to think if the government want more mum's in work they need to do something about childcare costs

[wheresthelight]

unplanned pregnancy so no time to save and very ill prior and during pregnancy so was signed off by work's occupational health as unfit for work. due to a variety of issues I didn't go back and dp was adamant we could afford if we tightened reigns etc. due to car issues and Christmas plus dsd's school trips we have had an expensive few months but dp still treats himself to a £5 magazine every week and pays out for a gym membership he doesn't use. I do an admittedly expensive swimming class with dd (now 15 months) but I spend nothing on myself outside of this as I have no money. we get no benefits whatsoever and although dp is on a good wage by the time bills etc is paid there isn't a lot left.

he is stressing about money and I really want to go back to work but due to childcare costs it is proving almost impossible!! nursery is £££ whilst a childminder is not so bad however the job market round here is appalling. everything is either nursing or teaching and am not qualified for either. lots of home help type jobs but due to a disability I am unable to do this but even if I could the wages mean that I would be working for nothing by the time childcare is paid which negates the point of going back to work.

how the hell do people do this??

It enables people to remain in the workplace which is an investment in their future and if their is a husband/partner it should be a shared cost

Would you really work a full time job if you had children to be no better off?! To miss out on spending time with them, to deal with the logistical stress of drop offs/pick ups not to mention housework in your free time to be no better off financially!?

Sooty, it only allows someone to stay in the workforce if the family income can withstand 2k per month on childcare.

Other than that, you're priced out the workforce by the cost of childcare.

Re the 15 hours free childcare.. this can also be used as 11 hours a week all year round.

If a nursery or childminder is charging more than the standard hourly rate this is called topping up and is actually illegal to as all providers sign an aggreement to adehere to the terms

If I was angry, it would be at my job for not giving me fixed shifts. Or at a country which makes part time career work nearly impossible.

I'm sure there are other retail managers out there who have children and would like to job share, each doing a 3 day week. Half my salary would be ample as long as I had set shifts.

I could work sun, mon, tues, with my job share working thurs, fri, sat. 2 days of Childcare would be much more doable. And I don't see why i should work a 70 hours week all hours of the day and night, forgo seeing my children and a family life, to bring in 0 money.

How you assume I'm angry because of my kids though, well it's quite a leap. And not a nice one.

I can see what you're saying lotsofcheese

In that case I see no option but for work to take a back seat until funded childcare is available. That might be unpalatable but I don't see an alternative.

Former babe - plenty of people do that.

Exactly, we are priced out of the workforce. If I could stay in my job which I sacrificed so bloody much to get, knowing that when kids are at school it would have all been worth it, then fine.

But we can't live on just DH salary. So one of us has to leave, and find a job which requires no childcare. It's a bitch. prays that DH gets a promotion in the next year

And also.. childcare is one of the lowest paying careers out there. Yet one of the most expensive outgoings a family has.. so yes there is a big gap there that needs to be solved.

Very often childminders charge £3 - £4 per hour and are restricted on their numbers because of having their own children so the earning potential is much lower.

I have recently wanted to get away from being a cm.. I charge £3.90 per hour but only have one full time space I can use because of my own children. Looking into being a practitioner in a pre school or nursey the wages I would pay out in childcare worked out less than I would get incoming

even looking at management positions which I am qualified to do I cannot commit to the hours because of extra expense of school collection cover.

Former babe - plenty of people do that

Yep...I did for a while...literally no point to get up at 6.30am, wake my baby up to get ready, drive to nursery, catch train (£30 a week), work for 8 hours in a boring job, get train home, pick up baby, get home, bath baby, put straight to bed, spend all evening catching up on chores....and have no money to show for it!! Brilliant!

And also.. childcare is one of the lowest paying careers out there. Yet one of the most expensive outgoings a family has.. so yes there is a big gap there that needs to be solved

Agree about the big gap, which also applies to care for the elderly.

formerbabe since you describe it as aboring job, I assume it wasn't one you saw as a worthwhile long term career investment.

