For how many years would you be prepared to work for £1.50 per hour?

[CarGirl]

If working full time meant you would be £1.50 per hour better off for 3 years and then another 2 years to be £2 per hour better off would you still work full time?

Not working life is managable financially - we are "poor" but cope, happy to go without holidays, wear 2nd hand clothes etc.

I have 4 children and have previously had a nervous breakdown which makes me worry about working full time without using time saving/stress saving things such was on-line shopping, cleaner etc If I used them I'm not sure I'd be working for anything?

I wouldn't. Not for 1 week let alone for 3 years. But i'm sure others will tell you about pension etc.
Is this because of childcare cost?

Not exactly.

Actually I may have to pay out childcare costs too for school holidays so that would eat into my £1.50 per hour!

It does feel like the only reason I would be going back is for my pension! Still wouldn't be able to afford a better standard of living ie holidays etc. I also don't have a career so it's not that I'm compromising my career opportunities!

Yes, yes I would. Because £1.50/hour better off is still over £200/month better off.

And the benefits to working FT are not just renumeration. Pension, financial independence and security, being able to afford things some find important to bringing up a family, such as lessons in sports or music/art, holidays, etc.

With a cleaner and a lot of organisation, if my kids were all about 2 years old+, I'd go for it.

But if I had a cleaner I wouldn't be £200 per month better off!!!! Cleaning rates are £10 per hour here!

Our children still have a paid for lesson each week in an activity of their choice, we holiday at my parents whilst they are away.

£3,000 per year wouldn't pay for us to have a holiday abroad!

"financial independence & security" what do you mean by that, my dh and are financially equal, his job is secure.

But how she can pay cleaner with £200p/w.

I would try to find something that pays more or invest my time to study/train.

xpost

how about spending the time at home now to train in some way to give you some career prospects that would make working more worthwhile ?

My answer to your question - probably not - at least not full time - because it makes the rest of your family life so difficult for very little reward.

I would be on a reasonable salary if I went back to work where I was before but it has huge financial impacts elsewhere - huge increase in school fees for eldest (very long and complicated but they are linked to income), would have to repay student loan.

My decision is whether to return to my ex-work full time if they can't (ie won't) give my part time.

if that is your effective take home, it doesn't seem very worthwhile.

if you have calculated the benefits correctly (eg, if you do over 31 hours you qualify for '31 hours element' of WTC/CTC) then no, i wouldn't bother for that much - unless that £200 made the difference between sink and swim.

as there is no guarantee to pension income (and how any of us know people who worked full time for year after year paying into priate/company schemes only to retire on state penson only?).

Edgar that is sort of my conclusion, the £200 per month isn't the difference between sink & swim (at the moment!)

If they don't offer me a part time post then I will just have to get a part time job somewhere, somehow! I have nearly always worked part time for the last 6 years since being on career break but it's crunch time whether to go back or not.

I effectively worked for less than that when I went back to work after having DD (my salary minus cost of childcare for a baby and a 2 year old). After a year, DS became eligible for early years funding and things got a little better. I did it with the main aim of keeping my job (school hours with a manager who lets me work flexibly when necessary).

I think if it'd been for much more than a year I might have been tempted not to go back ...

Hmmm yes it's the fact it would be so low for 5 years that feels so extreme!

Bump for the evening crowd

also, if you really loved your job it would be worth it, but it doesn't look like you do.

It depends if the alternative is depending on state support, I'd sooner work for no more than benefits than rely on social security if (and I emphasis that 'if') in the position to do so.

Well, I did exactly that for a few years, in fact it was nearer to breaking even than making a profit each month, after childcare costs.

HOWEVER in a decent career, it can mean the difference between keeping a foothold in it, and possibly struggling for years to get back in when you decide you'd like to.

ALSO - don't underestimate the pension! I received my annual pension statement last week and it always makes my heart leap. The statement shows what the state pension is (ie about 4500k) and then how much I would get on the basis of the number of years and days I've been working and paying into my pension. And even though I'm still a long way off retirement, it's already a pretty tidy lump sum plus a nice annual income. I would think carefully about the long term.

I think I probably would.

£3120 per year for 3 years = £9360
£4160 per year for 2 years = £8320
a cleaner for 3 hours a week, 50 weeks per year @ £10/hr for 5 years = £7500

You'd still be £10,000 up at the end of 5 years. You can do a lot with an extra £10k and if you find that you can manage without a cleaner - or just getting one every second week, then you have even more to play with. If that £10k meant I could do work on the house to increase its value, or have a good holiday every second year, or pay for something else valued by my family but not in our budget now, then I would.

Also, after 5 years (actually, after 2!), I hope that either my salary would have increased more than inflation or I would have built up 5 years more experience that would allow me shift to a job that suited me better/paid me more.

So, yes, I think I would.

Car Girl.

Can you career break be extended? Mine can extended by 52 wks be if I have a child whilst on it.

if it was also going to be relatively satisfying work in the career i have chosen and good for the CV then yes i probably would.

but it depends on the alternatives... if i'd rather be at home, childcare options, what a bigger break would mean for future prospects..

Well fate has dealt a hand, there has been a complete recruitment freeze and as I'm not currently on the pay roll I don't think I can go back. I don't think they will extend my career break either (I will have had 6 years in August)

I did look into childcare, I think I will have been working for nothing. Breakfast club alone would have been £30 per week and I would have need to pay for at least childcare one day per week after school which would have been another £25 per week and then holiday cover as well......I think I would have been earning nothing!

Car girl...am I right in thinking you are a Civil servant.

Regardless of recruitment freeze they have to accept you back at end of career break I believe. Speak to HR and union guy.

Other HR dept have been known to extend Career break too as they cant afford to have you back. Check and see.

If not make sure you look at redunancy packages.

I will do, unfortunately the person who deals with reinstatement struggled to understand the word preference in my last email so it could be very tortuous!!!!

I worked for an executive agency so I'm not entirely sure that I do have the right to return off my career break but I will push the issue.