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Original poster

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

156 replies

MissHoneysHappyEnding · 15/03/2023 08:10

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!

OP posts:
xK1991x · 15/03/2023 11:26

Mums like me! 18 month old twins and had a well paid job before having them. Nursery quotes are £3,400 a month so I cant afford to go back to work. Im following the news with interest

the80sweregreat · 15/03/2023 11:38

The wraparound care at my local primary school is reliable , but it's not cheap and only operates during term times. The after school club closes at six , so not that ideal for so many people who work shifts etc.
They don't cater for the holidays there at all , not even outside clubs some bigger schools might use. They let them use their facilities , but it's not cheap or even accessible for many either.
I feel that the government should have done a bit more ' homework ' over these matters really
They think that a child being at school equals the childcare sorted. It's not for so many people in jobs that are not in education anyway.

Bucketheadbucketbum · 15/03/2023 11:40

Twizbe · 15/03/2023 08:42

I left a high paying professional job after having my second baby.

Childcare for 2 at that point would have cost us just under £2000 a month. We could afford it, but with commuting costs (which for my role could be really high and relied on timely claiming and paying of expenses) it wouldn't have been adding much to our family pot.

Add to that, my going back to work would have put our family earnings over the threshold for tax free childcare and the 30 hours.

I didn't love my job enough for my family to be only a couple of hundred quid a month better off.

If I had loved my job I could have gone back to work.

Then covid hit about 2 months after I was due back to work. Both of us working from home in big jobs with a 3 and 1 year old and no childcare ... I think that would have broken both of us. It broke several of my friends and all of them were failing at home and at work. They all had to reduce working hours and reduce pay. Many of us were also still paying some kind of retainer fee for our nursery place.

Because I don't work we only get 15 hours for our youngest. When she's in full time school in September I'm going back to uni to retrain in a career that I can do around school hours.

I won't be earning the mega bucks I was BUT I will be adding about the same to the family pot once you discount the childcare costs.

If we'd been able to get 30 hours for our youngest sooner, I likely would have gone back to work sooner.

Snap. Once you hit multiples of children childcare is prohibitive expensive to justify going back for nearly all jobs. I had more take home pay working 2 days a week vs 5 because I saved on 3 days of nursery. 30 free hours and I could have been full time

lazycats · 15/03/2023 11:41

I know lots of people who will financially benefit from this... but they're already in work.

Another problem is that it doesn't increase nursery capacity, so if there is big rise in demand a lot of people will be shit out of luck in oversubscribed areas.

Dinosauratemydaffodils · 15/03/2023 11:41

@MissHoneysHappyEnding

NE Scotland. It got to the point where I seriously started to believe there had to be an issue with me that i just wasn't seeing.

With retail I even had recent experience as I'd volunteered in a charity shop whilst a sahm.

Gave up and went on the bank in a related role to what I used to do. Currently work around 20 hours a month but would have been just as happy doing way more in a different sector.

Yuja · 15/03/2023 11:46

It would have helped me after my 2nd. We couldn't afford 2 in nursery so I didn't work for a couple of years. Back in the workforce now but I would have gone back earlier if this had happened then.

AlbertaAnnie · 15/03/2023 11:51

I would have gone back to work sooner if this had been available

Tohaveandtohold · 15/03/2023 11:56

I know lots of people that this scheme will benefit and they are already working and paying huge childcare bills and I’m happy for them. I know someone who gave up work 14 years ago when she was pregnant with her first child because according to her, the cost of childcare is a lot and will wipe out her earnings. Well, her last child will be 10 this year, and in year 5, all NT and she still hasn’t returned to work and she has no intention of doing so.
Basically, I’m happy with the scheme for those who it’ll help but it may not have the impact the government is expecting as some people will still not want to work no matter what.

FourTeaFallOut · 15/03/2023 11:59

It's hard to understand how increasing staff to child ratios in order to create capacity in the industry to make way for these free hours would be championed by MN who, till now, placed high importance of the quality of the childcare environment that thet place their children in.

Of course, parents with money will be prepared to pay a premium on top of these free hours they have been given (awaits howls that mnetters are living on beans on a combined household incomes of £150k) to maintain the quality of their children's care, and who could blame childcare providers who prefer this business model while they are competing with other employers for staff and can sell their new employees on these preferred lower ratios?

Architectahoy · 15/03/2023 12:03

The BBC just made a comment about how parents aren't working due to childcare / caring responsibilities

And how this is directly harming the construction industry and halting large projects as there's a skills shortage

I'm literally an unemployed architect 🤣 I was waving at the TV like "yes! Hello! That's me!!!"

