AIBU to think it's impossible for me to work while I have preschoolers?

[CoraCoo]

Oh works hard in a decently paid job and I am a sahp with a 1 year old and 3 year old. We are comfortable enough day to day, however we don't have much money for unexpected emergencies, holidays, gifts for birthday parties, visiting family, car repairs, home improvements etc.

If I could work it would be really helpful to have a few extra hundred pounds per month just to dip into as and when we need. Id also love to increase what we earn so we could get a bigger mortgage to move house. Is it currently impossible for me to work? I can't see a way around the childcare issues:

Childcare costs more than I would be able to earn as I've no skills experience beyond nmw jobs. This would bring household balance down lower than it currently is, so that's no use.

Oh frequently works away for weeks at a time without much notice so I can't get a job evenings or weekends out with his working hours as we don't know when i would be free.

We have no family or friends nearby that would be willing as well as able to commit to providing childcare.

Am i unreasonable to think its hopeless and I've no hope of earning any money until they are in school? Did you find a way around similar circumstances? Am I completely missing something and there is an easy solution to this?

There are a lot of online style jobs now. For example I do online transcription. If you are a good to excellent typist, you can make some cash on the side. It's not good money, and I only do it when times are a bit slow, but if you want to spend some time doing some typing improvement courses, then it can be a good one that can fit in as many or as little hours a week as you have.
Data entry and online surveys etc. If you do a course in bookkeeping you can do that online. If you speak another language you can definitely transcribe.
None of these replace a career or a real job, but if your kids play well by themselves or your partner can cover while you do 2 hours of an evening, it would make for more cash.

Reluctantbrit- I know it’s not easy.

My point though is that when people say they can’t work because they can’t afford to pay for 13 weeks school holidays, that isnt strictly true because the legal minimum is 28 days holiday which is nearly 6 working weeks. So that’s 12 weeks between the child’s mother and father. And yes, of course there will be other things to factor into that ... you may not be able to take all your leave in your preferred times; you may have split families where one parent is difficult about taking on their parental responsibilities ... but I’ve never known any parent who hasn’t been able to take a chunk of their leave during school holiday time. So even if you have, say, a big childcare bill in August, over the course of a year you’re still better off working.

Ime parents who work when their children are preschoolers see the school years as a huge bonus, because suddenly you’re getting 6 or 7 hours a day ‘free care.’ Perhaps if you don’t work until your children start school then you’re more likely to see the obstacles because you’re not used to paying out for care.

I do think where it’s really tough is for parents who have children with severe SEND where childcare has to be specialised and is very difficult to access. But for other parents it’s really quite doable, just takes planning, being prepared to spend money, and also having a Plan B for when the kids get ill, childminder gets ill.... those things happen to all of us but aren’t a reason not to work.

Caughtinanet... but isn’t the idea that the free hours can make it easier to work, in that it subsidises some of the hours you’re working. Actually the point of free hours is about early years learning rather than child care per se, but making work more accessible is a kind of knock on?

Yes, my point is that when my DC were young the playgroup hours were 9 - 3 so I would have needed to find a job that didn't start until after 9.30 and finshed by 2.30 only during school weeks or else I'd have ended up paying more to a childminder to take them there, pick them up and have them in he school holidays - I don't see that would work for many parents

What about looking for work in childcare? It would be worth contacting the SSSC (who register childcare workers in Scotland) to see how they would count your teaching assistant qualification. I don't see HNC teaching assistant listed but I see lots of related ones so I suspect that's probably not the actual title. I suspect you may well meet the requirements for at least support worker and possibly practitioners or may only need to do a unit or two top up.

Lots of childcare providers offer dramatically reduced fees for staff, and there's a real shortage in the industry just now.

28 days after 8 bank holidays are taken out is 4 working weeks however, not nearly 6. Work for a company similar to the one my DH works for that closes from Dec 24th to Jan 2nd and it goes down again to around 3 weeks. If both parents work in similar situations it becomes a total of 6 weeks to cover 11 weeks (since Christmas is covered) school holidays.

Working from home could well be your best bet at the moment, or as PP have said working in a childcare related job.

I was in this position. I was at home for 5 years with dc1 then went to work when he started school and dc2 was 1. I work in a pre-school, term time only and school hours so I have minimum wraparound childcare costs. It was a completely practical solution but I also really enjoy it and am now doing my qualification so I can progress further.

My youngest doesn't get free hours yet so we just break even on my wage/nursery costs, but in my view it's worth it for the long term plan.

Caughtinanet- I don’t understand your maths? Why would paying a childminder for some of the time cost more than working? If you look at your income over the whole year, even on NMW you’re going to be better off! Unless there’s some extra complication you haven’t mentioned such as a child who needs specialist care (which I’ve already said is really difficult.) Or if you have a huge family in which case paying a childminder to look after, say, 4 or 5 kids, would cost a lot. But that’s a luxury choice to have loads of kids. I just can’t see how, once you’re getting 15 or more free hours, you’re not benefiting by going to work. Even if, as I suggested, you might be working 20 or 25 hour and having to fund some of your children’s care yourself

Get yourself a Bank role in a care home. They are really flexible and you choose which shifts you do. If you get with one of the larger companies you can even get training and qualifications too. Which could set you up for later when you can do more hours. You could do any number of roles, carer, Kitchen assistant, admin, housekeeping, etc.

I have three young boys and needed to be home for them as im single. I set up with these guys www.callagentsuk.co.uk/call-agents-franchise/ and I have managed to start it straight away. They give you your first client too which really helped me. It may be of interest to you as they handle absolutely everything to get started and on going.
I hope this helps.