What are the pros and cons of being a single parent working full time?

[juicychops]

i know some are obvious but would be good to hear what people think

had a job interview the other day for a part time position. the interview went really well but today the woman rang and said i didn't get it a woman with slightly more experience just got there. but they think id be great for the company and that there is a full time position coming up and to consider it.

would idealy like to work part time but i need to at least consider it. would love to work at this place

Personally I would rather struggle a bit financially than work full time. It might be manageable if you don't have a long commute and have reliable affordable childcare, and if the extra pay means you can provide a significantly better lifestyle for your family. Could you go along to the interview and then, if they seem to like you, ask if you could do slightly reduced hours, with a view maybe to increasing your hours in due course? Or is it a job you could do partially from home? I think many part-time employees do nearly as much work as full-timers anyway!

I am working f/t because in my industry, part time work is really hard to get, and if I stop now, I will lose my specialist knowledge really quickly, and probably be poor for the rest of my life, as will soon be too old to start again in a specialist field.(was poor for the first 30 years of it, so have no illusions)

factors to consider are: how much support do your children need in school? how much time do you need to help them with homework? do you have stable, affordable housing? how far away is the job, and how many hours will you be out of the house in total?

I think it would depend on the age of my kids and how long would be spent travelling.
If its 9 till 5 and not much travel then go for it and don't feel bad.

When you're working out whether its worth it financially bear in mind how much your childcare costs would change in the summer holidays ... and also for me things like whether I would be able to take any time off for nativity plays / sports day would be important ... I think these are priceless parts of their childhood and as a single mum I wouldn't want to miss out on them, memories are priceless x