To think that on a low paid or minimum wage job which fits into school hours (no weekends/evenings, and holiday childcare paid), you're looking at maybe as low as around £7000 a year?

[Alondonleerie]

Haven't done the maths with specific numbers yet, based on something I was looking at a few years ago, and was wondering what ppls experiences of it is now.
Situation: parent 1 is sole carer majority of the time as parent 2 works away. No friends or family to help with childcare before/after school, sick days, or any holidays, so any work has to either for completely into school hours or next paid off in childcare costs.
Realistically, what are you looking at earning in a year, if such a job came up?

@Youngandfree I need to move to Ireland if teachers work 9-2.40 and on 38k!!!! My hours of work as a primary teacher are 8 am until 4.30 / 5pm and then planning in the evenings. That woyld be the same for the majority of teachers in the UK I would say.

It was very hard as a single parent but I had no choice as needed the income.

@Ella1980 it is a whole other world, I used to teach in the UK and yes it is so so different. I LOVE teaching here, much more of a work/life balance!

I recently went back to work after a long time out, I previously worked in Investment Banking in London but didn't want to go back to that.

I now work in a school in the finance dept. I work 15 hours a week term time only 9.30-2.30 I earn £7500 and take home around £550-600 a month. This is just a nice extra bit of cash for us we are not reliant on my income but I was desperate to go back to work. There are jobs out there look on your local council page.

@Youngandfree It sounds great. I've been teaching 15 years and seriously considering leaving the profession. The (unpaid) hours expected are ridiculous. I only have my boys half of the time and feel that time with them should be protected, not spent working unpaid hours after school/at weekends. Just got to find a job I can do at a wage that pays the rent... ☺

I take it it's your DH calling you lazy while he whines and dines his extra money ? been there, had to put up with it

My OH has been happy to be the main wage earner (I do have some income and provide the house) while our DS was in Primary.

There was never any pressure for me to go out and earn but we were glad of the extra 'meagre' £7,000 that fitted in with school hours and not having to work school holidays. He was actually proud of me earning that extra.

I do this.
I work in childcare (preschool) and work 4 days a week 9-3.15 term time only.
Luckily dcs school is 5 mins away so I can do school run.
I earn just over £7000 a year but no childcare bills at all.

Several of my friends have term time jobs with part time hours. They usually come from taking a hit to get your foot in the door first.

Temping agencies - you can often negotiate hours. Friend works 10-3, term time only. Started as a temping job but they liked her.

Supply teaching, cover supervisor, private tuition, other supporting roles in schools such as library staff, lab technician etc.

What country are you in? I have taught in several European countries and TA qualifications are always trumped by teaching qualifications. Perhaps volunteering for a few hours each week would open up some paid opportunities?

I know someone who works for a letting agency, viewings and preparing inventories. During holidays she is able to just prepare inventories from home.

With a degree and some creative thinking it should be possible to clear more than £7k pa but not if you dismiss every suggestion as impossible despite many other people finding them eminently possible.

@Alondonleerie I'm a forces wife so I sympathise (and if your DH is one of those who spends more than he brings in on deployment, I know plenty of them, that needs to freaking STOP) I have to say the main reason I was able to maintain my career as a forces wife was because MQs made up for what we had to pay in childcare. That said I'm assuming you're a navy family and if my husband was deployed for 9 months I can understand feeling the need to be present when your DH is not. I felt there was a lot of underlying resentment of your husband's job there, I hope you are able to discuss that together to weigh up whether it is a viable lifestyle for you all in the long term.

It would have been helpful for the detail in your last post to have been in the first!

Why? That wasn't relevant to answering the I originally asked, was it?

