To be hacked off at the almost total lack of Saturday childcare.

[pinkmagic1]

I work part time, a Friday and a Saturday. DH was made redundant last December and has really just been bitting and bobbing for work the last year. He has finally got what is a relatively steady job but it involves working every Saturday so clashes with a day that I also work. Obviously we are not in a position for him to turn it down.
My Mum works full time and funny shifts so can't commit to every week and my Dad is reluctant to help but thats another story altogether! DH's family live abroad. This leaves us up Shit creek on a Saturday. I have contacted the council for a list of registered childcare that operates on a Saturday in my general area and it consisted of 3 childminders who all charged extra for weekends and none of them particularly local. Now I totally understand people wanting time to spend with there own families but there are very few jobs that don't involve some degree of Saturday work these days and most people don't get paid extra anymore. Has anyone not seen a gap in the market to provide reasonably priced Saturday care?

There is a local nursery to me, that open on Saturday but I think it is mornings only.

Looks like an ideal opportunity for you to start a week-end child care facility. -

Could you jack your job in and register to be a childminder so that all the others who work week-ends will have you at hand. Don't forget not to charge extra coz it's the week-end though. They probably don't get paid extra.

As a childminder I wouldnt work Saturdays, I already work 5 days a week 7.00 to 6 (although all mine went at 4 today!)

Then I do about 15 hours paperwork as well, so thats evenings and sundays gone.

And lots of Saturdays are taken up with training courses.

my week is about normal for most CM's. working Saturdays is just not possible.

And to just work weekends is not viable, finaically, as not enough people need weekend care.

I am a nanny who works weekends for a different boss than I do weekdays for.

How old is your DD?

Would you trust a sensible 6th former or Childcare student to look after her on Saturday? If so you could probably advertise at your local college.

As an aside, it's interesting that your dh took a job that involves him working on a day when it's his job to look after your dc. It's the sort of awkward thing my dh would do deliberately, just because he thought his job was more important than mine.

I think LynetteScavos idea is a good one.

Famishedass, if the OP's husband has been out of work since last year, he may not have felt he had much choice in whether to accept this job or not though? I don't think we can conclude that he is doing it to be deliberately difficult!

I think you might want to find childcare that doesn't work mon-friday as well. A childminder will obviously have already worked her week when Saturday rolls around.

Maybe a neighbor who could cover? A local student? Depending on hours this obviously might not be suuitable/legal. But if your mum could do it most saturdays but them you find local teenager on the odd sat here or there... but I'm not sure where this falls on the need for CRB/ISA other beaurocratic red tape laws.

He has not took a job involving Saturday work to be awkward just that he has applied for many others with no success and actually turned one down that involved Saturday work soon after he was made redundant. We had got to the stage when we could just not afford to turn a job down.
I have 2 children a DD and a DS, so cost would be an issue with a childminder even if I could find one. The student idea is good as some weekends my Mum could have them so would be better than formal childcare where you have to contract to set hours. Would you just contact a college with a childcare course do you think? and what would you say would be an acceptable amount to pay the student for a full day, say 8.30am to 6pm?

It's a PITA isn't it?

Dh starts Uni next weeka nd they want to know why he's the only adult in his cohort- errrr that'd be becuase your days start at 9 and finish at 7 but your childcare doesn't, perhaps? Even if you have no kids,that length of day is not conducive to a earning.

No students toa sk, no neighbours to beg and aprents too far away- so another reason to be stuck n benefits

Thanks for suggesting the student thing lynette. Placed an add on my local Gumtree and have already received 2 replies, one from a very reasonably priced nanny and the other from a lovely sounding local childcare student, both
crb checked. Will call them tomorrow and arrange to meet. Hopefully problem sorted!