates for that half hour). Once I started that a few other parents also started dropping off then too. Sometimes it's only when the childcare provider realises there's a demand for something that they can deliver it

[inmysparetime]

Jellybean, breakfast club is £4, afterschool £9, term time is not the issue, it's school holidays I was talking about, they can charge what they like as people will pay it round here.

[Pinkiemum]

I do not live in the Uk and I would have to pay a lot of money to have my child taken to child care in the morning before school, which would not be at the school as that is not how it works where I live.

No my child minder cannot take my dd to school. Yes I will start saving money once dd starts school but will then also have to pay for baby to go to child minder. My husband does help out but is not always able to as he travels a lot for work.

I am not complaining just generally interested in other people's opinions when I see so many people say once your children start school it is easy to go to work.

[jellybeans208]

surprisEs - tax credits cover up to 175 pound per child per week they will definitely cover what you have stated

[donthateme]

But surprisEs a minimum wage job will pay way more than £150 a month! Why would you need tax credits? (you may get them anyway, but surely 'the point is , you would still be better off anyway!)

[squeakytoy]

6 pounds a day, £30 a week, £120 to £150 a month. Do tax credits cover that? If they do, then I'd be ok. If they don't I'd be screwed.

How would you be screwed? If you were not working, you would be earning zero. If you are working, then childcare costs you £30 a week. If you work full time, your take home pay is going to be a hell of a lot more than that!

[jellybeans208]

inmysparetime - here you get 10 and a half hours care in holidays for 30 pounds it included 3 meals a day, trips to theme parks, beach,zoo, park etc. It must differ a lot from area to area.

[Yama]

Dh does breakfast club/after school pick up and I do nursery drop off and pick up.

I wouldn't do both.

Apologies if you are a single parent.

[Yama]

Sorry x post - I see you do have a husband.

I guess it's easier if you share equal responsibility for parenting.

[Cocoflower]

I agree it's not easier to go to work, and not just based on costs.

Balancing work, home and school life is tough. Very tough
Worrying about sick days, inset days, half days, power cuts, burst water pipes, fire alarms going of and holidays add to the stress.

Worrying about work over running, late meetings, deadlines, trains cancelled etc

Also missing out assemblies, plays, parent days etc also adds to the mix of stress

The same stresses you might have had with nursery/cm are still there! Even if cheaper.

Hats off to all those who do it!

[jellybeans208]

I think it all depends on your job coco if you have a mumsy type of job then its usually very easy to get time off for whatever you need if you have a profession then its difficult.

[Cocoflower]

"mumsy type of job"

What would you define as this though?

[jellybeans208]

working in a nursery, school, admin that type of thing

[SurprisEs]

I wasn't aware that childcare would still be funded by tax credits at school age, that was my main query/worry.

And yes I'd get more than £150 a month on minimum wage but it would all go towards bills and I know I wouldn't have the spare money for childcare.

I went back to work when my daughter was 7 months but only because of tax credits as I wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise.

[smileyhappymummy]

Our catchment area school has no before or after school care. There are no childminders who do pick up or drop off to this school.
Thankfully my daughter has been given a place at a different school.

[inmysparetime]

I work in a "mumsy type job" in a day nursery, and they let me start at 9 to do school run first, but it's still a juggling act covering school holidays, Inset days etc. I have not been able to go to a sports day yet, or an end of term assembly. They always seem to be on my work days.
I live in a nice area, but that just means childcare costs more while I still earn just above minimum wage. It's not just the money, it's the bizarre array of childcare types needed to cover a working day. I wish it was simpler.

[jellybeans208]

I work in a nursery and the mums at my place are allowed of xmas plays, sports days, if they need to go early or come in a bit later its usually accomodated.

I think that is why most mums take those type of jobs. I think I am lucky to work in a what I call a mumsy type of job and very lucky to get tax credits because even working for minimum wage I am still getting to keep all my wages.

I suppose I must be lucky working in a place with decent childcare but here everyone is on low wage so there is lots of demand so there are loads of childcare options. If there are so many areas with gaps in provision then maybe thats a idea for some mums to start businesses to fill in the gaps.