To drop my hours to 22.5 even though I’m a single parent?

[otinata]

DS is 6, dad is involved but I’m the primary carer.

I’m a midwife, currently work 30 hours per week. That looks like two 12.5 hour shifts one week, and three the next. I’d like to be full time, but I simply can’t get the child care. I also get UC.

I get a pay increase soon, which mean that if I dropped my hours to 22.5 per week, I would only be £96 worse off. That’s how it works out because of UC. I would only have to do two shifts every week.

If I stay the hours I am at, I am essentially doing two full 12.5 hour shifts a month for the equivalent of £96.

I would feel lazy doing this, but I love the idea of more free time and time with DS.

Once DS is older and can spend a few hours home alone, I will be going full time.

Sadly the reality is that the benefits system doesn’t always necessarily make working the financially pragmatic thing to do.

I would spend more time with my child. That’s a drop off and pick up every other week and a full day during the school holidays. Where I am that probably comes to around half of your £96 extra money anyway.

Sounds sensible to me. You don’t want to work those extra hours for £4 per hour! In what I imagine is a tiring job.

Then you can increase hours in the future.

Your son will be at school so you won't have more time together will you? I would look at splitting the 30 hours into 5 days say 10-2 that would get you more time together, if that's the aim

No you cant. UC will expect you to work a minimum of 30 hours a week or you will be expected to attend weekly meetings.
They will not supplement you to work part time.

I’m guessing as a midwife they don’t have that flexibility..

Maybe not, I don't know

But I usually leave the house at 6:30am and don’t get home until about 8:30pm.

So it’s an extra day of breakfast, school drop off, school pick up and all the time between post school and bedtime together. That’s my thinking, anyway.

They absolutely would not accommodate those shifts. Everyone in a clinical role has to do the long shifts.

You'll never regret spending more time with your child, and being less stressed.

You can do this, 22.5 hours on a midwife's wage is enough to meet the maximum income floor meaning you wont have to attend weekly meetings.

Do it, I'm part time (23 hrs) NHS worker. Not worth the stress/money/but out risk to do more than that if you can afford not to.

There’s absolutely nothing lazy about working as an NHS mid wife plus being a parent. Drop the hours, spend time at home with your child.

If UC will let you do it (bare in mind they may not cos you won’t be working 30 hours and I’m pretty sure by 6 they expect you to work that as a minimum) I would 100% do it if I were in your shoes. I hope they do let you!!

I have heard so many time from colleagues and friends that they will be going back FT when they kids are older...but they rarely do because they love and got used to the freedom they benefit from being PT and having g plenty of time fir themselves....until they reach their mid 50s-60s and cry because they can't afford to retire because they haven't contributed enough towards their pension.

You are aware that your pension is proportional to the hours you work? So that going down to 22h, it's almost as if you years of contribution are halved?

In the end, you decide if you prefer to enjoy the freedom of choice now or later, but believe it, you will likely crave going PT or retiring earlier then much more than you do reducing your hours now.

I don’t think anyone would call a single parent, who is a midwife with long shifts, lazy! You have earned this promotion - the benefit is that you can reduce your hours and stress on yourself and spent a bit more time with your son. Sounds perfect!

Crazy UC system that does this to working parents. I’d do it in your shoes..

You should go part time and enjoy more time for your child and yourself. You can always increase your hours later. 2 long days a week are tough enough.

I would do it, but then I’m a midwife and already do 😂
I don’t get UC due to our household income, but a third shift a week would get obliterated by tax, NI, pension etc so I don’t bother.
I’ll go back full time when my youngest no longer needs childcare.
I know what the shifts are like and the hassle of arranging childcare when there are 2 of us, so would be a nightmare if I were on my own.
I’m laughing at the suggestion someone made of doing 10-2, if only! There is no flexibility like that… you do the full shifts, or you leave the profession.

Do it! Your child is only young once.

I'd ring a citizens advice service to check how this would affect any entitlements you have and that you'll still get your UC and then if your maths is correct I'd drop the hours. You could have the time to yourself while ds is at school or pick up extra work during those hours to supplement savings/ pension and keep uc off your back re: hours worked but I think it would be great to do that.

I'd also look into how easy it would be to increase your hours again after if you wanted to so you've a full picture.

Really? I thought it was 18?!

UC require you to earn £952 minimum per month. Hours are irrelevant

Interesting, thanks I didn’t know that

Having spent much of my adult life as a single parent working in healthcare, much of it full time, some less than, I don't look back on any of it and think I wish I'd spent more of the time doing longer at work. You can go full time when he's a little older. If you can afford to do less, do less and spend the time with him while he needs you. It's at least as important as your actual job. If anyone tells you you're lazy, be unapologetic. Id personally rather babies were delivered by midwives who were reasonably happy and well rested, if possible.

No, she will be expected to work "up to 30 hours a week". If she was minimum wage she would need to work 30, or earning that amount with the hours she's working if she's on a higher hourly rate.
If she's earning £366 a week or more she will be fine.

The same as how a couple can claim UC if one is earning enough to meet the required earnings and the other is a SAHM.

No it's the equivalent of 30 hours at minimum wage. It's the amount you're bringing in, not the actual hours you work.

It's the benefits trap OP. I did the same when mine was that age, I earned a nursing salary and worked 22 hours.