Do you struggle to juggle your career and family life? Tell us about your work-life balance woes and you could win £50 or tickets! NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

Workfest 2016 is almost upon us (14 May), and in light of this we'd like you to share your career conundrums.

This one-day event is packed to the rafters with advice for women in - or returning to - the workplace, with a range of workshops and one-on-one sessions hosted by self-made entrepreneurs and career experts. It could be just what you need to kick-start your career, as attested to by these Mumsnetters from last year:

"I felt truly inspired and motivated...I have 'the fire in my belly' to move forward and reach my goals."

"The day was much more than I had hoped. I was and still am in awe of the speakers and gained so much positive energy."

"One of the best value conferences I have been to in a long time."

So perhaps you're struggling to kick-start your career post-kids? Or maybe you have a stellar business idea, but are lacking the practical advise needed to make it a reality? You might be in a rut, and are looking for ways to climb in your current profession. Whatever your dilemma, we'd love to hear about it, and would love even more to see you at Workfest 2016!

Add your comments to this thread and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one winner will win their choice of a £50 store voucher or a pair of Workfest 2016 tickets .

thanks, MNHQ

When my children were small, I used to work Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and my husband used to work Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, so that we shared the childcare. This worked well for us.

I'm a lone parent and I gave up my full time job to work freelance so I could be around more before and after school so DD wasn't missing out on after school activities and play dates. It was a good decision in lots of ways but I have lots of short term contracts and no stability with work and I think about it much more than when I had a steady salary coming in. I find it much harder now to make time for friends and myself but try to tell myself that actually these are the best years of my life and I will be sad when she leaves home when I will have lots of time to do things I want to do.

I am a teacher and worked full time after birth of DD1. When I had twins 2 years later there was no way I could face going back FT, even though this means finances are very tight.

I am in middle management and when I approached the Head to go PT was asked to give up my responsibilities and become normal class teacher- told him no-way! I am now back 2.5 days (as middle manager) and just about maintaining balance. I only bring work home as last resort but during exam season this is more common. Like others have said I batch cook and try to do as much as I can to keep house running smoothly on working days. Have very supportive parents who provide childcare and do school runs on days I can't.

I know for a fact that if it wasn't for DCs I would be further up the career ladder. Once a woman has a child many Heads sadly assume that you can't do the job as well as before now that your loyalties are divided between your own children and other people's!

my DTs were VERY sick when born so lots of my days 'off' are spent attending medical appointments, which I purposefully arrange when I'm not working. Their health put lots of things into focus for me and now I regret not going part-time after birth of DD1.

I work 3 days a week. I enjoy my job and I'm good at it but I'm finding it hard to balance my workload when I'm out of the office for longer than I'm in it every week. I've spoken to other part-time colleagues and they agree that four days is much easier to keep on top of than 3. I'd progress faster and be able to take on side projects to move up the ranks.

However, childcare costs me £112 per day (£60 for the baby, £52 for the 3yo). I manage with childcare vouchers and free hours and being below tax threshold, but my gross pay is £95 per day. If I went to work four days a week instead of three... I'd move above the tax threshold and pay another £1000+ a year to go to work and spend less time with my children.

I can't justify it.

Before baby I lived in a shared house just 20 minutes bus ride from work, I moved in with my mum just shortly before baby came and then shortly after, I got offered a housing trust home which I thought was perfect: walking distance to train station to still get to work also. When I went back to work, I realised 'walking distance' was pushing it a bit when I had to get myself and a 7 month old baby ready and leave the house by 7am in order to catch the train, then drop baby off at nursery and get to work just in time for start time of 9.45. Finishing work at 6pm I'd then follow the same routine in reverse, and get home around 8.45pm. My days were a bit long for baby, but we managed until the winter started and we were constantly caught in the cold winds and rain, so baby was forever suffering a cold (no matter how much I wrapped and covered him up), as well as myself.
Work were great, they let me drop 2 days and reduce days to a 5pm finish, but I was still having to keep baby off nursery for being poorly, which meant ringing in work, so then having to drag myself in when I was ill. By late January i decided the best option was to come out of work to find something closer to home.
This is proving problematic because in searching for a new job I need to ensure I have childcare lined up before hand in case I get one, but not only do nurseries/childminders need definite start dates and days baby will be attending, they also require security deposits and month childcare up front (both of which I can't even afford to save up for now I'm not working). It just feels like a constant circle of no hope, and as a single parent I'm doing it all alone. Baby's dad doesn't have such problem because he just fits baby around work, whereas I have to fit work around baby.
Job centre promise to help me find work, but say they can't help with my childcare issue and tax credits say they can't do anything to help towards childcare until I'm actually in work and baby is confirmed to be already attending. Until baby is old enough to qualify for free child care, I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I'm skint on benefits and most importantly I hate not working.

