Would you take this job with a 3 year old?! I’m torn!

[Amivei]

I have been a stay at home mum since dd. We are ok financially as a family but I have been offered a job of 70k, remote apart from 2 days a month in the office.

I can basically work when I want, assuming I meet client need.

Having not worked since DD was born I am a bit worried about how I will adapt. I feel like at the moment when I drop her at nursery at 9am, by the time I collect her at 4, I have only just had chance to clean and tidy and prep dinner!!

We could do with the extra money just to pay off the mortgage earlier and this would make a massive massive difference. I am so conflicted and worry I might regret it if I start!

Suggest you go for it. On £70k you will be able to afford a cleaner for a few hours a week and if you’re working full time, then your partner will have to share the household load. It’s also never a good idea to rely solely on your partner as they could lose their job, become unwell etc. Having financial security allows you to make choices.

Absolutely you should do it!

Take the job, take the job! You'll make it work

Take the job.

Honestly, you'll be glad you did. It is very hard getting back into the job market after time out, and this sounds like a no brainer.

I'm literally have your exact situation. 3 year old at nursery, full time remote job on circa £70k per year, only going to the office twice per month.

I have a weekly cleaner and someone who comes in monthly to do odd jobs and the garden. If I need to I use my lunch break to catch up on any household chores, the rest are split fairly with my husband. It is entirely doable and important for your long term financial well being in terms of pension and ability to stay in the job market. Go for it!

Keep on top of running the house? You can outsource some of this with a cleaner, handyman, someone to do ironing etc. You could use a meal service like hello fresh etc

I dont see why you wouldn't. I am a high earner and have 3 young kids. You adapt :-)

I agree with this.. Do not pass up such a wonderful, flexible opportunity.
See if you can negotiate an extra week's holiday if you are worried... or start part time for the first week..
But with a great salary like that you can afford to grease the wheels of the household.

Your independence is so important and this way you will be maintaining your career. You can do this!!!

best of luck

You’d be crazy not to!

It’s a perfect time to get back to full time work - your dc will enjoy social time with friends at a preschool setting and you will have money to make life easier. So you could afford a cleaner and I would strongly recommend hiring a cleaner for 3 hours a week (easy if you are wfh!)

Regarding the household: it is important your dp pulls his weight.

There are lots of threads about juggling work and kids. Batch cooking, slow cooking, preparing the evening meal before work, etc.

Millions of us make this work just fine and you will too!

Absolutely take it.

You can't turn down £70K in favour of making proper meals and keeping on top of the house! Well you can, but you'd be silly to!

“worry I might regret it if I start” you are aware a job contract is not a life-long commitment and you will be able to hand in your notice if you decide it’s not the right thing for you?!

It's likely you will adapt. I'd go for it but not make any additional financial commitments such as increasing mortgage or debts, that way if it doesn't work out you will be able to give up the job and either go back to being a SAHP or find a part time job with fixed hours. You may find flexible working in line with client need is actually you being flexible to the clients needs rather than you having choice over your hours.

100% you should take it. You'll adapt in no time.

Haven't voted as I don't know which is which, but you can outsource cleaning your house.

Even if you spend your entire salary on making your life easier now and just break even, you will be in a better financial position in few years because you have been working.

You can "work when you want as long as you meet client need". Almost exclusively working from home. For £70k! This is many, many people's DREAM job! There's no reason on this earth you shouldn't take this job. As for meals, slow cookers are a godsend, pasta dishes take 10 minutes, needing to cook the tea isn't a reason not to take a job. If you're earning that amount of money it'd make more sense for you to get a cleaner in a couple of hours a week than turn the job down.

What type of role is it @Amivei . Have you done a similar role before so you can easily get back into it?

I don't mean to be funny but your 3 year old only child is at nursery all day even though you are a SAHM. Why? I kind of thought the point in being a SAHM was to look after your kids in their early years.

As you currently have a big chunk of every day to yourself anyway, I'm struggling as to why you couldn't fit in a very flexible, well paid WFH job.

I think this is a wind up?

It's 2025; women don't have to keep house anymore!

Lots of people do this. Get a cleaner if needed. Don’t have to make a gourmet meal every night, batch cooking or some easy stuff are absolutely allowed! I’ve never not worked apart from mat leaves and coped absolutely fine, and I have a very demanding job with travel etc.

Absolute no brainer. Your DC will not be 3 forever. Use the salary you earn now to outsource as much of the domestic drudge as possible. Buy expensive prepped food / meal boxes, get a cleaner and a gardener and maybe even get in a "home help" to look after DC (I worked like you are when my three were small and I had someone pick up the kids from school and look after them for a few hours a couple of days a week; if you get the right person can also fold washing / prep veggies etc). And split the domestic work better with your DH: you both fold washing in the evening while watching TV etc. Honestly, do it -- you will be less likely to end up in that place of resentment long term.

If it takes you from 9-4 to clean the house and prep a meal, I'm wondering if this job might be too demanding for you?
Is there something else going on here?

Do it! Most places let you give one month notice in the three month probation period so you can quit if it’s not working.
Also, I suggest you put your child in a private nursery. They usually open 730 till six. With 30 free hours it will cost about £5-600 per month, which is nothing on that salary.
It’ll give you the flexibility to work long days if you need, and your day commuting won’t be difficult. We both work full-time & private nursery was a game changer for our careers.

You would be mad not to take this. A lot of people would kill for a job like this.

You don’t need to clean a house top to bottom every day and if you do, you can pay for a cleaner or get your DH to do more.

If you don’t take this you will look back in a decade and kick yourself.

Better to take the right job at the "wrong time" than to wait for the "right time" and end up taking a worse job.

Roles exist across multiple sectors where you can have that ultimate flexibility. Day to day you can have the flexibility to flex your work around life, school runs, extra curriculars, school events and other responsibilities. Yet it’s an unspoken agreement that you step up and put the hours in to get the job done where needed.

The job roles still come with duties that needed completing and over a year these will add up to FT work however the work load may look more intense in certain parts of the month or year. When a company offers that high level of flexibility to an employee, it can be one of the best benefits it can offer and in turn bring committed, highly motivated and dedicated long term employees. This gives the companies confidence to know that their team will step up to get the job done during crunch periods, which can look like early starts and logging on after putting the kids to bed. Which is where remote working comes in extra handy. It all comes down to give and take.