To think accountancy isn't a "keyworker" job?

[hannabull]

One of the parents at school is a self employed accountant who works from home, but sending kids into school. The other parent works out of the home (not a key worker) how is this allowed? Claims to be an essential worker (doesn't work for the nhs or anything, just accounts for small businesses)

I don't see how every accountant counts as a keyworker. I don't think that's right; the guidance is "staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure)". Essential financial services provision means essential to the infrastructure/running of the country, surely - it doesn't mean "essential because individuals need to get their tax returns done and the accountant will be very busy if they have to juggle childcare as well". I don't think that's the right interpretation.

How many more threads are going to be about this??

There are critical jobs other than the NHS.

I would argue that an accountant has a more critical role than some NHS admin staff, especially as self assessments are due soon.

But it's not a pissing contest as to who is more critical and who should be sending their kids to school and who shouldn't.

Believe me, the government is really not counting on the piddling amounts of tax it will collect from a loads of tiny businesses.
It has allowed all companies to deferred billions of VAT and tax into 2021/22. The company I work for has deferred over £200m of tax and will pay over the coming months. Furlough and the NHS are being funded through massive amounts of debt .

I’ll just tell the auditors and HMRC to fuck off next week as I’m not a critical worker shall I? I already work 60+ hours a week in Jan, I’ll slot in the 30 hours home schooling on top of that no problem.

People need to stop bending the rules and making up fantasy keyworker/critical worker categories to suit themself. This selfish entitled attitude is exactly what will keep us in lockdown for months to come. Accountants are no different from any other non-keyworker who is struggling to WFH whilst caring for children.

There seems to be a lot of confusion on this thread between key worker and "someone whose job is important and busy and if they get it wrong it will affect other people". The latter doesn't automatically mean keyworker, judging by the gov.uk guidance. It's about what's the necessary minimum to keep the country running - not what's helpful so important people aren't stressed.

I am grumpy because about 30% of my kids' school are still in, inc those with non-keyworker parents who already work school hours (at the most) from home. This is just never going to be over at this rate.

I tell you what OP - How about us 'non key workers' cease working.

Then I am sure that the world will just keep ticking along nicely.

How long until HMRC start to wonder why no money is going into the pot to pay the 'KEY WORKERS'

Everyone's job is key to someone, and this hero worhshiping of NHS based Key workers drives me mad.

@christinarossetti19

This may be a daft question but why do accountants with regular clients get themselves into a frenzy every January?

I'm self-employed, have been for over ten years, and have never submitted my tax return later than December.

I do my own accounts but the accounts that I know ask their regular clients to submit theirs by July. Given that they relate to the tax year that finished three months earlier, this seems perfectly reasonable.

What have I missed here? It's not like the SA submission deadline is sprung on us as a surprise each year.

Because unfortunately not all clients are as diligent as you I'm afraid! We've begged, pleaded and threatened clients with higher bills for someone having to work unsocial hours to get their tax returns in earlier but, no, they'll still bring them in on 30th January every year... It's not the accountants that cause the panic, but the clients who think they're the only ones that do it last minute.

We're in the first week of January. We have around a third of all our tax returns left to be done. And how many do you think are sitting in inboxes waiting to be worked on? None. We've processed all we've had and are now sitting waiting for the next influx.

Back to the original point at hand, I'm very much on the fence. I don't have DC but I am still travelling to the office to be able to support the infrastructure to allow all our other staff to WFH. From that point of view I can see how (under the FCA guidance as to who is considered a key worker) I meet that status. The letter I'm carrying with me, in case I get stopped, states this.

On the flip side, I can see that many of my staff wouldn't need key worker status. We're flexible and allow them to work around their other responsibilities. As long as the job gets done, it doesn't matter if it's at 5pm or 5am! There's no need to take a key worker space in a school for that (I know how exhausting it is though to juggle it all like that).

@DeeCeeCherry

People need to stop bending the rules and making up fantasy keyworker/critical worker categories to suit themself. This selfish entitled attitude is exactly what will keep us in lockdown for months to come. Accountants are no different from any other non-keyworker who is struggling to WFH whilst caring for children.

but as has been illustrated time and time over in the thread- some of them are and presumably they can evidence this to their schools.

Our finance team run the weekly payroll and invoicing for over 1000 community carers. Its an incredibly complex payroll, with significant in bound calls from the workforce. We managed to redeploy accounts staff to home working- but its very time critical and couldn't be combined with home schooling. Surely you see that critical workers are supported by back office is essential?

