Do you feel it is difficult to find suitable jobs to fit around caring for your children?
Do you mean during school hours only? That would be a bit of a luxury, I couldn't afford to be that choosy.
How easy do you think it would be to pay for childcare if you did find employment?
Paying is easy. Finding good suitable childcare is the hard bit.
Overall, do you feel that you would be better off financially if you obtained paid employment?
Of course.
The barriers are lack of good quality childcare and schools arranging extracurricular events during normal working hours.
I have had to make several changes to my child's childcare. Some of the care I have used has been of poor standard, there are no regulations governing the sort of food children are given in childcare, they don't always get outdoor play either. If you are not careful, you can be paying good money for someone to sit your child in front of the TV for most of the time. Childcare is not always available when school is closed ie Training Days and early closure days for parent teacher interviews. Childcare holiday times are not aways the same as school so there can be days either side of the holidays with no care available. Some schools have several child minders available and others very few, the childminder's hours and location need to be compatible with work and commuting.
Good quality childcare is not normally available instantly, so you can get a job offer for immediate start and be totally stuck as you need to phone, enquire and inspect childcare then hope that your chosen option has availability.
Some schools hold parent teacher interviews in the afternoon, closing school at 1.30pm for this. There is no childcare provision until 3.15pm. The school does however provide interviews as late as 5.50pm for working parents, except that as a single parent it is necessary to finish work in time to pick up the child when school closes. Not an ideal time for another parent to pick up child as they also have to go to an interview. PTA events that take place during working hours exclude full time working parents and their children. Then there are the meetings, trips, plays etc to take time off for. Communication with teachers is difficult unless you can be there for either drop of or pick up from school. Finding a child's lost hat/reading book/glasses when it could be at breakfast club, school or after school club is a nightmare. Many schools close when there is an election (or referendum) or strike. This can not be planned for in advance and if childcare is not available, it means another day off work.
Some children start school in reception with part time days to settle them in gently. It is not possible to use and after school club for this time. Parents are also expected to come to school with children in the term before they start for up to 3 separate days. Some nurseries also require a settling in period of 3 days, even if your child is moving from another nursery. There is no provision of space for a parent to 'work from home' at the nursery/school while child settles in. More days off.
Employers have to be flexible but how do they cope when all the workforce has school age children and the schools strike/close for election? Can we all take time of for Christmas concerts even if it leaves work short handed? How do you chose between an important conference and a school play? Especially knowing the other parent won't make the effort. There is no legislation to cover time off for sick children. Chicken pox means a week off work - annual leave or unpaid leave? A single parent of one child needs twice as much time off as a single person with no children, for doctor and dentist appointments.
Fitting in a week's holiday from what's left of annual leave can be harder than actually affording the holiday financially.
Oh and Specsavers tell me that NHS childrens appointments are not possible in evenings during the school holidays as the children can come anytime then because they are not at school! Strangely, a 6 year old can not go to Specsavers on their own nor even leave childcare on their own!