To not know how on earth I can go back to work?

[SoftAsShit]

I left my WFH job last year due to stress of childcare and I now work 10 hours a week around school times so it works well.. but I’m A) bored when I’m not working and B) money is so tight I’m unhappy and I just want to work more.

My current job doesn’t have the opportunity to work any more hours and I have no formal qualifications (except dental nursing but I would never go back into that job)

The thing is, I live in a remote area, salaries are low, jobs are sparse and I suffer with chronic anxiety so I’m a little bit picky (wouldn’t be able to do bar work/waitressing) ideally I’d like a desk job, don’t mind working with the public I just don’t want to be serving.. don’t ask why, it’s just a me thing.

and I absolutely cannot afford childcare during holidays. I could barely afford it when I was WFH and had to have them home some of the by time but the stress was too much and I ended up having a bit of a breakdown.
So I just don’t know how I can get back into work, to earn more money for the family.. whatever job I take up will mean having to arrange childcare before/after school and during holidays. I just can’t afford it.

How do people do it 😞

For reference, we aren’t entitled to any benefits, have a mortgage and some small debts that are being managed.

Sorry can’t read all the replies but are there any holiday clubs nearby run by the council? Our youngest goes to one that is £20 per day (we’re a higher middle income earning family) and its open to all (free places for those who qualify aswell). I work a part-time admin job so yes take a hit on pay in the holidays, but its obviously more than worth it in
the whole year. Have you looked at NHS jobs? Lots of bank work available so you could pick and choose extra work term-time and reduce it during the holidays.10 hours is very low for term-time (fully understand you have written about anxiety but increasing hours is really the only way).

Another suggestion is cleaning - its almost £20 an hour where we are and you would be working on your own. Are there air b&bs near you?

Yes I have a spreadsheet I made myself of all of our outgoings. We have some debt from credit cards and small loans which isn’t ideal but they’re being managed so once they’re paid off we should be way better financially.

im not ignoring suggestions btw im just mulling them all over in my head working out if i could do it or not.

Yes I have a spreadsheet I made myself of all of our outgoings. We have some debt from credit cards and small loans which isn’t ideal but they’re being managed so once they’re paid off we should be way better financially.

im not ignoring suggestions btw im just mulling them all over in my head working out if i could do it or not.

Just be careful not to mull over too much !!

aka worry !!!

just start to make some changes - start tackling your anxiety and you will find u have much more choices !!

anxiety gets better by getting out of the comfort zone !!!

you sound passive / avoidant - come on start an action plan !!!

Could you register as a childminder and offer holiday and wrap around to a child or 2 at DC's school?

Agree with other posters you need to get a job in a school or college which would allow you to manage childcare.

What about temping via an agency that way you could just choose hours/days that work for you

She said she does work in a school.

What do you do that's only 10hrs a week? Is it lunchtime supervisor? Is there any opportunity to be a TA at the school? They are often more like 25-30hrs a week and obvs only term time.

Work evenings/nights in a supermarket shelf stacking etc. That’s what my aunt did in your situation.

I do 21 hrs pw in a civil service admin role, hours are between school runs, term time contract. Most admin jobs are now 60 percent in the office but full WFH jobs do exist although few and far between. It doesn't pay a lot but it means I can keep my hand in and up hours once my kids are older. I hope you find something that suits you, it's great when it comes together and worth all the effort.

Hats off to you! Thats dedication 👏

But you get 30hrs free childcare for the nursery one and after school clubs are very cheap, nowhere near minimum pay per hour so you have something left anyway? So why do you only work 10hrs? It doesnt seem to be a job worth sticking with so why not look for something different for at least 25 hrs?

Well most people suck it up and accept that for a few months their earnings are wiped out. Rather than leaving it all to their partners because they are picky and then whining about the time off 🙄

There are other hospitality jobs that don't involve serving people as a waitress. Have you considered:

• Hotel housekeeping, nearly always school hours or weekends, could do this on days you don't work at the school.
• Hotel reception - particularly night receptionist as these hours would be entirely whilst your husband is at work. Or evening if night is too much.
• Potwashing in a hotel/restaurant/pub. This job kicks in after the first busy rush so it's entirely feasible to work say 7-midnight.
• Glasswashing for a bar (or restaurant bar).
• Entry level kitchen work such as fry chef/KP.

Zero hour contracts get a really bad rep, but they can be a godsend for some people. It means that for times when you don't have annual leave you can say you won't be available from x - y and just have the time off unpaid. Zero hours is very common in hospitality.

