Nurseries are so EXPENSIVE

[BlueandPink]

How many of you are sick and tired of going to work just to pay nursery fees? Luckily I am not absolutely hating my job and my DS loves the company of other children. If that wouldn't be the case I am not sure would I bother at all. Basically the fees are more than my wages, but we should get some tax credit towards it. (I am still on maternity leave.) My husband's wages are average, i.e. we can pay the bills and food etc, but it is almost impossible to save any money. (I hardly ever buy any clothes for myself or go to hairdressers etc.) Yes, it is still more than people on benefits get, but it is not really good for the overall economy if people with degrees and relatively good jobs have so little money left that they can hardly buy anything but the basics.

I think the government should subsidise nurseries a lot more, and maternity leave should be better, so that parents did not have to pay such a high percentage of their earnings to childcare. the Swedish have a much better system than we do.
I also work in a private nursery, and don't really see how they can charge any less though. I am near the end of my degree course and I earn just over minimum wage and don't really see it getting any better when I do graduate. Maybe if the government did subsidise the nurseries, or have them all under state control, and not run as businesses, then maybe the profit would not be so important. I can't see it happening, though, not under Cameron.

Twas ever thus - and when mine were little, there was no salary sacrifice for childcare vouchers nor CTC.

But you do get out at the other end - and depending on the nature of your career - a continuous work record can leave you in a much stronger position.

I would urge you to count your blessings compared to the working mothers a decade or so ago, and take the longer view of what working now means in terms of your prospects.

I think it is definitely government's job to subsidise nurseries, it is just the question of priorities. So much of money is wasted on dealing with crime, benefit cheats etc. People always assume that in the Nordics people pay ridiculous amount of tax, but for example in Finland council tax is included in the tax deducted from the wages. In practice this means that you could end up paying more tax here if you have relatively low wages.

Onimolap, I think I am very lucky that I have a decent part-time job to go to when I return to work. Did the nurseries charge similar fees a decade ago than now, in relation to wages?

I wouldn't know where to look for hard evidence on that, but anecdotally (and from personal experience) yes - or even higher as there were fewer nurseries. Oh, and no "free places" for 3yr+s, so the high bills went on for longer.

State controlled nurseries...no thanks

To be fair, I think they are value for money, your children are precious, why anyone would want a bargain basement level of care for them.is beyond me, if you want professional staff, it costs money, these people need to live too

Nurseries are very expensive to run, and quality childcare is always goung to be expensive. Nurseries get much cheaper, the older the child gets - the subsidy once they are 3 makes it much more affordable. And take advantage of the 'childcare voucher' tax break - your employer doesn't actually have to join a voucher scheme, they can just be invoiced directly by the nursery for the proportion of salary allowed under the scheme.

Continuing to work is an investment towards your future promotion, pay rises and career development. And think of the nursery costs as being split between your DH and yourself - childcare allows you both to work.

I think that when you break it down to an hourly rate it's not as expensive as it first seems. Still not cheap, but I do think that you get what you pay for, I know we do at DDs nursery.

I don't understand how the UK charges so much for childcare. We live in Belgium, and DS (10 months) is in a private-run creche, 4 full days a week. It costs us ?440 a month! Lunch/afternoon snack (freshly prepared each day) is included, we just have to provide nappies, wipes and DS's sleeping bag for his cot. And the costs are (partially) tax deductable... State-run creches aren't that bad - it just means they're subsidised. We have several here - you pay according to how much you earn. For us (middle income) it doesn't make much difference, but for people on lower incomes it is really great. Waiting lists for these creches can be long though.

I've never understood how people are supposed to be encouraged to go back to work when childcare is so pricey! I know so many people in the UK who basically work to pay the childcare - even people who live in relatively cheap areas. I guess that's why it's cheaper here - statutory maternity pay is only 15 weeks, so many mothers have to go back to work when their kids are 4 months old.

Blu, last time I checked the vouchers worked as salary sacrifice which meant that f.e. when you apply for mortgage, it just look like you are earning less, not good. Moreover, I think we wouldn't get child tax credit if we get the vouchers.