I have a school hours job and it's £8.50ph. It's not term time only though but I've been lucky to have family and friends that help with childcare in school holidays.

oldraver, no, it was his dad, at xmas dinner that I'd taken the DC to their place for, when h was yet again away for months and months. Of course, they were too far away to help with childcare on sick or teacher training days if I went back to work ft, which I'm not blaming them for, but I certainly didn't feel it necessary to be rude when I was working at home in the evenings (when kids went to bed) to make a 'meager' £7000. Which some ppl have kindly confirmed can be the equivalent of pay for the type of job I'd be able to get which fit my criteria.

notanothernam thx, you get it. I've been trying to address it for years, with no joy. Add to that some recent revelations about his inappropriate behavior while away, and yes, I'm currently v resentful. Wasn't in the navy when we got together ( I know someone would pop up and say I knew what I was letting myself in for), has taken precisely one day off to look after sick kids in a decade, even when working locally. I think I'm just overwhelmed and at the end of a very frayed tether.
And that wasn't what I initially came on to ask about, so more 'you should have said that earlier' comments, please!
I'll have another look at some of these suggestions, I'm going to have to do something - I've had enough of putting the family unit first, when he's just taking advantage of all that fun time away. Time to start thinking about my future, I think. (and of course, the DC)

I work 30 hours a week 9-3. I’m on 16k.

@Alondonleerie you sound miserable and he sounds like a tool, you'll have made huge sacrifices for this life and it sounds like he's living the life of Riley. Life is too short to be miserable,I know this isn't the point of your thread but please don't feel like you have to put up with the lifestyle if you don't want it, there are other options. But whatever you do in the meantime, who ever is saying you are lazy can bugger the hell off, you and I both know plenty of military wives don't work at all due to how disruptive the military can be, so the fact you're keeping this up with what sounds like an absentee husband in and unfamiliar place- well done you!

OP I'm not sure what you want from this post, you're unnecessarily snipey with people who are answering your question which to be honest is simple maths.

If you need support - and it sounds like you do - perhaps ask for it

I'm not going to bother explaining my last post as you are very rude OP.

I'm not going to bother explaining my last post as you are very rude OP.
If you read that as rude, that's your prerogative, however, you didn't answer the original q I asked, (or anything, actually) and the post you referred to had no relevance to what I actually asked, so I'd really question who was being rude here, as it appears you just popped up for a snipe. And yes, then came back for another.

OP I'm not sure what you want from this post, you're unnecessarily snipey with people who are answering your question which to be honest is simple maths.

As stated more than once, an answer to the q I originally posted in the thread title? If it's just a matter of simple maths, why isn't the answer a simple yes or no? Because there are small factors which differ for ppl, which they have been kind enough to elucidate in their answers. And I have already expressed my thanks a few times about that. Nothing snipey about that.

I may have been snipey (if you choose to read it as such) about comments which have been judgemental, rude or deliberately ignorant though. I never told anyone to rtft or anything like that, so I hardly think my comments have been rude at all! Anyhow, it's obviously some ppl chose to make that judgement regardless.

Yes, I obviously do need help. Some ppl have kindly given ideas, which I have thanked them for and said I'll look into. My situation is not good on a number of levels right now, and it's not easy seeing the way forward. This was a simple q which (as always) someone has chosen to use to kick a stranger when they're down. Again, thx to those who commented supportively.

My dh has hinted about jobs. I have three kids and two have special needs. Youngest has quite severe disabilities and is now 6 and has only just gone into full time school at a specialist school. My parents live locally but wouldn’t be able to cope with the kids a lot over the holidays as they’re too old. My dh seems to think I’ll be able to get some job that I can fit in with the kids. I worked last year part time from home but I also had to try and work from home whilst the kids were about and it was a nightmare and after a year the company downsized. It’s very hard. I’ve found in my situation with kids with Sen it’s just too hard.

OP if you can manage to hold down a job in your awkwardness then a min wage job could earn you slightly more than 7000. In terms of ideas it would help if you told us where you are? perhaps tutoring if you taught a shortage subject? Also just to say you sound very unhappy and frustrated at your partner. maybe you need to be thinking of returning to teaching to enable yourself to live independent if you continue to be unhappy with your oh who certainly sounds to be living life to the full! you clearly did not enjoy teaching so for the kids sake don't go back but professional jobs can work as a single parent. establish a network of friends to help you out!