Im absolutley determined to become and midwife and i plan to start this year! - im tired of some people assuring me i wont manage it because im alone with 4 small children :(

[Theconstanttalker]

Im not daft, i know it'll be hard work, i have 3 gcse's but i need 5 so i will have to do that first, but im not afraid of hard work - im a very determined and focused person, i dont care if it took me 10 years! But the people around me (even my mum!) telling me i wont be able to do it, and im not being realistic is upsetting - the more they say it, and the more i think about what they say the more i worry if they are right or not. There must be absolutley loads of single mums who have managed to become a nurse or midwife or similar, surely!??? I think some days their negativity makes me even more determined, just to prove them wrong! (is that childish???)

well its a long road ahead so your dc will grow up as you study,so wont be too difficult! but dont you need a degree these days to get on the course ,let alone A levels or gcse's

have you booked courses?

and there are something like 15 midwives going for each vacancy,with low wages too

a friend was considering this herself,not sure how far she got with it tho

Well, there is negativity and realistic caution. The first thing to consider is how old your children? The government will pay a contribution towards childcare, but it is capped. Could you afford the childcare that would be necessary? Even if you get full contribution towards childcare, you have 4 children, so only 2 would be paid for.

Would you be able to cope with shift work during training? What childcare provisions will you make for those times when your children are home and need care?

I knew a lone parent on my degree course who was determined to get a 1st class honours degree, at all costs. She did it, but for 3 years her children got 15 minutes of her time per day. She literally studied as soon as she had picked them up, did their tea, then they each had 15 minutes with her before bed, then she studied until around 11pm (she was a bit nuts though).

Ggrrrrr don't listen to those people.

I had people telling me I'd never amount to anything when I had my daughter at aged 14 (!!). I'm now a practising commercial barrister in London. I knew it's want I wanted to do from a very early age but I went to terrible state school and my dad was a tradesman. No one in my family had even been to uni. There are 400 applicants to every chambers for one or two places. I got LAUGHED at.

Now who's laughing ;)

And I am sooo with you on the negativity making you more determined. Soo true.

GO FOR IT :)

It is do-able, but yes it is very hard. My friend really struggled and she wasn't a single mum, but it is worth it. She loves her job and said every minute of the stress and worry was worth it.

You don't need a degree to get onto the course, but an access course would be very useful though.

Ah brilliant BooBearBoo!!! Well done you!!!! :D I am daunted by the hard work ahead, but im not afraid of hard work, the childcare things does worry me yes - my kids are 10, 8, 5, and just 1. I cant bear the thought of being on benefits for years - i WANT to earn my own money! I want to give my kids a better future of less financial woes!

good for you,when does your course start?

My MIL had 4 children and once they were all in school she went to university. She has a degree, 2 masters, a diploma and many, many professional qualifications. She has an excellent job, is just 50 and thoroughly happy.

She worked bloody hard and had to make a lot of sacrifices but her family is just so proud of her.

It's very important that you can answer all of the questions about childcare and commitment and transport and funding and job shortages but really, really wanting this is half the battle.

I have to do 2 gcse's first - im doing maths and biology starting in september, and i hoping to get some kind of care assistant job or similar on the maternity unit here while i do my 2 gcse's!

What about nights, weekends, Xmas day? How about late finishes (9.30 pm) followed by early start (7.30am) the next day? Will your childcare cover that?

Is your mum really trying to tell you that she won't be prepared to step in for you then?

eldest is 10,so if this takes 6 years even,will he/she be able to babysit the others overnight?

my eldest is now 16,i have 5 dc,and couldnt leave her with that responsibility

so yes,who will be there doing overnight? you cant get childcare for that

If you are absolutely determined, then you WILL do it. Well done for going for it, even if it's not the easy option. Good luck!

I am a lone parent who is a nurse and it is difficult.

Firstly I would get all the information you can find about entry requirements for midwifery. Call up the universitys that offer the degree and find out about their requirements. They all list the minimum but as there is so much competition for places they can tell you what should give you a chance. Just a quick look showed that you need at a minimum 3 A levels at about BCC and must have a science.

You will need to have childcare organised. The university and hospitals will not take your lack of childcare into consideration when doing the course and practical work.

