To go part time when finances aren’t great?

[iwanttoworktwodays]

There’s a long and complex back story here and so if I miss some information out it isn’t intentional.

I currently work three days a week, I want to reduce this to two, but still spread over three days - starting later and finishing earlier. This is mostly to allow me to do school drop offs and pick ups when my child starts school in September. It all falls on me, and although there is wraparound available it only starts at 8, my work starts at 820 and it’s a bit too tight. (There aren’t any childminders attached to the school.) So one way or another I have to be PT.

The problem is financially things aren’t great, it’s definitely the biggest source of tension in the house at the moment.

I have to admit I’m a bit torn with what to do. I’m not in a great place at the moment as I’m pressured at both work and home, but also don’t want to make any rash decisions if my marriage is shaky it seems foolish to reduce a source of income.

If you can't afford to reduce hours then I would say that's decision made isn't it? I'd perhaps ask to drop an hour split across the 3 days so you have an extra 20 minutes to get from childcare to work.

I can’t do that because of the nature of my job - it’s teaching so I can’t teach for forty minutes then go for the last twenty minutes of the lesson.

Would you consider doing the same hours as now but spread over 4 days, rather than 3?

Finances being tight is not the time to reduce income. Neither is a potential divorce on the horizon.

If you're not enjoying your work and the hours don't work for you, can you explore other jobs?

You say finances are a source of tension so I assume your partner wants you to work more? So what’s their solution to the drop off / pick up issue?

I imagine they don’t have one? But it should be a joint problem to solve. Remember you are also hurting your pension and possible career progression by reducing your hours.

I'd love to go pt but can't afford is so I don't. I don't get your logic?

If finances are tight and you marriage is shaky, the last thing you need is less income. The other parent should be doing their share of drop-off and pick-ups so you can increase, not decrease your hours.

If you can’t afford it, then you can’t do it

I would consider this and will almost definitely do this in two years, when both my children are at school. I’m reluctant to do it now because I have a 2 year old and I would rather not have her in nursery for four days a week and also very selfishly I’m reluctant to do four days a week myself with two children in different places and one very very young. But I may have to. I’m really just weighing up ‘lease worse’ option!

@IsItSummerSoon no, he doesn’t - to be honest it has minimal impact on him strange as that may sound, it’s me who it affects which is why all the angst!

@Ponderingwindow in an ideal world definitely. But that won’t happen. So it does have to be me, and I have to think of which option is best.

I suppose I’m thinking of it being like a period of maternity leave where your income is reduced but you know it’s temporary … a two year maternity leave admittedly!

Can your partner pick up the slack- either at home or with the finances

No - this is another source of tension!

I don’t think we’ll split but I am conscious on paper if you like further reducing my hours is probably an unwise move but I also think there’s more to it than that, it’s more a breather for a year at least so I can get on top of things a bit. (I’m convincing myself a bit here even though the poll says otherwise! 😂)

Good idea.

You have a useless partner. Don't reduce your income for 2 years because of them.
As a teacher you earn pretty well. Are there other wraparound nurseries available? Honestly I'd reconsider your entire primary school choice of the current options are so slim for childcare. You can't drop your hours but what else can you do?

You are being unreasonable and putting yourself is a very precarious financial position. I'd be pretty annoyed if I was your spouse. How would you manage if your marriage broke up? Assuming he had the kids 50/50 you'd have a few days without drop offs but get no financial support.

Can you do 3 days spread over 4?

In all honesty I'd be upping your hours. 2 days is hardly anything

You really need to sit your partner down and have this chat with him.

Your current work arrangement is untenable with childcare and domestic duties. So you collectively need to arrive at a solution. Either he becomes more involved in the unpaid labour or you both accept a temporary drop household income.

@HamSandwichKiller it is a tricky one. The only other feasible choices are a primary school that really isn’t very nice - lots of complaints about bullying and so on - or one where it’s just too small, only four children in the current reception cohort. I love the school I’ve put him down for. But the start time of their breakfast club and my work time start is hard and so I will need to have some flexibility there. When both my children are there I can probably do four days spread over five to allow that, they’ll both be older and in the same place but the two years when one is at school and one isn’t are hard.

I would actually be better off if we split @RoamingGnome . But obviously it isn’t what I want to happen. And I don’t think it will.

How tight is tight?

Will it put you at risk of losing your home, not affording food and bills or just that you will have to cut back on takeaways/holidays?

Are finances for the family spread in proportion to your earnings?

Will your school even be able to adjust your timetable mid year?

It basically means I’ll have less money. At the moment the way we do things is DH pays the mortgage and bills and I pay for childcare fees and for food, most children’s things eg clothes, swimming lessons and so on. It isn’t set in stone or anything like that but that’s roughly how it’s done.

So if I drop to two days spread over three I still have to pay for three days in nursery. However, DD should get thirty funded hours from September so my childcare bill will reduce and I won’t have to pay for DS, so that’s a help.

No, this is from September sorry.

I would reduce the hours on my days so I could do pick up and drop off but I would pick up hours on other days. I wouldn't be making tensions in the home more visible. I'd also be speaking to OH to pitch in more

Yeah but it's reduced from a pretty low start point

That is an utterly shit way of doing it