If you earn a decent wage or are a highly successful single parent how did you do it?

[Cupcakeicecream]

If you are a lone parent and you are very successfully highly paid how did you do it?
What is your job?
What courses did you study?
The part time working tax credits thread has got me thinking. Was thinking off training of becoming a TA Advantages of weekends and all the holidays off disadvantages cannot really progress or get paid much more than 11,000. I want to train for the perfect work life balance have a decent career in which I wont need tax credits

Veterinary surgeon
A BSc, a BVetMed and a post grad certificate.
Really crap work life balance I constantly feel that I am short changing someone.

Senior job in NHS. BA, MA, several PGCerts, lots of juggling and parents who do a lot of school pick ups/holidays etc. It's not easy and I'm not sure my work/life balance is always right but I keep trying!

I like to know too. I had to drop an OU course as I couldn't cope with work and a non sleeping child. I might pick it up again when I'm 50.
I want to plan long term but my health and current job need to come first.

Its so hard. I work 30 hours, Im so tired by 7pm.

I just want some help sometimes & I dont even know what with.

Of course you can progress from a TA! You need classroom experience to get onto a teaching programme wether that's a degree with QTS or a PGCE. There is nothing wrong with starting with an nvq and working your way up. If you don't have a degree already then you can do a TA course now (26 ish weeks) and apply for a degree With QTS for next year . The wage from TA. And living costs through student loans are not that different and with a degree you can claim childcare and top up expenses too.

i believe good family support is essential.

In banking, I never left work to have family just decent maternity (was still married) then park time for a few years then worked back up to full time (when became lone parent) child minder collected from school... just hard work, keen and enthusiasm at work have got me where I am. £38k per year two teenagers, always prioritized mortgage and bills first, I don’t drink or smoke or go out in the evenings. It’s about priorities and accept it’s not always going to be like this they will fly the nest eventually.

I’ve given up! I used to work in sales but I always felt like I was dropping a ball somewhere. I had an eye twitch from the stress and Ds used to cry when my phone was going off all the time because I was always on call.

I am now temping in finance, doing about 30 hours a week. It pays well enough, I can juggle it around school pick ups, but there is zero security. I always feel like I’m one tiny step away from total catastrophe!

I'm a government lawyer. I qualified at 23, didn't have my son until I was nearly 34 so was quite well established. Civil service is a good employer for a single parent as lots of flexibility but of course the money is less than private sector (still not bad though!). I work about 30 hours a week and it's mentally challenging so I'm always exhausted!

I am an actuary, qualified before I had children. Currently working part-time, not on a fantastically high wage - around £70K, but reduced hours help with childcare costs.