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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think I'm never going to find well paid work

150 replies

Halfsack · 28/08/2017 19:52

That fits around school hours?

Ideally I'd want to work in an office; sales/admin/customer service etc.

AIBU to think that I'm never going to find something where I can be there to pick up and drop off my DD from school?

OP posts:

MyBonnieLiesOverTheOcean · 28/08/2017 21:04

I do school hours and my job is reasonably well paid. But I had to start full time and negotiate the hours after I had been there for a while.

Have you looked at admin roles in Universities and colleges? They are quite often part time and flexible and sometimes term time only.

PumpkinSpiceEverything · 28/08/2017 21:07

Try working in a school then? I used to work in a private school before DD was born, was just clerical office work/marketing but would have been an ideal job to keep with kids in school (not to mention the discount)

Original poster

Halfsack · 28/08/2017 21:09

Easier said than done pumpkin spice. They're so highly sought after. I applied for a local school job not long ago, went to visit the school beforehand to show interest, did my research on the school, spoke to the HT thought I'd at least be asked to interview, but no. Nothing.

OP posts:

Fluffycloudland77 · 28/08/2017 21:14

Matched betting. Look at profit accumulator.

It's tax free.

withlotsoflove · 28/08/2017 21:15

Did you see my post about customer services in a supermarket?
The hours can be strangely flexible.

Original poster

Halfsack · 28/08/2017 21:17

Lots of love- yes I did and I wouldn't mind that but wouldn't be able to do weekend work. Don't they all require some degree of weekend hours?

OP posts:

Embarrassedatsoftplay · 28/08/2017 21:18

@HateIsNotGood - a lot of schools offer it.

It really baffles me that schools have such ridiculously early finishing times and not always affordable, available wraparound care. It wedges women into stupid, crappy, unchallenging and demotivating jobs. And it will be women who give up work because they're statistically likely to earn less and carry on in some kind of crappy purgatory whilst supporting a husband fulfilling his professional goals or at the very least working his way up the ladder and pay scale.

But think of the poor children spending all day at school and wraparound childcare. Gosh we're heartless mothers!

Andrewofgg · 28/08/2017 21:18

These things take time and need more men not only to accept, but want to accept, their equal role in child-rearing before it can it become reality.

I don't for a moment disagree, but it will remain the case that applicants who are bound by school-run or similar commitments will be less attractive to employers than the ones who are not. More of the disadvantaged will be male, but they will still be disadvantaged.

TooStressyForMyOwnGood · 28/08/2017 21:21

Also very true Andrew. Not sure what the answer is.

Original poster

Halfsack · 28/08/2017 21:21

@embarrasedatsoftplay exactly. My husband has done well so far in his career and earns a decent wage. Me- been out of work 5 years and can only manage to bring home £200 a month :(

OP posts:

expatinscotland · 28/08/2017 21:22

Why not look into doing an OU course or similar to improve your skills? It sounds like your earning potential is also stymied by lack of skills that command better rates of pay. Plenty of people want to work from home and get paid well, of course they do, but there has to be some skill that employers are willing to pay above-average wages for.

expatinscotland · 28/08/2017 21:22

Plenty of people have to use childcare because very few jobs allow someone to work such short hours for high rates of pay.

HateIsNotGood · 28/08/2017 21:25

OP you are not BU to ask your question at all. Possibly for posing it on AIBU but you did. Lots of ideas from posters but others' lives aren't the lives that each of us live.

So, practically, how old and how many DC; a DP present and, if so, any help; family involved or not; what can you do; what available hours do you have?

Think on that and move to Chat, the AIBU 'monsters/mardy bitches' are due here soon.

Original poster

Halfsack · 28/08/2017 21:26

@expatinscotland I don't know what employers are looking for to even decide on what to do? If I'd of continued work in an office I'd of gone on to to a level 4 HNC then a HND but it wasn't meant to be.

OP posts:

Andrewofgg · 28/08/2017 21:27

It really baffles me that schools have such ridiculously early finishing times

Because teachers have private lives and a lot of work to do out of class hours?

Original poster

Halfsack · 28/08/2017 21:27

Only posted it for traffic.

OP posts:

AccrualIntentions · 28/08/2017 21:27

Look out for local government jobs, their flexi schemes for office based jobs are often very, well, flexible! I've worked with people who did 30 hours spread over 5 days to accommodate school pick up and drop off.

Polarbearflavour · 28/08/2017 21:31

Civil Service - flexi time and working from home one day a week.

TeachesOfPeaches · 28/08/2017 21:32

OP I think you've got a mental block. You've been a SAHM for 5 years so are used to doing all drop offs etc. You say your husband earns well so you really shouldn't be worried about getting a decent part-time or full time job and paying for childcare.

I'm a single parent and work full time and I make it work just about. No reason why you can't.

LtGreggs · 28/08/2017 21:34

My friends who are doctors have it pretty good - lots of them working part time, NHS is great at parental leave. Obviously takes a while to train though...

HateIsNotGood · 28/08/2017 21:36

And Andrew illustrates very well that suddenly the necessity for non-school working becomes irrelevant and inconsequential once your dc enter school. Wave goodbye to many a career at this stage of parenting folks.

Are you the same poster that's on TES? Thought you would have been too busy marking, planning, dealing with parents (oops no - we're on 'holiday' from teacherly scrutiny of us); SLT (crap teachers) might still be giving you crap tho.

grandOlejukeofYork · 28/08/2017 21:37

sadly there is no-one, other than myself available to do the school run so unfortunately the only hours I could ever work would be 9-3

Or you could do what everyone else does and pay somone to do pre and/or post school childcare?
Of course you aren't going to find well paid work between 9.30 and 2.30, are you even qualified for anything?

BackforGood · 28/08/2017 21:37

I'd love to be able to compromise but sadly there is no-one, other than myself available to do the school run so unfortunately the only hours I could ever work would be 9-3.

or, you could do what other working parents do and pay for childcare either before or after school, or both.
or you could work some hours that your dh is at home - weekends (if he works Mon - Fri), or evenings (if he works day)

To say 'you can only work 9 - 3' (unless you are going to drip feed a load of new information) is you limiting your options.
All working parents have to find their way around these things.

BackforGood · 28/08/2017 21:38

x-posted

Embarrassedatsoftplay · 28/08/2017 21:38

@Andrewofgg - then that's a resourcing, funding a work load issue. Parents need to be able to work and rely on the education system. The current system traps women and a lot more thought needs to go into the school day, as much as it needs to go into companies, the availability of and destigmatising flexible hours.

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