🤦‍♀️

sunflowerdaisyrose · 15/03/2023 12:03

I went back later after my second as couldn't afford childcare (they're 20 months apart). I'd have gone back earlier if funding was available. I went back when my eldest was entitled to some free hours. So would have got me back working sooner!

MarshaBradyo · 15/03/2023 12:04

Architectahoy · 15/03/2023 12:03

The BBC just made a comment about how parents aren't working due to childcare / caring responsibilities

And how this is directly harming the construction industry and halting large projects as there's a skills shortage

I'm literally an unemployed architect 🤣 I was waving at the TV like "yes! Hello! That's me!!!"

🤦‍♀️

😀I’ve done this with stuff. Hello yes that’s me

Architectahoy · 15/03/2023 12:06

@MarshaBradyo I was sat here waving at them in Parliament as Rishi just mentioned it too! 😂

👋 🔉 Coooooie! Over here 👋

MarshaBradyo · 15/03/2023 12:07

Architectahoy · 15/03/2023 12:06

@MarshaBradyo I was sat here waving at them in Parliament as Rishi just mentioned it too! 😂

👋 🔉 Coooooie! Over here 👋

Haha 😬

Sameiam · 15/03/2023 12:08

I’m planning on having a baby in a couple of years (just pushing my career hard first) and intended to take a few years off. Between pay rises and the new hours (partner can stay under 100 with pension contributions so we can still get 15), I’m giving up a lot of money to look after my own kid so I’ll probably go back a lot sooner, with a pretty easy 9 - 5 fully remote job that would be happy for me to be flexible with my hours. We are also based in the midlands so everything is much cheaper than London.

Nomaj · 15/03/2023 12:10

Botw1 · 15/03/2023 09:09

It's unbelievably short sighted for a woman to be saying it wasn't worth going back to work.

When will people wake up to this?

I always used to think this.

Went back to a stressful job after each of my 3 children, was paying to go to work by the third child.

Then they made me redundant anyway and I was gutted. Felt like a stab in the back and all those hard years were bloody pointless. Might as well have stayed at home with the kids.

Going back to work is a regret of mine. It doesn’t always have the long term pay outs we hope.

Original poster
MissHoneysHappyEnding · 15/03/2023 12:14

I see a lot of 'my money' 'my wages' not 'our money' 'our wages'. When is being a hundred quid worse off worth your freedom, pension contributions and independence?

OP posts:
Zwicky · 15/03/2023 12:15

I work in the NHS and I know LOADS of older women at lower bands who work part time in order to help with childcare for their dgc. Lots of the kids are primary school age so it won’t necessarily help them and lots of them care for parents/pil too. It’s a vicious circle for low paid women - you don’t get much so you won’t lose much if you drop hours to help with the baby, and you are off anyway so you get the elder care too.

AlwaysLatte · 15/03/2023 12:16

Well since they are talking of free childcare for younger children then presumably young parents is one group they're looking at. They were also talking of over 50s (I fit in that category, I'm 52). I'm very happy not to go back to work so I can continue support for my mum and children, and I also like having time for the garden and dog etc while I'm still fit.

beAsensible1 · 15/03/2023 12:20

ChungusBoi · 15/03/2023 08:32

It will be interesting to see. My hunch is it won’t make much difference. I’ve recently tried to recruit for a post that fits school hours and pays real living wage. Thought it would really appeal to parents but hardly any applications so far.

probably because those people have stopped looking, maybe ask for it to be posted in local school newsletters/emails.

but in general there is a hiring shortage! they are desperate for more income tax revenue

Lawazlawoo · 15/03/2023 12:24

Sleepygrumpyandnothappy · 15/03/2023 08:34

It will be combined with much tougher rules on UC to force people.

This.

I also suspect that it is less about getting people into work and more keeping people already in work. It's about subsidising existing childcare places to keep nurseries etc open with the rising costs and staff shortages.

smellyflowers · 15/03/2023 12:26

MissHoneysHappyEnding · 15/03/2023 08:10

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!

Loads of parents I know have gone back part time as it doesn't make financial sense to take on an extra day at nursery

Botw1 · 15/03/2023 12:26

@Architectahoy

Are you a single parent?

Architectahoy · 15/03/2023 12:28

Botw1 · 15/03/2023 12:26

@Architectahoy

Are you a single parent?

No I'm not a single parent but DH works away frequently x

Botw1 · 15/03/2023 12:29

@Nomaj

I disagree

You kept up your pension contributions and presumably had transferable skills?

That being said not working has never been an option for me (like it's not an option for most men) so I don't view it as a punishment or something to be endured or something I'd ever regret