Why is finding a job so bloody hard?!

[SailAwayWithMeHoney]

I'm a lone parent to DS who is 4 and ready to start school soon (🎉)

I've been on my own since pregnancy and had to resign from both my jobs after DS was born sick.

I had to flee from DS bio-father when DS was a year so I no longer live anywhere near my family. (That's important as it means I have zero help, zero chance of help, and no one at all in the world to babysit)

Why oh why is it so bloody difficult to find a job that is going to fit in with school hours?!
Everything I'm capable of doing, qualified to do, would likely get a job doing again, always involves some evenings and at the very least alternate weekends. Childminders don't work those sorts of hours!

Help me MN - how do you lone parents with zero support juggle work and home?

(Disclaimer - please do not suggest I work in a school or nursery. I am absolutely not fit to work with children. 😬)

I was in nursing so became a childminder .

What kind of work did you do so we might be able to help. It is tough regardless.

Although school and nursery are not for you you may be able to work in labs in schools, office depending on experience.

A friend was in a similar position. She used before and after school clubs, and if she had a late finish or worked a weekend then friends would have her children and on other occasions she would have theirs.

Do a little gamble? Not sure what your qualifications are and how many people could do your job ... (please think carefully!)
But I was asked in an interview about hours / working times (the job was advertised as full time) ... and I answered honestly that I would prefer school hours and the opportunity to work from home in the holidays.
I did get the job with hours to suit! (But a lot had to do with the luck of suitable applicants - which I didn't know at the time.)

Probably anyone could do either of my old jobs.
I just have a lot of experience.

I was a healthcare assistant, have done both residential and nursing, certificates in Dementia care, palliative care, epilepsy, and the usual moving and positioning, emergency first aid etc.

And I was also a bar person and waitress, I'm trained in silver service, front of house, floor staff, occasionally acted as floor manager whilst the manager was elsewhere, and then the usual aspects of bar and waiting.

I've never had a 9-5 job, Id be awful in a school. I'm not that good with admin or office stuff either. More hands on!

I looked at going in as a HCA on the bank. My plan was to book childminder 4 days a week on the early and then take what work I could but holidays would not work. Would that work? would depend how far you are from the hospital or outpatients HCA posts ?

Could you look at working privately as a carer? I know a few people who do and choose their own hours.

Sorry forgot to say I don't drive and would need to work a minimum of 16 hours for tax credits 😣

How easy is it to get to your nearest town allowing for school runs? Like what hours would you be restricted to?

The school is sort of en route to town, from the school I could walk about 10mins and get a 15minute bus to town. Those buses run every 10 minutes as well.
I would also be looking at breakfast club and/or after school childminders.

I've seen a bank HCA position but I'm not sure what kind of hours bank staff do? Would that be a 0-hour contract?
How does that work out with claiming tax credits and declaring work etc?

Just apply for bank and get your ducks in a row with childcare so you can be as flexible as possible, then state at interview how enthusiastic you are about the role but that unfortunately it just won't be possible to work between 7pm and 7am (or whatever hours your research reveals childcare will be impossible) and say you'd ideally like to be working say 28 hours per week (or whatever) and ask how likely you are to get that sort of hours.

It would be worth ringing around child minders and being 100% sure of hours for before and after school club before getting to interview stage. Some childminders are willing to be a bit more flexible than their advertised hours especially if it's not every day.

My current role is shifts and advertised as must be flexible but they were totally ok with me saying I can't work lates Mon-Thur nor earlies on Fridays (I expressed willingness to do more than the obligatory one weekend per month in return).

I think the trouble with care work is that the early shifts do tend to start before childminder or breakfast club will take them.

I'd look at the NHS job site regularly. Would you consider ward clerk type work - I think that's more sociable hours and involves lots of wandering about looking for files, so not sitting at a desk all day. I sometimes see jobs like plaster technician or clinical washer uppers that seem to have set hours during the day.

Both the council and the NHS are better for part time, flexible hours, long holiday allowance, job shares.

Reception work and cleaning sometimes have set morning only hours. Kitchen porter or server in a nursing home?

I'd pretty much consider anything that I can reasonably do. Porter, kitchen porter, waiting, cleaning, care etc.
I've looked at admin jobs but they all state they want someone with the relevant experience and admin/bookkeeping qualifications which I've not got.
I applied for a library job and got turned down.

I'm reluctant to just dive in and apply for a bank position without an actual idea of what kind of weekly hours i could expect, because it needs to be over 16 so I've got a shot at being able to live on that. I don't want to dive straight in and be worse off financially than I am currently or I suddenly find I can't make the hours work with childcare.

It's a nightmare when you're restricted with childcare.

I think the housekeeping jobs on wards are more reasonable in terms of hours. That might be something to look out for. It's basically cleaning and replenishing supplies of things You get six weeks' holiday with the NHS I think which at least means some of the holidays are covered.

The nursing home I worked in employed housekeepers, kitchen staff, serving staff, and laundry staff - all jobs you could probably do, so maybe have a look at any of those in your area. Our council has three homes here and Bupa have a few.

I'll definitely have another look next week (there's nothing really this week except the 3 bar jobs I've applied for, but will have to turn down because I didn't realise their hours when I applied, a care job I've applied for. The bank staff HCA job with BMI, and I've just received an email from Allied asking me if I'd be interested in applying for domicillary care work with them)

I'll check out the allied job and give them a ring later, and finish the application for a part time care job.

I just can't get my head around how lone parents do it all. Trying to apply for jobs and find a childminder and make all the hours fit and make sure I earn enough, and do enough hours for tax credits to pay the childminder... 😳

I hope something comes up for you soon.

Look up www.sitters.co.uk police checked babysitters for evenings/weekends.

Some childminders work weekends too.

If your experience included things like phlebotomy, ECGs & blood pressures look at gp practice work too?

You could try any jobs in a school environment, or find a great child minder (you will get tax credits to help with childcare ) . I was a single parent from my daughter being very little and it was tough but I worked ( low paid jobs albeit ) plus did college as well .
I have since trained as a book keeper and I work from home which is literally perfect for me .
Good luck with everything

Public/ charity sector/council. Check vacancies on websites for the council, universities, charities. All of these have a range of types of jobs ( eg the council will have shops and catering if you don't want office) and they are better about flexible working. It is hard I know but you will get there.

Are there any big food companies where you are? If so they are worth a look for hands on jobs with flexible hours. I used to work anout 4 hours a day as a taster (checking quality control across batches) when I was a student and got £8.50 per hour just for doing that. Quite a few people there were parents working within school hours.

Shop floor factory jobs could work too especially if they are in operation 24 hrs a day.

In large companies it is quite easy to move up into different roles once you have a foot in the door

After all that.... I have an interview Monday!

Mostly weekday mornings starting at 7am. So I would need to ask for some morning flexibility of about half hour and tomorrow I need to find a childminder with spaces for the hours I might be doing. A lot of childminders near me open at 7am.
Just need to find one with space and work things out....

But it's looking hopeful!

Fingers crossed for you x