Splitting up - dividing time with children.

[Flowerpower15]

Can someone please give me some guidance.
Soon to be ex-husband has a very good job. He won't commit to a schedule for the children as his work schedule changes constantly (no pattern or consistency whatsoever), and says he will just have them when he can.
I will need to get a job. Realistically he will only be able to have them 2 days a week at most. But we won't know until 3 weeks in advance which days. He won't request flexible working.....
He says there's no point taking it any further because who would expect someone with his job to cut hours/make less money or go and do a different job when he has better qualifications than that.

HELP!!!

Can he fund childcare/nanny?

Then he helps fund childcare and pays full maintenance on top. Being flexible going forward will benefit the kids, keep communicating, put them first etc. If you can maintain a good relationship with your ex and have private financial arrangements it's so much easier, my ex is still a good friend, just soon to not legally be my husband

He needs to arrange/pay for childcare on his days. It's wholly unreasonable to expect you to find a job around his, or expect you to live on benefits, when you're no longer together.

Unless he's prepared to support you.

Sounds like he’s not going to budge on this so I’d save your energy for other battles! You don’t say if you are going to need to work full or part time? Realistically, you’re going to have to cut him out of most working childcare solutions - an au pair might be flexible on when their 2 days off are & more expensively a nanny ..but childminders, after/pre school clubs and nurseries won’t be.

How much you anticipate realistically earning + what you agree on child maintenance + whether you’re going to be able to room someone should really be driving what kind of childcare you’re looking at. Realistically though, if it’s a nursery, childminder or school club solution, you’re probably going to have to pay whether he’s off or not.

Practically speaking, he may not co-operate, of course. In which case, you find a job and sort out childcare to cover your working hours, without taking him into account.

You give him fair & reasonable access to the children on a schedule that works for you, and while being flexible within reason, you don't bend over backwards switching if round if he's not playing fair actually trying to fit in.

How about you sort out ‘days’ and when it comes down to it he either makes himself available those days or if his schedule makes that impossible than he already has childcare set up? Then you are responsible for your days. It means you can plan a reliable work schedule for yourself and the burden of running around dealing with his unpredictable schedule falls on him, not you. Or he has them every other weekend or whatever and pays maintenance accordingly to cover childcare.