There are no childcare options available - what about my career?!

[Mineswithsoya]

As it says in the subject really. Third baby, planned on returning to work when she is 1 year old (3 days a week) but there are no childminders within a ten mile radius available. Nursery is £70.40 a day and we can't afford that. Even if we could, the nurseries are all currently full and we need to sit on a waiting list. So that sort of means, I'm not able to work unless something changes. I have never been a SAHM before, and in my mid-thirties I am very worried about stepping off the career ladder.

I suppose I am looking for stories where mums have done this and it has turned out alright and they were able to start a career again later. Or a radical childcare option. You choose 😄

Because Society needs women to continue having children at a rate that avoids the population crashing. Slow decline is doable, a crash creates issues in caring for (and paying for!) a aging population.
So we should be putting more of our combined money (ie taxes) into childcare and early childhood education.

And having a huge proportion of women fall off the career ladder when they have children is not efficient economically.

remember that a lot of that £70 a day is tax free - and although it is expensive it works out as less than minimum wage per hour so assuming you earn more than minimum wage in you job you will bring in something. it's worth tightening belts for the short time till the free hours kick in because over the course of a lifetime you will lose a lot more by stepping out of your career for years. But as pp said don't think of the childcare costs as coming out of your salary alone. think of the whole family income and expenditure over the next 15 years. the next couple of years will be tough whether or not you go back to work, but things get a lot more solvent a lot more quickly in a couple of years time if you are still on the career ladder.

Get on all the childminders waiting lists and nursery lists and see if you can take a sabbatical until something comes up . I’d also look further afield .

What line of work/career are you in?

Obviously you have no idea how shop fitting works🙄 . The op says he works away which is my experience always working long hours and away for weeks at a time. How do you propose he changes his hours when it’s likely him and another few workers on his team.

He's the boss. If it's looking like his wife will have to give up her career, then there needs to be some flex on his as well. Could he for example take more holiday and delegate, so there are some weeks where she has no childcare dropoff/pickup responsibilities? something else? just saying 'sorry not my problem' isn't great.

just saying 'sorry not my problem' isn't great.

How do you know he said that? In fact OP hasn't conveyed that at all.

My OH worked in a similar type of industry away from home and it was more of a case of 'I wish I could help more but I can't'. As two adults we saw the situation for what it was.

Is there anything near your workplace?

Au pair?

If the nursery is £70 a day you can use the government child tax care account which pays up to £2k a year for or 20p for every pound so your £70 would be £56 a day. Surely that would make it worth going back even if it just breaks even plus some spending money and your pension contributions Get yourself on the waiting list.

Could you look at studying online so the time isn't lost in terms of your career? You'll have new skills and a qualification to show for it, rather than just a gap on your CV.

Nannyshare or nwoc will reduce the cost

costs should be from both incomes so don’t just think you are losing all your salary

yes you may work for nothing for a year or two but then 15hrs kick in

plus childcare vouchers

and will earn something once older

Childcare is in crisis. During lockdown when everyone was at home parents cancelled their childcare. In my area several nurseries closed and many childminders found alternative careers with more reliable incomes as they couldn't afford to not earn. Now parents need to go back to work there is a massive childcare shortage.

I would suggest widening your search for childminders/nurseries and putting your name down on waiting lists. Situations do change and spaces can become available when they weren't previously. You may find that you will have to go for the nursery if it is the only option. Make sure you are signed up for the government tax free childcare system.

Look for a nursery/childminder closer to you work. If you get on a waiting list now for nursery, a place is bound to come up in the next year.

What childcare did you use for the older two, if you've never been a SAHM?

Have you experience of self employment people who haven't often think your free to pick and choose hours your not customers are important you have a contract it scheduled to be done over a set time it has to be done or your looking at fines or don't get the contract ...shop fitting is quick turn around closed shops cost money.....staff not turning up means boss is on extra time.

Yes, I'm self-employed. And I flex my work around the kids where needed. Sometimes I turn down work, where the childcare needed would cost more than I earnt.