You are doing well to think about getting experience of working in a hospital as that always looks good when applying.

If you have all the information in front of you can make a plan of how you want to achieve your goal. Good luck.

Thankyou! whatever it is i need to do, i'll do it! If my mum cant/wont help with my kids thats fine - truly, i genuinley wouldnt expect her too - they are my kids and my responsibility. I refuse to stay on benefits, and i absolutley refuse to spend my life doing a boring mundane job all my life!

Have you considered doing an access course as just having GCSEs probably won't be enough on their own to get onto a midwifery course.
I am currently doing Access with the hope to start a law degree in autumn. I have done mine over 2 years on evenings but I do have my mum close by to help with childcare whenever needed.

With Access you usually take 3 modules over 2 years but some unemployed adult students in my college have done it as a full time course in one year. They are only in college one evening a week and do rest in daytime. Could this be an option for you?

Op if you really want to do it, you can. Go for it!

I think finding childcare to cover the shifts, call outs, bank hols etc will be extremely hard and its unfair to expect your mother or eldest child to do it just so that you can full fill your aims.

You can come off benefits without being a midwife and get a normal hours job and study for the GCSE's (and whatever else you need before the main course) in the meantime. Then when your children are old enough and childcare wont be a problem you can choose to pursue it then. The job market may be better then, you may find if you qualify in a few years that there simply isnt a job for you - especially as you will be hampered by childcare issues.

Go for it....if you dont try u will never know.....my mum was a single parent and when back to college 30 years after leaving school and qualified as a social worker. granted we where a little older, but we helped out in every way we could ( ie turning pc on and off!!! hehehehe) my mum is my inspiration she showed me i can do whatever i want to do in life......i am a specialist nurse and single parent.........and love it.

I think that there are other professions you could work in that would combine more easily with you family commitments. You are going to have to do a lot of studying and then contend with shift working. Be honest with yourself - can you manage that and if so how. No point wasting your time chasing a dream out of stubborness. GCSEs will always be a good thing to have. Do you have an English GCSE? You should get that too.

Go for it!!! Start with an access course and work your way up from there, my SIL has done is as a single parent and so can you.

are gcses sufficient? I just ask because I know somebody who is applying from Ireland and needs to get a distinction in anatomy and physiology before their application will be considered?

i am a single parent of two and i would find it hard.

I think you need to call your local university and ask what qualifications they would expect you to have. Agree with others that 5 GCSE's is probably not enough. You may need to do an access course, this will also help you see have realistic your childcare options are.

Good luck!!!!

ps, instead of doing gsces again, can you do a pre-nursing course that includes anatomy and physiology, human growth and development that kind of thing, more interesting than gcses and they help you with the application forms and the application process,and as a mature student, that might be accepted instead of gsces/ check that, cos it'd be nicer to mix with adults. i take it you are applying as a mature student?

My neighbour trained as a midwife but has never been able to get a job doing that, but she still has to repay the loan. The jobs just aren't around.

My friend is a consultant midwife at a huge local maternity hospital - they are making a hell of a lot of people redundant now and it's going to get worse.

You would need to do a two year Access course and then a university degree. It's not easy getting accepted onto the degree. I'm not being negative here, just telling you how it is. I also think your standard of English would have to improve - again, not being horrible here, but it's a fact that in a competitive environment a high standard of written English will be required.

Once you get the job you'd be expected to work shifts. Will your mum be willing to stay in your house for your night shifts? A babysitter overnight would be too expensive.

I admire you for wanting to improve your job prospects but realistically you have chosen a career where there are very, very few vacancies and where the shift work will in likelihood cause problems for you.

I am not trying to put you off but, please don't get your hopes up. It is awfully difficult to get on the course, there just isn't the funding any more. My own ds has tried four times and my heart breaks for her, it's all she wants to do. There are about 250 applicants for each place and most of the ones that get a place are already nurses or have experience in the nhs. Now, I know it's miles easier in London to get a place but, trust me, there's no jobs and yet there's a shortage of midwives!! It's a bloody joke! You will definately need to do an access course and you can do that at night. Why don't you do your general nursing first? At least you will get some money and you might decide that's for you. I have to say all the students I know manage to have aupairs. I don't know how!!! Good luck!