What is average commute to work for mothers?

[user1461609321]

Hi

Just curious about how long most of you would commute to and from work each day if you have primary/ early secondary age school children?

Just curious about the norms particularly in London and whether this has posed any problems for you?

I currently leave home at 7.30 each morning then back at 6.30pm, eldest in secondary from September, youngest will be yr5, just trying to see how to manage commute/ school runs and ensure adequate supervision of kids before and after school

So my questions;

1. What time are you leaving home in the morning?

1. Who oversees your kids getting ready for school,

1. how old are they and do they get to school on their own?

1. How far is the child's secondary school? How do they get there? How long does it take them?

1. At the end of the school day? Are kids home alone? What time do you get back?

None, work from home.

In normal pre covid times, or have you always WFH?

When my kids were in Primary, answers as follows:

1. 6.30 or 7am
2. Husband or usually aupair
3. Walk to school with hubby or aupair.
4. . Usually at after-school club till 6pm then collected by hubby or aupair or myself.

When they were even younger it used to be private nursery from 08:00 to 6pm with shuttle runs. We had live in aupair for 5 years for Primary school.

Now they are at secondary they walk to school and back on their own. No more school runs. I now WFH so no commute.
Hope that helps

My children both come on the commute with me and go to school/nursery near my work, obviously making use of wrap around care while they are young. At secondary then I will drop them in the morning and hope that they can use a computer rom/library or breakfast club facility, and simillar after school at least in Year 7. Dh works from home so once she's settled in I would be looking towards them using public transport to come home, probably after the Feb half term of year 7, depending on exactly which school we use.

My DH WFH and currently does school runs for both, but as oldest going to secondary he won't be able to do both kids at the same time, both my job and secondary school will be out of borough but in different directions

1. 7.30
2. DH
3. 10, 13. DH takes the 10 yo to breakfast club at her school(?13 yo takes himself to breakfast club at his school.
4. About 400m away; foot; 5 mins
5. 10 year old goes to after school club at her school, until DH or I pick her up; 13 year old goes to homework club until 4.30, then walks home. He’s home along for no more than 1 hr 20 mins.

Leave at 7:45, home at 6pm. Commute is 30 mins. Our youngest is now in secondary but was year 5 when I started my current job. DH used to do the school runs and I'd make sure they were ready before I left. DH has dinner cooking when I get home.

I leave at 7.30 and back by 5.30/6pm but mine are primary so go to childminder/breakfast club and after school childcare. I would want a year 5 child home alone for any length of time really… could they go to a friends until you get home? I reduced my commute from 45mins to 20 mins by getting a new job!

@user1461609321

My DH WFH and currently does school runs for both, but as oldest going to secondary he won't be able to do both kids at the same time, both my job and secondary school will be out of borough but in different directions

Is the secondary school off the beaten track?

Can your child not take themself there?

My commute used to be 20-25 mins to school the same to work. Then in reverse.

So leaving at 7am, get ro work for 8am. Leave work at 4pm. Back in for 5-5.30pm.

Then I moved to a job closer to home, bit didn't move ds school so it was longer. My days were 7am-6pm, out of the house.

Then I moved ds to the school closest and got promoted so could manage My own office hours. So if in the office, I leave at 8.50am. Ds is in year 6 so walks himself. Its less than 5 mins to the office.

And the same back and I meet ds at home at 3.15pm

Leave at 3.30 if I'm travelling back I would get back at 22.30 but I stay over between shifts.

My DGM is there for the DC on a morning once my DH leaves for work.

They are 11,10,7 & 3. Eldest 2 take themselves to school DGM takes younger 2.

Eldest gets the scholars to school. No idea how far it is but much too far to walk. Primary school is next door.

My DGM is there after school until DH gets in at 16.30

Surely if your DH WFH this isn't an issue secondary school they can get the bus to school and back again your DH will be back from primary pick up before they are back on the bus

In normal pre-COVID times, I commuted 3 hours each way 2-3x a week (to London from South West), wfh the other days. Now it’s only a couple times a month.

I’d leave the house at 6am, in the office around 9. Leave at 4pm, home by 7pm. I work on the train.

Dh does all the mornings and afternoons, dinner, homework.

Mine are currently preschool and Y4, though I started this working pattern when eldest was 11 months. Obviously they are too little to get themselves anywhere. Dh does school run.

When older one starts secondary, it will be about 20 minutes away. She will take school transport.

Days when I’m not in London, we swap. I do school run, dinner, homework and Dh works a bit longer. Though in practice, when I’m wfh, we’re mostly both done by 5.

I mainly WFH but I'm in the office one or two days a week. DH is out 6am-6pm, one primary dc (4) and 2 secondary (13 and 11).

I generally get up at 6am when DH leaves. Then coffee, shower, get myself ready and wake the dc at 7am. The big two are entirely self sufficient getting ready, with - - shouting-- gentle prompting from me and I get dc3 ready.

The secondary age dc sort themselves - so leave at 8am to walk to the school bus. Then get dropped off by bus at 3.30pm, walk home and let themselves in and are home alone until 6pm ish.

