How do you manage work with school hours ?

[LAURAMINIMAQ88]

Hi guys,
I am all new to this !
My daughter will be 3 in December 2020.
She just started preschool with opening hours of 9-3 like most of them do.
I work as a domestic cleaner now but I am due to go back to my previous job in January 2021 , I am an admin and have worked usual hours of 9:5 before having my daughter, I just realised that in January this will not work because my job require me to start at 9 and thats when I my child start preeschool too (my husband has a good job and he starts at 6am and unable to change due to earnings for now ) I think I should be ok for January as I can always change the preschool with a nursery who has early opening hours BUT once the reception starts she will have no other option than starting school at 9 and my question is : how do you manage with hours ? Most office, admin, banking jobs are 9-5 ? I am fine with picking up hours as my husband will do that anyway but I dont know what others do, is there a nanny to cover that extra hour ? Or a childminder who take children to school ? I am so confused.
It will be really hard for me to change my career to something completely different.
For now, the cleaning position is working fine for me but I dont want to do this for another 10 years until it will be legal for my daughter to walk to school on her own.
People look down on me as a cleaner and I am just very depressed right now, I dont know what to do....
I would like some advice from people who were in my position and had similar career and work hours
Any advice will be appreciated

A nursery or childminder who looks after children 8-6pm or similar. Once children at school breakfast / after-school club as needed.

Wraparound care before this year when it's all shut down pending Covid risk assessments! Breakfast and after school clubs!

We use wraparound care at the school. Others use childminders. Even then it's hard and I have had to start and finish earlier than I used to ans my husband slightly later so we can do pick up and drop off. Other people I know do the same and have flexible working so that they can share it between them

Breakfast and after school club here

A nursery or childminder that will do 8-6 then breakfast and after school club for when they start school. Or a childminder for before and after if you can find one to do it.

You can pay for "wrap around care" at school. Thats breakfast club & then after school club where they just give tea. You' have to work out whether it's financially worth it.

You can see if there's a local child minder who will do the school drop off. Or some schools have breakfast clubs, but you'll have to make sure you book it in advance as they're not always flexible.

Just get a job with school hours thats term time only. Good places for term time only admin jobs are schools, colleges, universities and any council departments that deal predominantly with schools.

My children go to breakfast club at the school usually so I can start work early and then I leave to pick them up, but that means only working 25 hours a week. It isn't worth working extra hours really in my case as 2 children in childcare would wipe out the income anyway.

Or you could look at childminders who offer wrap around care if it makes sense to work more hours.

Is this really the first time you considered whether you would be able to continue your lifestyle uninterrupted with children? Nice try.

Thank you guys, I had no idea that there was such thing as Breakfast club! How does it work? Has every school got it?

Any way you could work e.g. 9.30-5.30 so you could do 9am drop off if your DH does pick up? Or 9-5 woth a half hour lunch. Worth asking yoir employer.

Most schools have it, or sometimes there's a local nursery that provides it and then transports them to school. Contact the school and ask them.

@D4rwin I think you are being a bit rude, I have moved to UK where schools and work hours works a bit differently than where I used to live

You pay for childcare. It’s pretty obvious and what you have to do if you need to work and can’t rely on family help

I don't. I'm not in the UK, my primary school kids have different starting and finishing times, they come home for one and a half hours at lunch time and have two afternoons a week free. Before school club runs one day a week and after school club three days a week.

@Sophoa I know I will have to pay, I do not mind that at all , I just didn't know who to if that makes sense

If you go on the school's website, there will usually been a section for "wraparound care" or "breakfast club" or "after school club".

Breakfast club is where you can drop your child off before school (usually from 8am but can be earlier). They provide childcare and breakfast usually, then walk the childroom to their classrooms/doors.

After school club is the same thing but for after school, give children a snack & childcare up until 5.30/6pm. You can use either or both for the days that you need, you pay for the sessions/days that you want.

Places are often limited so it's worth giving them a ring well in advance to check with them.

That's normal times of course, not during Covid.

I do breakfast club for £3.50 starts at 8am then childminder after school from 3-5.15pm costs me £12

Not all schools have wrap around care unfortunately and in some there's a waiting list. Ours does but its not even mentioned on their website so you would have to ask.
I do 32 hours and DS goes to before school club 4 days per week and after school club 2 days per week. I pick up 3 x per week and DP picks up 2 x week when he's working from home.

Breakfast club. They very in what they offer and cost.

Ours was 8:00-8:45am (TAs take children to playground at 8:45) and cost 50p

Other local schools start at 8:15 or 8:30 and cost £1/£2.

A before school place with a childminder would be £5 here.

Alternatively you could ask your employer if you could start work at 9:15/9:30 and have a shorter lunch break or finish later in the evening.

I have flexi time so I can adapt my hours to a point but my mum helps me out by dropping dc in the morning and then we use Afterschool.

Wraparound care which usually means breakfast& after school club or childminder. Before you pick schools it’s worth looking into what is available. I know in some areas wraparound care is either extremely expensive or has a very long waiting list. In most of the UK it’s ok though.

If your dp starts at 6 can he finish in time to pick up?
A much bigger problem however is school holidays. Holiday clubs are available but not for all of the holidays and round here at least are almost all sporty, not so good if your kid is not sporty.

Very rude!!!

I don't know any job that is "9 to 5" frankly, it's at least 9 to 6.
I know on MN everybody seems to come home at 4pm and eat the same chicken for a week but that's completely unheard around me. (South East, so not in a weird country!)

Breakfast club or childminder
Afterschool club and childminder

Start researching and book one as soon as you possibly can, waiting lists tend to be very long

The main problem with schools is not even the wraparound care but the holidays. It can be impossible to find holiday clubs all year round - there's nothing at all at Christmas around here for example. The children have 2 weeks off, so it's tricky.