To ask how much do you work for after childcare costs are deducted?

[MasterOfCaffeine]

Or what would be the absolute minimum? I'm a sahm with 4 kids and I've been thinking about returning to work. I've seen an ideal job advertised but when I pooled together the prospective salary with dhs and deducted the cost of childcare, we would only be €4k better off a year, which in effect means I would be working for €75 p/w. Along with this, we would also lose a preschool subsidy that we currently get for dd3 which would cost us €40 p/w.

I know in a few years, childcare costs will be less, and also getting a job now will increase my earning power in future. But I'm trying to decide if it's worth it for such a small amount.

I think it’s really important for women to be able to support themselves without needing a mans income. You never know what is around the corner and I don’t think it’s wise to rely on anyone else.

You need to think of it as you and your husband jointly paying for childcare.
There are benefits to getting back to work other than net salary gain. This includes pension contributions for you.
One of the biggest 'pay gap' issues is the pension pay gap- women suffer disproportionately from lack of pension due to staying home to raise children.

I currently work for £1400 a month after childcare but would do it for any amount as long as I was breaking even because I am not cut out to be a sahp

As per poster above.
The longer you stay unemployed the more difficult it will be to get back into meaningful employment. It’s for a relatively short while but with long term gains.

Also bear in mind if any money is being added to your pension

£10 per day but my pension been paid and my job kept open

That 4k per year is keeping you employed and therefore more employable. It also I creases the freedom to leave the marriage should you want or need.

It's an investment.

Are you calculating that as your husband not paying any of the childcare? You work for whether you earn minus your share of the childcare, and your husband does the same.

I used to be £450pm better off. I hated my colleagues which didn't help. I used to be very grumpy about working. Luckily all my colleagues are now lovely, and I no longer have to pay childcare. I'm glad I hung in there.

Exactly the same as LoisLitt above. I’m currently only 10 days post partum with number 2 but going back in 2.5 months. I’ll earn £1400 after nursery (although we pay for that from a joint account). Even if I only broke even I’d still work as I’d be concerned about stepping out of the workforce and struggling to go back into a decent paying job and I like having both a professional working life and a family home life.

Im back at work after 17 years as a sahm.

Stay in work or get into work asap even if it's for £10 extra a week
I'm a skilled educated woman working in a newsagents because I'm basically unemployable.

And yes, it's absolutely an investment and also can be good for your own sense of worth and life balance!

When DC were younger we have practically no family help so I worked for precisely nothing for about three years (fees came out the joint pot of course). I wanted to keep my skills, my pension and my sanity!
Now teens, I'm looking at retiring at 55.
So so glad I stayed in employment. I didn't see why I had to make all the sacrifices and the Dc don't seem to have suffered. They soon learnt they were part of a bigger picture.

When my second child was born my salary was less than our childcare costs- but childcare was a joint expense. But we would have been better off in the short term If I hadn't worked but much worse off in the long term.

Ignoring the faulty basis for concluding you'd only be working for €75 per week, if you were offered a €4k pay rise within a job would you turn it down because it didn't work out very much per week?

Plus all the other points about independence, pension, etc.

Your calculation doesn't factor in the cost of being out of the workplace even longer, or the likelihood of an ideal job presenting itself again,or employers being willing to consider you as willingly in a few years as they might now...

I wouldn't be sneering at €4k especially when it's combined with all the other benefits.

You also need to look at pension contributions. Salary escalation etc

I think you have to weigh it up depending on the job and what it could lead to later.

I think it's always worth it, if not to better your earning power in the future, but your own sanity and confidence. There was a thread on here recently about sahp's, and some of the posters who were ship's felt truly trapped and worthless.

After my second child was born, I did a job for two years which netted me a small monthly pension contribution. My actually salary was swallowed up by childcare costs (in terms of how it affected our family income, ie no profit but no loss either). No regrets, it got me out of the house and kept my career going. It was absolutely worth it.

I earn roughly minus 3k per year before taxes/pension.

But at least I get to keep my sanity, the kids get to do interesting things and I'm building a small pension.

I keep 100% of mine, but I only work 9.30-2.30 term time so don’t earn tons.

How many hours would you be working for this additional 75e gain?

I think it depends how long you have not been in work. All the women I know who have had 10 years plus out of work have simply been unable to get another job. Also the type of job that you do. I am qualified for something very specific and jobs are disappearing at a rate of knots. So if I were in your position doing I would jump at the “ideal job” because they simply hardly ever come up anymore.

Different if you’re a nurse or science teacher or something which you know there is a shortage of and could get a job fairly easily be it now or in 5 years time.

Also depends on your kids. Mine were fine really with me doing PT and it got them used to the idea of nursery and after school club etc so that when I went FT a year or two later it wasn’t quite the same wrench.

I know that for some SAHPs who have kids who may have problems with separation or who have mental health issues, anxiety or ASD, the whole decision to WOH is a much more difficult and stressful proposition.

I think the jobs and housing market is nuts now compared to even 10 years ago so I don’t think it’s useful AT ALL to look at what your own mum did or even an older friend who was a SAHP a few years back. Society is different and I don’t think it’s as simple as totting up what you have left after childcare costs and deciding that it’s not worth it.

As annoying as that is if you actually WANT to be at home with your children.

Currently as both of mine are in school now I work for around 2000 per month. When I went back after maternity with dd2 nursery fees were almost exactly the same as my wage so technically I worked for nothing and we got no tax credits. However it led me to getting a promotion and once nursery fees ended I'm now much better off and very pleased I did as I wouldn't now be in the position I'm in if I'd have had the time off. 100% worth it in my opinion

I earn roughly minus 3k per year before taxes/pension.

You’re 3k down BEFORE taxes/pension?! I would not do this in my situation as it really wouldn’t be worth it. AFTER tax and pension maybe. I would rather my DH agree to put that £3k a year into a pension for me instead and wait till I only had after school club to pay for. But that’s me and my situation, I was happy as a SAHP for a few years But I know that many women find it not good in their mental health, so whatever is best for your situation, i’d Say.