To ask what jobs single parents do that give them a decent income and flexibility for childcare for primary school age children

[simonneilsbeautifulhair]

I'm a teacher and can just about survive on my income (2 dds, 1 primary age, 1 at uni). However, my mental health is really suffering due to work stress, workplace bullying that has got most staff at an all time low and quite frankly, life is too short to dread work so much and cry on my way home most days.

So, I desperately need to get out of teaching but don't know what other jobs I can do that will ensure I can still pay the mortgage and cover food, bills etc whilst also not being screwed for childcare during the holidays. Dd2s dad has her for a week in the summer but that's his only contribution to childcare for all the holidays.

Don't have other family who can have her as my mum is in care home and dad is dead.

I honestly don't know how other single parents do it. If you have solved or survived this problem, please give me your wisdom!

I think you should stay in teaching and look for another school. Not all schools are like yours - mine is lovely and it's a joy to work there.

I was going to say teaching!
I have 2 primary DDS, work full time as HOD and have a duck for an xh. Not all schools are like the one you currently work at. Can you not look to move?

If you don't have a support network, could you change areas? I've moved in the last 12 months to a totally new area and now living in a smallish village. I like the community feel and other parents have supported me with last minute childcare problems (and I too for them).

He is a 🦆. A cross between a fucking dick.

Civil service

I’m inclined to agree. Very hard to change career without significant loss of income (certainly for a period of time anyway) and you have the benefit of not needing to fund childcare during school holidays at the moment too.

I’ve considered a career change many times (am in marketing/consultancy) but yet to find a way to earn the same amount and have the same flexibility that I’ve built up over many years in this industry so I stick with it even though it’s not what I would be doing if I wasn’t a single parent with 2 primary age children....

NHS but not all bosses there are as flexible as mine.

Could DC at uni help with childcare in the summer hols if you change jobs?

I gave up and started my own company because I couldn’t make it work. Ds is at private school so gets ridiculous holidays (20 weeks a year) and his dad lives abroad so absolutely no help at all.

I was sales (area manager) before that and negotiated 7 weeks holls and an extra 3 unpaid, but it still was horrendous. I often took him to work with me, but my mental health - and ds’s - suffered because of my long hours the rest of the time, and I just felt like I was going under juggling it. I wish there was an answer!

Apart from one person creating all the stress, bullying and generally being horrible to be around, my school is lovely. Children are lovely and well-behaved. However, it's amazing how one person's actions can make things so awful for everyone else.

I've worked at other schools and although the atmospheres have been nicer and SLT have been more reasonable, the stress and constant data driven workload still got me down. The kids achievements didn't really matter unless they ticked all the data boxes, which I find really sad.

Also can't move as I tried to look for somewhere cheaper to live (north of England's or Scotland) earlier this year. This would have massively taken the pressure off and allowed me to work part time teaching or another job as we are currently in south east so property prices and living costs are through the roof. Dd2's dad informed me he would take me to court and stop paying maintenance if I tried to move further than 100 miles away....

Use your QTS to set up wrap-around care? Holiday club? Run clubs in schools? Supply? Tutoring? Covering PPA? Don’t underestimate the skills you have as a teacher. I left and now work for myself and don’t have any childcare costs.

Civil service