Slightly hypocritical of me as I’m doing it too, but staggered how many critical workers have the time to post on mumsnet during their horrendously busy working day
I’ll be making up the hours later as I still have shedloads to do, but I know none of you can work outside of 9-5.
I’m actually quite concerned that the country might collapse

The government has not done detail on this as with many other things. However important you consider accountants, they should be able to wfh and have children with them, assuming a reasonable house size and nothing such as special needs with additional requirements.

However, with it being six weeks and most people believing it could be longer, I don't blame any parent who has used the key worker provision to their advantage. They cannot take the laptop into the garden which they could do last summer, for example.

The school have decided she is entitled to a place. Who are you to decide she isn’t?

Not ALL accountants are key workers in the same way that not ALL nurses or doctors are key workers. It obviously depends on the work they're actually doing and their circumstances.

I just had "but I'm a critical key worker! I'm an insurance broker!!" And I had to explain that our parents who are doctors do in fact take priority over insurance brokers.

Everyone's job is key to someone, and this hero worhshiping of NHS based Key workers drives me mad.

I agree. A friend’s husband is a haulier, he spent much of the last year delivering PPE, medical supplies as well as food. And doing so at a time where there was nowhere open for him to shower or get a hot meal for days on end. Apparently that doesn’t qualify him as a key worker.

Slightly hypocritical of me as I’m doing it too, but staggered how many critical workers have the time to post on mumsnet during their horrendously busy working day

Quite.

Its none of your business why the child is in an essential place, maybe for the children's mental health.

You really shouldn't judge

It does seem to be the new thing to get upset about. How do people know what people do for a living and the ins and outs of other’s jobs. Plus the inclusion of vulnerable. Who is going to say to a random school mum x is in school because there’s a child protection plan or social services involvement much easier to say oh I’m a keyworker.

The difference is, only those who absolutely have to should be sending kids to school. These are critical workers who need to work outside the home. So if you are a nurse working in a hospital you and your partner is a firefighter, you obviously need a key worker place. If you simply want to send your kids to school to have a bit of peace and quiet while you work on your computer then no, I'm sorry what makes that person any different.

Exactly.

We've just had a letter from our headteacher very concerned about the amount of kids that have gone in today. People are taking the piss in some cases. It's obvious. Why should I struggle at home all day, and my kids be isolated at home, when nearly all their friends are in school still getting taught and being able to socialise together

Yes I'm being childish and stroppy

@Dixiechickonhols

It does seem to be the new thing to get upset about. How do people know what people do for a living and the ins and outs of other’s jobs. Plus the inclusion of vulnerable. Who is going to say to a random school mum x is in school because there’s a child protection plan or social services involvement much easier to say oh I’m a keyworker.

Completely agree - or that they are struggling at home for x reason, or that the child has specific difficulties.

I can understand that people don't pay much attention to the accountancy industry, but I would have thought there would be a better understanding of people.

oh jeez this is making me mad today! so many "key worker" children going into school, when they shouldn't be. An accountant's child, unless you cant work from home shouldn't be going to school (even if it is tax season). Every other poor old private sector worker has to muddle through working at home, some even with "important" and "demanding" jobs and many of which are vital to the countries economy.

Key worker provision at school should be for critical front line workers who have no choice but to go into work so they cant physically look after their kids (Doctors, nurses, super market workers etc), not people who just don't fancy juggling their work with child care.

My husband and I, for example, both have demanding jobs, which are fairly important (but not critical - no one will die if the work doesnt get done), but we cant just take time off as we have stuff to do, yet we have to just work around our homeschooling and make do. it's a fricking nightmare to be honest and it's really getting me down. who gives a shit about our mental health when we don't have the option of "key worker" status.

Schools should either be open for everyone, or closed to everyone but a very limited number of critical key workers who cant work from home. It's so divisive and unfair. in my kids school, there's at least half the school in getting taught, and everyone else has a shite level of learning provided that parents have to muddle through by themselves.

i think people sending their kids in really need to take a long hard look at themselves and ask them if they should be. otherwise, this covid mess is going to go on for even longer.

I totally agree that vulnerable kids should be in school - my issue is with key worker provision. no-one knows the ins and outs of other people's jobs obviously, but either you can work from home or you cant. if you're working from home, you should be looking after your kids, however difficult that may be, as that is what we're meant to be doing to "save lives".

personally i think schools should have stayed open, but that's a whole other debate!

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