Sorry, calculation at 13:39 is wrong.
Should have been:
If £900 per month cost of childcare for one child, then parents pay £8,800 and Government tops up by £2000.
If £900 per month was cost of childcare for two children, then parents pay £8640, Government tops up by £2160.

Think that is how it works... See Mumsnet: Tax-Free Childcare - Government Wants To Hear Your Views.

Formerbabe

Why is it ridiculous to suggest that people should consider finances before making the momentous decision to have a child. Many people only have one child, or delay having a second so that they only pay one lot of ft childcare fees

Maybe you should just try & be grateful that even with tightened belts you can afford to stay at home with you lo!

See, we made the choice.

We could afford for me to have a career, and have lots of spare money, but no time in the process. Or we could afford to have a family and very little money, knowing that the sacrifice was my career.

We chose the latter. But that doesn't mean I can't be disappointed I couldn't have both. I'm hoping to retrain once my kids are in school, I'll only be 32.

Why is it ridiculous to suggest that people should consider finances before making the momentous decision to have a child. Many people only have one child, or delay having a second so that they only pay one lot of ft childcare fees

Of course you need to consider finances. I am making the point that nursery's for babies/toddlers to attend fulltime generally cost around £1000 a month. Do you really think women on lower/middle incomes should not have children because childcare is expensive?!

CM are £4 an hour which is a lot less than that,split 2 ways with the current help from the gov it's even less than that.

You plan,save,scrimp,get rid of luxuries and holidays, go part time,have a period as a sahp,alternate shifts,use grandparents whatever it takes.

It is 4 years and temporary.Does nobody plan ahead for periods of financial difficulty anymore?

I don't think there are many grandparents who can provide childcare as most people work until much later in life these days.

we decided for me to be a cm and stay home with the kids and retrain in the time I am home so when both kids are at school we will be in a much better financial position than most.

it isn't as easy as saying no luxury no holiday's no sky tv... it is much more complex than that.

You plan,save,scrimp,get rid of luxuries and holidays, go part time,have a period as a sahp,alternate shifts,use grandparents whatever it takes.

I have no grandparents to help. Many jobs won't let you go part time, many jobs have no option for shift work. It is not that simple.

You plan and you save and work out how to afford the expensive childcare before they start school. Which may mean getting childtax credit, deciding not to work for a bit, or delaying having children until saved some more

I had a similar situation in that I basically couldn't afford to go back to work so I started working freelance. I'm self-employed so that means doing my own taxes and it's not that secure or a massive earner but it means I have something that I do for myself and it pays for all the extra little things.

My solution to the childcare problem was to quit my job that I loved and to go freelance and work at home. When the work dried up, I took a job working on checkouts so I could do evenings and weekends while DH does 9-5. It's a shit job, and I could cry when I think about the money I wasted getting a degree, but it means we can pay the rent. Boo to the whole system.

DP and I have good jobs, so could afford to have two kids in care.

However, I feel for you. The UK has famously high costs. I know in some other places the cost is lower due to subsidies, but I have paid for private care in other countries and even that is cheaper. I don't know why they are so high here.

YANBU. if it were subsidized, that of course is a cost, but I am not sure that is worse than making it more financially viable to go on benefits (which of the course is also paid for by the state). if we subsidize and women stay in work (or have the option to), then you get a dual benefit of more employment (more childcare) and more people with stable employment building skills. And of course more women than men take the career hit if someone has to stay home.

in london you can easily pay 70/day and for a lot of people one child might be close to 100% of one person's wage, forget two.

I understand your frustrations but at the end of the day you CHOOSE to get yourself pregnant. Nobody held a gun up to your head.
I'm pregnant myself but I can afford to have a child, I wouldn't expect anyone to give me hand outs for my choice.

You can swim for £3.75 at my local council leisure centre if you produce a child benefit letter.

It's a contemporary building and immaculate inside, before the usual Victorian baths and cockroaches in the changing rooms imagery arises .

Why are you paying so much for swimming lessons with a baby who can't comprehend the lesson anyway? Are you using a private membership gym pool?

I second your DH cancelling the gym membership he doesn't use.