I am very lucky in that I have a job I love part time that is a short walk from my house. That said the most challenging part is the hours before and after work purely from a tiredness perspective. I often think that my colleagues don't really understand quite how much I have to do from 6am ish in order to get out of the door and the fact I can't collapse on the sofa when I get in. I have visions of showing them a sped up film of my mornings and evenings! We have a very demanding and active 22 month old who needs constant supervision so I am hoping as she gets older things will ease a bit!

Like others we just about get along in term time with our 7 and 5 year olds but holidays are a struggle - much more so now than last year when we had a nanny. I also find the morning and evening commutes totally exhausting - drive to school, drop off, walk (run!) to station, train, walk to work....and reverse!
I'd like to maybe change course in my career to setting up on my own - but the type of work I could do on my own would require me to up skill and do a very different job! But I could work at home on my own terms. I'd also like to set up another unrelated business. Unfortunately I currently pay the school fees, so there's no opportunity to risk my regular salary at the moment.

I've worked part time since having children. Although I am grateful to have been able to do so, as its allowed me time with them which is utterly priceless, there has definitely been a high price to pay in terms of my career. I feel I'm not taken as seriously as I was pre-children, and projects that I have led on have ended up being presented as a 'joint effort' with the person taking half the credit having done very little apart from talking about the project on the days when I've not been working.

Overall I've found it frustrating and as the children get older I'm definitely thinking that going back full time is the way forward.

We have 2 CDs (12 &9) and both work ft, Like other's it is a finely balanced, complex house of cards, involving after school clubs, flexi-time ( both of us) and complicated school runs. Both of us are on duty continuously from 6:30 (ds leaves at 7) until gone 6 most nights, then start the cooking, homework, getting things ready for the morning stuff. This is the first year we have no formal term time childcare and I am currently wondering how long I can leave ds home alone for when I go to work on Wednesday (dd is in holiday club).

I am luckily able to work 20 hours a week. I have in the past worked a 40 hour week with lots of travel and it was stressful and I am glad I do not need to do this any more.

I'm a lone parent with two sons aged 9 and 7. I work full time in a regional role but when I'm not on the road I'm based at home.

I make it work by managing my diary so that I'm working from home as much as possible in the school hols and at least once a week during term time. When I need to travel far I rely on my parents but this is few and far between.

Once the boys are in bed I get the laptop out and do some work. This allows me to take them to activities etc and spend time with them.

They go to breakfast club by 8am and this allows me to get a head start on the day so I can pick them up by 4ish most days.

School hols are bit of a pain. I get five weeks holidays so they go to grandparents for a week at a time. When they are away I work ridiculously long hours to make up for the bits of the school hols where I work from home and perhaps don't quite put the hours in.

Now they are older I can take advantage of soccer schools and the like but as they run from 10-3 it's still bit of a balancing act.

I am a bit jealous when I hear couples complain about the school holidays when there of two of them with annual leave to cover the hols. But hey ho, that's life.

Lone parent here too & if I hadn't worked hard in my DS's early years to prepare him to be more independent then I couldn't have managed. I run my own business now & yet still meet the same attitudes I did in f/t employment - namely that if you want a work life balance you are somehow not as 'serious' about your work. Unhappily you also get flack for not making school plays etc too.

Coming to terms with never being able to please society sufficiently in both work & family life ironically is easier than this elusive 'work life balance' we are supposed to aim for.

I work 3 days school hours, doing accounts. My employer is incredibly flexible. I've never missed anything at school. I feel no guilt. I am so glad I took this job. It's the best job I've ever had. No stress, I love my work, I can do it easily. My work life Balance is as good as it gets.

