AIBU to stay very part time when childcare costs make work unviable?

[Lazyperson]

I am currently 0.4, so two days a week. Always thought I’d work more when youngest starts school next September but having just done the costs for after school club and breakfast club for two children even for three days a week it would mean I was working for very little.

It hardly seems worth it. And it would be a stress.

The only real consideration is pension but have quite a big chunk so not really concerned about that. Also, I’m not interested in a career.

So - AIBU to stay very part time and semi live a life of leisure?

I suppose the question is, ‘are you financially secure if your relationship goes tits up / what does your pension look like’. Whats a ‘a chunk’? You might live to 100.

I agree it seems futile if childcare costs aren’t covered.

You say you’re not interested in a career but can you afford to not work more/not to try and earn a higher salary?
is your partner ok with being the main earner and financially supporting you all?

if so then go for it, if not then no that doesn’t work and you will need to increase your hours

I addressed the pension. I am not currently in a relationship and I’m not planning to be but who knows what the future holds

Why does the childcare cost come out of your salary if you have a partner? Surely it should be a cost shared by both of you as the benefits of working are not just take home pay.

YANBU. I'm part time for exactly that reason. Wrap around for multiple kids is expensive.

Sorry just read you are not in a relationship

If you are single, can you use the childcare element of UC? How much are your school wraparound clubs?

If you’re not in a relationship then you must be getting shed loads of child maintenance to be able to run a household on a 0.4 salary.

If that stopped tomorrow, could you cope? If yes then crack on.

Personally I would not work more if it is not worth much financially. Lots of benefits to being able to do school run 3 days per week and if on your own then some time to yourself while they are at school to catch up on chores and have some time for yourself are useful too.

Personally I would only do that if I spent some of the 3 days off working on something that meant I could move to a better paid career. If 1 day of wraparound for 2 children, 40 weeks of the year is equivalent to your wages for a full day of work then you must be in very low paid work.

honestly though, it’s your life and money isn’t everything but I was also raised by an ardent feminist and taught never to fully rely on a man, to always have my own money and means of supporting myself. Ergo I ensure I have a well paid job (nothing excessive, well under 100k for instance because money really isn’t everything to me) in a sector which is in high demand and so although I am currently not full-time I could be very easily.

If you’re supporting yourself and your kids on your own money or child maintenance, fine. If you’re relying on benefits YABU.

Good old ‘UC’, eh

I don’t claim universal credit. I have very ample savings and we are comfortable. That being said more money is always welcome if only to save for future but if I’m not really turning over a profit or only a marginal one it does seem a little pointless.

to have them both in breakfast and after school club three days a week would cost £70 a week and so just under £300 a month. If I went up to three days a week at work I would have around £300 more a month. So a ‘profit’ of around £20! Of course it wouldn’t be that bleak as school holidays but still, it isn’t very much!

Remember that your husband should cover a pro-rata’d cost of the childcare in proportion to his earnings, it shouldn’t all come out of your wages.

If you still aren’t sure, consider your position if he has an affair and you divorce next year. Bluntly, how rich is your husband/are you and how much is your house worth? If the assets are divided can you afford a place to
live or will you be financially vulnerable?

Hmmmm

It really depends. In my career I earned very little when dc were little but it ensured I was in line for promotions when dc became older. If I’d not done that I think I’d still be earning £30k less than I am on now so it was worth it.

Living well on very part time hours, you must have ridiculously unusual savings as we can’t run a house on one full time salary so I guess, if you’re minted, why would you work more?

In your shoes, I'd enjoy it and make the most of it now. Take advantage of the time to support your family, and enjoy some time for your health, walking to places on your own and with the kids-in the future you might be juggling sandwich care and work, and will be able to look back fondly on this time. You know what they say about no one on their deathbed wishes they'd spent more time in the office.

When I first went back to work after my first mat leave, my monthly earnings were about £1200 after taxes. Nursery was £1100 a month. We were only £100 a month better off with me working. But it was time well used. By the time I went back after my second mat leave, I’d doubled my salary in just a few years.

There are absolutely ways to work that mean you don’t need to use wraparound care. Our school doesn’t offer it. We’ve never used it (eldest now in secondary). We also have no family help. Granted, I do have Dh and he does maybe 2 school runs a week, but otherwise, it hasn’t been hard to fit around my working hours. But that’s because I went back to work after mat leave, for that £100 a month, and built seniority. By the time they were in primary school, I could work very flexibly. It can be very easy, but you do have to invest the time to make it happen. We both did and now can both work PT and are high earners even on PT hours.

Well, there is that too @TeenLifeMum . Perhaps it feels ridiculously indulgent, and I really did always foresee myself increasing my hours, probably to three days a week in the first instance and gradually going up to four days and maybe even five again.

And a large amount of UC.

Which tends to mean you can claim back 85% of childcare costs. So yes, you would be better working on the basis that if your childcare costs £100 a week, you'll pay £15.

It probably depends on what you do @mindutopia . I think we all recognise some jobs are more flexible than others. Mine is not flexible at all unfortunately.

thanks @seahorsessky , it’s taken me by surprise a bit I must admit.

Oh your savings means you can't have UC

I worked 25 hours a week, 9.30am to 2.30pm, no childcare costs. Is this an option?

I don’t claim any universal credit. I think I have already said this. But it is a positive that people who need to, for whom childcare costs would make working prohibitively expensive, can work, isn’t it?

surely the kids are already doing the two days wraparound to cover your current work days. So its only adding on one extra day a week for then you to receive the extra £300. Will be much more than £20 profit. If i have read that right? However, it seems to be working for you and children dont stay small for long. I am on a fixed 3 day contract but able to take on odd extra days which does help without commiting to full time if theres any option of something like that.