How do you work with no support and no money for childcare

[Cluesue]

I'm looking for work but cannot logically work out how to accomplish it,I have 2 DD's aged 9 and 3,Dd2 just this week started in school 3 hours a day.

I need to work at least 16 hours to claim working tax credits,only jobs I'm trained for are minimum wage or slightly above so have no spare cash for childcare,have to get DD's to school for 9 pick one up at 12,other at 3.30,no family available to have the children for me to work.

Even if I could scrape by paying for childcare few hours in week for dd2,come the school holidays I couldn't afford the extra hours and dd1 at 9 is too old for all the childcare options in my area.

There is a childcare element of tax credits. Have a look on the turn2us benefits calculator, putting in the salary you would get and childcare costs, and it will give you a rough idea of the tax credits you would get. www.turn2us.org.uk/

Wouldn't you get tax credits help for your childcare costs?

Thank you camper,no one in job centre has mentioned the calculator

Tax credits will pay 80% of childcare, but reducing the % next year

The childcare element of working tax credit is up to 70% of childcare costs. 70% is the maximum, it reduces according to income.

I worked ft as a single mum with no support. My total tax credit award equalled full time nursery fees.

Why don't you do something that doesn't require childcare? I made a good living selling on ebay and amazon. I buy wholesale and sell it on. I started with £30 and just kept on investing the profits. My background is in an entirely different career but I needed to find something that could work around my DD's hours and this worked well.

Have you considered nannying or childminding?

Thank you all,yes I have considered childminding,but my house is so small I have no space for children to play properly and no safe outdoor area,childcare for dd2 would be easy enough to find but like I said in op,none in my area will look after 9 year old.

I had a permanent full time TA job before dd2 was born and ex was unemployed so he had dd1 before and after school and I was home for the holidays,he's gone,no longer sees girls,works off book so I get no maintenance and get stuck with it all alone

Can you get a job in a nursery or with a cm , which can work around your child care needs?

queenofthepirates

please tell me more about buying in bulk and selling on on ebay/amazon, what kind of things did you buy in bulk and where did you get them from? How did you make it work?

thanks in advance!!!

If you look after a child 8 and over for less than 2 hours per day you don't need to register as a childminder.

If there is a shortage of after school care perhaps that is a service you could offer? Presumably you can still earn a small amount per week before it is deducted from the benefits you receive?