My commute is 20 minutes. I leave at 7.40 am with primary dc. Drop to breakfast club (school 2 mins away) and back in car by 7.50am. 20 minutes to work and start time 8.15am. It cuts it very fine and I need to race in from the car! But breakfast club starts at 7.45am earliest and I'd rather not pay for nursery at £10 a day for the sake of half an hour and drop off!

Then I leave work at 5.15pm, pick ds3 up and home by 6 at the latest. Then make tea etc for dc.

DH and I work flexibly so I do some early starts (leave house 6.45-7) while he gets them sorted and takes to school and vice versa.

Same with pick ups. A couple of late nights in the office and a couple of 2.30 finishes. I do some work from home though.

Mine are primary. My commute, not London but other big city, is 30mins.

I do mornings, get them ready, take to school (10 mins walk each way) and leave for work at 0900, first meeting 1000 although I am there approx 0940. If I have an early meeting I use bfast club or ask DH if he is wfh.

Afterschool we each do a pick up and nanny does 3 days, DH relieves her at 1730, I normally get home 1830-1900.

Ages y1 to y5, y5 walks herself often but we've not yet left her at home.

Mine in primary, school 5mins walk. DH wfh 2 days a wk in non covid times. I work locally so 35 min walk or 10 min drive x 3 days a week. I work 9-4.

So juggle between ourselves, in non covid times family can also help if needed. Also use school clubs till 4.30 but we would do that anyway as dc enjoy them.

I live in ROI and have one child. We get up at 615 and drop her to the cm at 7. I go to work. I have a 45 minute commute by car into Dublin. I leave work at half 3. Either me or DH collects her. We're all home by 445. She is 7. She does 2 hours before school and 2 hours after school. It costs 200 euro a week.

1. What time are you leaving home in the morning? About 6.15 to 6.45am

1. Who oversees your kids getting ready for school,

My partner (their dad/step dad)

1. how old are they and do they get to school on their own?

15- yes
5- no

1. How far is the child's secondary school? How do they get there? How long does it take them?

Half a mile, walk, ten mins

1. At the end of the school day? Are kids home alone? What time do you get back?

15 year old looks after himself.
I pick up 5 year old 3 days a week at 5pm twice and 3pm. Partner and grandparents pick her up the other days.

I’m a teacher (SLT). I live just outside London and commute in to one of the boroughs just outside central. We have two DC aged 7 and 4.

DH is a teacher as well, but part time. On the days when we both work, we leave at 7am. My Mum does the childcare and comes to our house for this. She gets the oldest ready for school, does the school run and then looks after the youngest, who isn’t school age yet. He has a complex health condition so he doesn’t go to a nursery and it is a big relief that my Mum looks after him. We pay her for it.

My drive to work takes 45 mins-1 hour. I get home between 5-6 most nights. DC comes straight home from school with my Mum unless he has a club after school. We don’t use clubs for childcare.

DH only works 3 days a week so gets more quality time with the children than I do. We arranged it this way as I am the higher earner.

No children at school now but when they were and I was a lone parent I would leave around 7:15 and get home 5:45 ish, commute was an hour. Primary school age DC was child minders or breakfast club before school (both short walk from home), after school was childminder or elder sibling who was 6 years older looking after him.

At high school they were expected to get themselves there and back. School was closeish, but even if it had been further afield the expectation would have been the same.

By late primary they got themselves ready and did lunches etc. Didn't really need much help on an average day

Pre covid:

Leave the house at 645 for 40 min cycle commute.

DH got kids ready for school/childcare and dropped them off (10-15 min walk).

I left work at 5 and collected them from childcare (CM did school pick up) and picked them up 545.

Post covid:

WFH starting 8 finishing 5.

DH drops them off at school/child care 9am and I collect at 530pm.

We’re all happier! Although I’m not as fit without the cycle!

Even pre Covid times I worked from home

1. What time are you leaving home in the morning? 8:40

1. Who oversees your kids getting ready for school, Me

1. how old are they and do they get to school on their own? 7 so I walk him they are allowed to walk from YR5 and he will be doing so it’s it’s less than 2 mins away.

1. How far is the child's secondary school? How do they get there? How long does it take them? He is still in primary at the moment but the secondary school is on the same campus. DS will walk (2 mins)

1. At the end of the school day? Are kids home alone? What time do you get back?

We get home at 3:20. DS not alone as too young.

Bit confused why you are asking about mothers, particularly.

You have said that your dh wfh and currently does the school run.
IME secondary age dc get themselves to and from school, and your dh will be there to make sure he has had breakfast and not gone back to sleep etc.

What is your concern about ?

I work from home and DS (15)is home educated. If I need to go into the office (not often) it isn’t for a full day and he is fine at home.

However I went full time when he was in year 5 at school.

1. I used to drop DS at school and the go to work 30-40 mins away.

1. I would oversees him getting ready for school,

1. See 1.

1. Primary and secondary schools both a 10-15 min walk or 5 min drive.

1. His Dad would be here/pick him up after school (he walked home). I got back between 6 and 7pm.

Our secondary starts earlier than primaries round here which helps those dropping off at both.