Single mum. Full time job as a secondary school English teacher. Carer for elderly/disabled parents.
How do I do it? I guess I just have no life ... Rarely go out as financially screwed, exh never has DS overnight (he has commitments apparently) and can't afford babysitter.
I guess I just exist ...

My daughter is 16 and I still struggle. I am a single mum and chose a good school for her in a neighbouring town where I worked.
Unfortunately my employers decided to close local branches and I it was not financially practical for me to work in the city I was moved to. I have sacrificed my career to ensure my daughter fulfills her potential.
Ironically the day I left, they announced they were leading a campaign to encourage women to build careers!

Balancing work and family is a nightmare.

I work part time (3 days) but it is expected that I will be available at all times and consequently I'm glued to my phone and fielding calls on my days off. I really struggle as on these days I'm not getting quality family time and I'm not getting paid for the work I do. I always work in excess of 40 hours a week and being part time is a huge issue in terms of how I am seen in the workplace.

Now

Have to say my struggle with work-life struggle has become easier over the year, like most of the people said here, working full-time to earn money but all pay out to childcare, then you spend less time with kids. But my time spent on career does pay off s little as I move up the ladder. I am also lucky enough to have an employer who has her own struggle about career and child, with the mutual understanding it helps a lot. My younger one goes to school this year, I will have a BIG relief that the big nursery bill is reduced. Only have to get ready for the never-ending club/activity run. I try whatever I can to provide the opportunity for my kids' talent and interest, but working Mon-Fri, when it comes Sat/Sun me and hubby turn into a taxi service running between drama rehearsal/Cubs day trip etc, it's just a lot to deal with...

This year I tried to get back some of the work life balance and went from full time to part time teaching I was really lucky but still feel awful when I get numerous letters from my childrens school about assemblies, trips, helping out etc. my children however are well versed in mum has to work or we can't pay the bills. I love our time off together and don't think if feel that way if I was a SAHM...I need work too!

This year I'm expecting to get made redundant from a company I have worked for for 16 years. I work three days a week and when I'm at work I wish I had more time at work, when I'm at home, I wish I had more time at home. It's not the pressure of either, it's the interface of the two which is complicated and stressful. I'd love to start my own business but I have no idea what in and the idea of starting with a new company is really scary, especially with reduced flexibility due to the kids. My main bugbear in my current company is a lack of progression for those who work part time, it's seen as less than committed, they don't often remember they pay you part time too!

I've taken my first managerial role, not long after finishing ML with my second child. It's a great opportunity and the role is part time, but it's still very hard going with a preschooler and a baby and I can't help wishing it had come along in a couple of years instead. I realise this sounds like I'm whining because my diamond shoes are too tight.

I'm quite lucky with flexibility in the long term I can easily have time off when needed. But last minute glitches are tricky and I work some unsocial hours e.g. till 9pm on a Monday.

I've been back for just over a year now. Full time 9-5.30 managerial role. DD is in nursery 3x days a week and I have her at home while I work for 2 days as agreed with my manager. DP also works full time out of the home, is out for 12+ hours so drop offs and most pick ups are my responsibility. As is doing the washing, general tidying etc as I am at home. It's a huge juggle and I'm finding it really hard. DP pulls his weight and does loads at the weekend - we are renovating our new house and he does most of this when he's not at work. I feel undervalued though, DP is very straightforward and isn't great at making me feel appreciated - fully admits this and tries his best though.
We'd like another child but it's not really feasible yet - i'd like to go back to work afterwards again but having two in childcare would be a huge expense so we need to wait a little longer.

That I'm finally in a job I love, but want more children, and don't know how to make both work. I don't want a career break and I'm looking forward to lower childcare costs, but we both so want a third baby.

My employer has been as flexbile as they could be, but I had to give up my previous career when my oldest child started school. Part time working was ok prior to that - but short days aren't possible in what I was doing, so working around school hours was impossible. Yes there is wraparound childcare available (although there wasn't when she first started, leaving me with no choice but to give up on my career) - but I think once they start school it just makes the days too long.

Now trying to get into something new - but it is very difficult to find a new job with part time hours!

Obs2016 that is exactly what I want to be doing ... how do I find that job?!!