Who are these people that the government want to get back to work?

[MissHoneysHappyEnding]

As in, the workers who they hope will come back because of free childcare.
I don't know many mums that don't go back to work straight away.
The few I have met feel strongly about being at home and I don't think free hours would change that.
The ones (two) I have met who left jobs and would like to return but can't afford childcare are in healthcare and hospitality where regular shifts don't fit in with nursery opening times anyway.
Tbh and only in my opinion, a lot of the 'we can't afford childcare so I had to give up my job' crew are often told that by controlling DH/ DPs or don't really want to go back to work anyway. Happy to be proved wrong!

I went back after maternity because we had all the childcare we needed and so many clubs for Summer holidays etc.

I work in a sector that doesn't really "do" part time because its male dominant. We also can't WFH as it's construction (but office based!)

I'd do anything to work 9-3pm x 5 days a week. With the opportunity to WFH, finish early, condensed hours or buying more holiday. My job is a skill shortage area too.

Rishi and Jezza don't really "get it" - do they? Cos they have their nannies

The professions that have huge shortages are the ones with unsociable hours. No nurseries or child minders offer unsociable hours so you are reliant on DH or family helping which often doesn't happen. Many employers don't offer fixed shifts.

Well actually for the past thirteen years I paid all the bills, for all the groceries and everything we did for fun because I earned so much more than him, so yes he can pick up the slack a bit.
Also he is the child’s father, so he is selling himself for his daughter.

Mothers are better when the child is young and you know it. Men and women are not interchangeable.

Thanks

It will make a difference for me. I do two days of work. I wanted to do part time as wanted a couple of days with my son each week and initially looked at 3 but after increased pension, student loan contributions etc and paying for the 3rd day in nursery I made almost nothing extra and it made more sense to do 2 days. If I get some free hours I will be able to do that third day.

@Architectahoy Rishi and Jezza don't really "get it" - do they? Cos they have their nannies

I've often thought that part of the empathy gap that government has must be down to things like this. They don't get it and they don't care about getting it. Completely oblivious to how other people live.

It's bollocks like this that mean so many women end up pushed into caring roles. How are women better in the early years? I was better for them as a food source aged 0-12, as I was breastfeeding, but that was about it. After that, we both had our strengths and weaknesses.

DH and I retired early last year ( late 50s) We are fortunate to be financially self sufficient .

No bloody way would I be persuaded to go back into teaching, especially with the shit show that the education system is now!

If anything, childcare gets harder once your children are on school. Many children who have been to nursery their whole lives don’t enjoy after school club and holiday club. They’re often quite unstructured and can be pretty boring, especially if your child has no friends attending.

I don't think it will have much impact. I've often thought the "I can't afford childcare" is used mostly as an excuse to justify being a SAHM by a lot of parents. Likewise, I think the pension "tax" on the higher earners such as doctors is also an excuse to justify them retiring early.

The biggest and best improvement to get people working again would be longer hours provided by childcare providers, such as much longer days, evenings, and weekends, especially to help those who work unsocial hours and shifts which is where we seem to have the biggest worker shortage, i.e. hospitals, hospitality, etc.

I’ve also had this as well though. I was struggling for childcare and was told I just needed to get a nanny or an au pair.
Im nearly 50, worked in many professional environments, literally never met or heard of anyone having these.
The major difference I’ve seen is people who have parents who do all the school runs/make meals/go to school shows, cover holidays etc. they can work long hours and it benefits their careers enormously.

Working in school is actually one of the worst places when you have children. Staff expected in by 7.30am (students can come for breakfast from 8am) when most childcare only just opening or not open until 8am. There’s no joined up thinking.

Realistically its not about those who have retired coming back to work, its about those who are coming up to retirement or planning to retire early putting off retirement for a few extra years.

It's always been the same, right from "Let them eat cake" from the 18th century!

Honestly the price of child care increases recently if there wasn't a subsidised childcare then parents would be priced out of returning even if they wanted too.

