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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
withlotsoflove · 28/08/2017 21:39

half yes, they do tend to.
Especially at the beginning.
Sorry that wouldn't work for you. It has been so helpful to our family with the flexibility. :)Smile

TooStressyForMyOwnGood · 28/08/2017 21:39

LtGreggs, absolutely in some areas of medicine you can find family friendly hours. I know a lot of doctors who can't though. Very dependent on speciality. Part time working definitely an option. Part time hours that let you do the school run exist but I wouldn't say are the norm for doctors.

NeverTwerkNaked · 28/08/2017 21:41

Have a look at local govt/public sector. A lot of people in my office work flexible hours. Worst case scenario you'd need morning or afternoon childcare but not both Smile

NeverTwerkNaked · 28/08/2017 21:42

(I've managed to claw my way up the career ladder despite being part time with young kids, and now work school hours in the office and the rest of my hours when they are in bed)

Lj8893 · 28/08/2017 21:42

Carework?

Most agencies would allow you to work school hours, and then you could do evenings or weekends when your DH is home?

ChocoholicsAnonymous · 28/08/2017 21:43

LJ8893 - do you have experience of carework?

Embarrassedatsoftplay · 28/08/2017 21:44

@NeverTwerkNaked - that is dedication - respect.

I often catch up for an hour or two in the evening. Because I need flexibility sometimes with DD, I'm more likely to check in the evening to keep on top of things. I wonder if that's common for flexible workers.

Lj8893 · 28/08/2017 21:45

chocoholics yes I do

Original poster
Halfsack · 28/08/2017 21:47

I'm not qualified to do anything sadly. Thanks for reminding me of that though, quite depressing. I went straight into office work and did NvQs n then left my job to have children so now I'm screwed it seems lol

OP posts:
HateIsNotGood · 28/08/2017 21:47

Half - apparently if you were a doctor then it wouldn't be too much of a problem. That's sorted that then.

Embarrassed - I assumed you were busy (putting dc to bed?), but have responded to Andrew so I ask again....

How do you make 'wraparound' childcare work for you? Especially since the schools are closed. Nothing to wrap around. Do you wrap the child up and pass it around instead? Please advise.,

Original poster
Halfsack · 28/08/2017 21:48

I'm not cut out for care work. I believe you have to be a specific type f person to do this job and I don't fit that spec.

OP posts:
Lj8893 · 28/08/2017 21:51

halfsack I thought I wasent cut out for carework either, and I tried a couple of agencies where I hated it. Once I found an agency I "fit" I found I really enjoyed the job and was cut out for it after all! It's definitely worth a try. I do think community care is the most flexible and nicest though.

TakemedowntoPotatoCity · 28/08/2017 21:51

It is difficult. I am doing this sort of job which I am very grateful for. However, as I am working for a very small company I am usually alone in the office, and I also don't know if I am really cut out for the job but time will tell. It's not really what I want to do, but it fits in so well. I can't help but think I am letting my skills pass me by though. I'd like to return to FT work when DD goes to secondary and can take the bus to school.

Moanyoldcow · 28/08/2017 21:52

The job with the hours you need will be there but you need to be qualified fir something.

I work 24 hrs per week, take home a good wage and have flexibility to work from home but it's very competitive.

Other posters are right in that you will need to use some kind of wrap around cafe and do longer hours.

I work my hours over 3 days and use a childminder for pickups. She charges £6.00 per hour for after school care so for 3 hours.

Childminder will do full days in the holidays so wage is reduced then due to increased costs but it's worth it to have a flexible and well paid job.

I think that you should think about what you'd like to do ultimately and have more training.

Good luck - it can't easy after being out of the work place for a few years,

Embarrassedatsoftplay · 28/08/2017 21:57

@HateIsNotGood - look on page 3 please, where I did respond to you.

And the answer is to save childcare vouchers for under 5s to use on childminders and holiday clubs, and financially budget in advance for over 5s. That, of course, depends on income and employer benefits.

Wraparound childcare or holiday clubs is quite common so a quick Google or search on Mumsnet is probably more useful than badgering me.