I also noticed no one else has mentioned unpaid parental leave on here? You can take max 4 weeks per year, up to a total of 18 weeks per child under 18 and every parent who has custody of their child is entitled.

Obviously it is unpaid, but you wouldn't be earning anyway if you don't have a job! I'm always amazed more people don't use it. That's 4/6 weeks of the summer holidays sorted, then use AL for some of the others, and then just work zero hours on weeks you don't have AL or unpaid leave.

This really could be a viable solution for you.

Try to simplify the situation, DH works full time, you work part time, term time in a school so currently need no childcare. You would like to bring some more cash in but can’t get more than ten hours a week. You need a source of income which doesn’t lead to some of that income goes on childcare.
Stick with the job just now, keep an eye out for other school based jobs. Take advantage of any training opportunities, first aid etc etc as they add to employability. If you are paid only in term time not every month then see if you are entitled to any uc to take account of fluctuations in income. If you are not using up your tax allowance can you transfer any to your husband?
Maybe think outside the box regarding other work, what can you do at home, ideally at a time to suit you? Ironing? Virtual PA?

You need to work weekends or evening work Monday-Friday. There’s two of you and 24 hours in a day. Whilst one of you works the other has the children. People work and have kids all the time. Trying it solo.

@SoftAsShit have you looked for online jobs from home? One of my friends does credit checking for landlords for a company called Goodlord. There are jobs out there that might fit well.

What's your educational background? In your position I'd look for remote admin jobs via agencies and online. You could do temp positions as well as permanent contracts & mix it up as & when demand is there.

https://www.charityjob.co.uk/administrator-jobs-in-home-based

The 1st 2 roles are basic admin assistant jobs so I'd look at those & similar. The 6th job post down is advertised by TPP recruitment, contact them & explain your situation & see what remote roles they can find for you.

I don't really understand the argument about all of your salary going on childcare. That's what lots of us have had to do. When DDs were both in nursery I was bringing in £30 a month after fees were paid to the nursery. But obviously I was also getting the other benefits of career progression, pension contributions etc.

Yes, childcare fees may be more than you earn during the holidays but they aren't a constant cost if you are working year round and your children are in school. Plus you can use tax free childcare. We work out how much holiday club, after school club etc costs us for a year, divide it by 12 and save that into the tax free childcare account year round so when the expensive months come (e.g. now in the summer holidays) we have it covered. Plus DH and I both take annual leave to cover it.

If you don't want to do this then the other obvious answer is some sort of evening work when your DH is home. Even a couple of evening shifts in a supermarket would help with some extra cash.

Ditto! It’s not just listening to kids read and washing out yoghurt pots any more. It’s mentally, physically and emotionally tiring and no soft option.

Not sure if it has been suggested but McDonald's is always a good option for weird shifts (early mornings/late nights/weekends) which you could fit around DH. Good pay as well.
What's wrong with retail? Stacking shelves in the evenings (e.g. Spar/co OP type places which are open late) has to be less anxiety inducing than bar work or waitressing

Most people cannot be so picky about where they live. Your choice to live rural. Millions of people in the UK live in tiny cramped apartments in cities so they can get more work.

I myself grew up in a 1 bedroom apartment. My parents had the living room, I had the bedroom.

Can you learn to do botox/fillers etc? A lot of nurses do that on the side, not sure about dental nurses.

Evening babysitting
Cleaning
Childminding
Remote admin/customer service shifts
Massage course so you can become a masseuse
Tutoring

I just want to add to this that as these are jobs a lot of young people and students do there are often people on Zero hours who can ONLY work school holidays. So you being able to only work term time would genuinely be helpful and work well. It's unlike other industries in that way as is dominated by students in college and uni and sixth form who all want more hours when they're off school.

8 weeks of annual leave between you and your husband as a minimum leaves 5 weeks in the holidays to cover. Even if you overlap a week, that’s still only 6 weeks.

Have you looked into what the holiday clubs cost in your area and where you could potentially work? Ours range from £25 to £40. Once you utilise tax free childcare, that upper cost is £64 for 2 kids which should be above minimum wage after tax but covers 8:30 - 17:30.

You can also request to condense hours to effectively get days off without using leave and use unpaid parental leave (4 weeks per year per child).

For the rest of the year you are then earning more money with the exception of 5-6 weeks where you may at the most net off to zero. This should still be more than your current situation. Then look at how you can upskill and get some qualifications (I’ve just done it in my late 30’s) to increase how much you’re earning