In my line of work I see parents working for less than they would get on benefits due to child care costs they are the people around 70% of working parents ( statistics on flying start website)

Someone may have already pointed this out but the new funding could actually help with staff retention because nursery workers are the exact sort of people who are probably not going back to work after maternity leave. The pay in early years is very poor and there are currently no funded hours for under 3s if you’re working (unless it’s very part time/low wage) so there’s no incentive to go back as by the time they’ve paid for a nursery place they’re barely breaking even. Having some funding towards childcare would hopefully make it financially viable for women who work in early years to go back to work after maternity leave.

Free childcare would have helped me, not to go back to work as I did that anyway, but to have more money to spend or save. I could have worked FT rather than PT and had a better pension when the time comes.

Me! I’m a teacher and didn’t go back as my school would not consider part time and the nursery fees (south east) were astronomical. It would have cost me to go back to work and I have 10 years experience teaching. We have no family nearby to help with the odd day either and I know lots of people in a similar boat to me.

I don’t think there are separate ‘crews’ like that, I think it’s a whole bundle of factors for everyone.
When I gave up my job I was very torn about it but the fact that with three kids in childcare it was costing me a lot of money to go to work was a huge factor. It’s going to be something that gets weighed in the balance whether you would rather be at home or at work.

@CascaChan

No.

I absolutely don't know that mothers are better.

I mean, both of mine sit crying in their rooms most nights because I worked when they were under 3 but it's totally worth it

I've just received the usual "due to unforeseen circumstances - after school clubs will be cancelled today. Please pick up your children as usual"

If I was at work my options would be

1. leave early and get the kids despite having deadlines and having had Part Time / Flexi time refused and inevitably get a warning

(Which is exactly what happened!! So I had to jump before I was pushed!)

Written by a man.

These aren't the sort of people there is a huge requirement for though - businesses aren't struggling to recruit in highly paid roles, they're struggling to recruit in minimum wage/zero hour contract roles. The 100K systems analyst isn't going to take a minimum wage job cleaning office toilets or fruit-picking.

And even if they did want to, I doubt they'd get the job. I applied for many minimum wage type jobs last year having been at home for 7 years. At first I was honest on my cv, listed my University degrees, roles before dc and all the voluntary roles I currently do. After feedback I dialled all that back and outright omitted all higher qualifications and the more professional volunteering. Got more interviews but didn't get a job, just lots of well meaning suggestions to look for work in similar fields to the ones I worked in previously.

@Dinosauratemydaffodils I'm not doubting your experience but I've worked in retail and catering and we would pretty much hire anyone who seemed to have a good work ethic. Showing up to the interview pretty much guaranteed you the job. I don't think many can afford to be picky. Where in the country are you?

On lbc radio earlier on ( Nick Ferrari ) people were tweeting that parents who leave under 1s in nursery or with child minders are not committed to their child
I had this said to me in the early 90s when I left my 9 month old in full time care(nursery) so nothing much changes really does it ?
People have to do what is right at that time for their own circumstances and I didn't have any help at all and we needed money for the bills.
Wasn't ideal, but life never is! Seems some attitudes haven't altered much either

My DH is part time and would work more hours if/when DS gets funded hours. Up until then his awkward shift patterns and pay rate means he'd be working to perhaps have £20 at end of shift once childcare deducted. Doesn't feel that's worth it so opted to do most of childcare himself. He's an NHS worker.

For us, with 2 dc, nursery cost us a fortune but it was easy; early drop-offs and late pick-ups that covered both our hours.

When they went to school, childcare was even more expensive and much more difficult because school didn't have an organised before or after-school club and there aren't any in our town. We had to use childminders; one retired after the first year and the next had to stop due to health issues. No other childminders would take on new children after 8 years old so we had no choice but for dh to take redundancy after the 1st lockdown.

The gov't should look at setting up and properly funding wraparound childcare for older children.

My sibling has an older, now adult, child with autism and for many years had to avoid working certain jobs because there is no childcare for older children, of high-school age, with disabilities.