Flashinthepan · 28/08/2017 22:00

What about temp jobs? I know it's not ideal as a long term option but it could help you pick up some more current skills? My DM has been working the same temp job for 4 years, she works 9-5 four days a week but can choose how much she works/when so 9-3 mon-fri would be possible if she still had young kids. She started off on 8 pound an hour and now gets 10. Not a fortune but she also is enrolled in their pension scheme etc although as she has no contract she can take holiday when she wants etc. They employ lots of long term temps, not just her, so while I'm not sure how common it is, she's certainly not unique.

LonginesPrime · 28/08/2017 22:01

I'm not qualified to do anything sadly.

OP, please remember that you won't need full-on childcare forever - it might be worth seeking out some careers advice and working out what you actually want to be doing career-wise.

Obviously, lots of well-paid jobs will require further training/qualifications, but focussing on what you really want to do for your career as opposed to focussing purely on the hours you're available to work might help to dispel some of the negativity you're feeling.

RandomMess · 28/08/2017 22:02

You need to change your mind set a bit.

You have a DH your earnings both contribute to childcare costs! Consider taking the hit in a full time role to then get onto more school friendly hours.

GreenTulips · 28/08/2017 22:04

Most working mums take a loss when the kids need childcare.

You can retrain, take college courses or online coraes )check they are in the national database of accredited qualifocations)

You feel lost because you don't have a plan

If your child is 5 - then you have 6 more years of pick ups drop offs - then they go all independent and start senior school.

Make a plan and start working towards it - no reason you can't do Avon etc - takes 2/3 hours a week @ £100 commission a month once you've built a base

mypoornips · 28/08/2017 22:08

I would try and qualify for something. It's pretty hard to earn decent money otherwise, school hour or full time.

ShotsFired · 28/08/2017 22:15

@Halfsack Well, id be buggered. 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. I currently do MDS at a school but the pay is rubbish.

Unfortunately, OP, you are kind of neither here nor there in terms of employability. You aren't available full time, and you can't really do "full time part time" either (as in half days or half weeks etc. So employing you on the hours you want would leave traditional office employers of the kind you would want to work for with gaps at the start and end of the day which doesn't work. And that's before we even get onto the issue of covering for kid sickness and holidays etc.

And I say that as someone who strongly champions flexible working hours too. Although the roles in which flexible working works best are generally more senior roles where the workload is self managed, not dished out or reliant on staff coverage for phones etc. And you can't get that as you are lacking the experience/seniority and potentially skills.

It's shit really, and I am sorry for you.

cheminotte · 28/08/2017 22:17

Can your DH get childcare vouchers? That would help pay for a childminder.
I think you need to consider working 2 or 3 days a week with kids in childcare. They will survive. If you have office skills, can you do some temping to get experience?

applesareredandgreen · 28/08/2017 22:18

halfsack as you are working already within a school as lunchtime assistant I wonder whether you could ask to work some hours in the school office on a voluntary basis to build up experience? I think that trying to get a school admin job is your best bet but I am well aware of how difficult this is to get into, and experience is normally expected. Everybody I know who has worked in a school, either as a TA or as admin has started off doing work on voluntary basis.

Posters are right when they say that there are a lot of people to be found working family friendly hours in public service (I Was one of them when DS was younger) However with public spending cuts there are far fewer new jobs advertised now. It is worth it, however to google public service job vacancies as there are sites which specialise in these.

Original poster
Halfsack · 28/08/2017 22:18

@shotsfired what would you suggest I do? Just go full time somewhere and hire a childminder?

OP posts:
ShotsFired · 28/08/2017 22:25

@Halfsack shotsfired what would you suggest I do? Just go full time somewhere and hire a childminder?

I don't know. I was empathising that you are in a crap rock and a hard place situation.
But looking at your posts, you don't really have a career or vocation to return to, so the pain of going FT and paying for childcare would not be as a stepping stone to much more senior role in future (unless you have particular skills you didn't mention for brevity in your OP?). If you are just a general admin/CS bod, then it would just be a slog of earning a wage solely to pay childcare.

There are some legit work from home vacancies - I know someone who works as a call handler for an airline from their home, for one. And another who does transcription work. Both of them are more or less able to choose their own hours. There are also TaskRabbit style opportunities? I think one of your posts said that one job required you to have WFH experience, so you could set about getting that by hook or by crook like this?