been offered a full time flexible job

[Samnella]

I have been working 4 days a week for 2 years. It's not flexible as in fixed hours and no working at home and also found I have worked pretty much full time on a part time salary. I looked ay the finances and decided to look for a part time job for 3 days.

However I have been offered a full time job instead . It's well paid and flexible in that I have been told I can work in the office and home in any combination I like as long as I get the job done.
It's also more money than I have ever earnt before.

DDs are 6 and 8. I am thinking of dropping them off at school and starting work at 9.30, go to office and pick up at 5 so after school club x 3. other days work at home so pick up at normal time and then work at home till 5 with dds at home

I will be able to work at home when dds are ill so only sticking point is holidays as will need to cover 5 days.

Is this do able or should I just keep looking for 3 days even if that means it will have less prospects etc.

Sounds pretty perfect to me, congratulations!

Congratulations :). Sounds perfect - and yes, completely doable.

Totally doable. Take it (assuming you like the work etc) and congratulaions

Congratulations - sounds like the perfect arrangement. Go for it, you'll make it work.

Thanks. I am worried about the holidays mostly as just me and DH and no family nearby and trying to work with the DDs about but I am hoping all client contact will be during the day so I will just be dealing with emails at that time. I feel very lucky as its a great opportunity but worried the work life balance won't be quite right and I should stick it out for 3 days for a less demanding role.

I'd bite their hands off. are there after school clubs and holiday clubs in your area? if so, you'll be sorted.

I hate working from home, you're never done, the distraction levels are intense. Loneliness levels high (maybe it's just me that can't focus at home).

I guess you can but try, and change to another pattern if it doesn't work for you.

It's mostly office based so I plan to be in the office for 5-7 hours a day and make the hours up at home so not all working at home.

Fiftyodd- Yes we do have clubs nearby but whilst I like the after school club I have never been keen on the holiday clubs for more than a few days. I will need to get over that.

A friend has told me about a 3 day a week job where she works but it is office based and no flexibility on hours. If I applied and got offered it I would have to consider it as its 3 days and they are like gold dust from what I have seen.

Does nobody else think there must be a catch with this job? OP is going to have complete flexibility and be earning more than she ever has before?
OP - have you spoken to people in the job to ask about how they find the work/office balance works and whether its entirely their choice which days they do where and what hours they do? Also, whilst they have told you that its flexible as to where you work, what have they said about the hours? Can you choose when you start and finish? Aren't most office jobs 9.00 - 5.30 and yet you'll be starting at 9.30 and finishing at 4.30 if you have to collect them from after school club. What happens if you've got a meeting at 9.00? Or starting at 4.30? And on the days when you're working from home, are you going to have to disappear for 30 mins or so go and collect your DC? And are they really going to play by themselves for two hours without any input from you (argument resolution, snack making etc)? Or are you able to make up the extra time in the evenings.
In some ways, it does sound like the perfect job but I think you need to check a few more of the details.

OP - my DH has a job like this. He tends to log on early to check his emails/answer anything urgent. Then he takes the DC to school (3 days a week) although he is home/at work by only just after 9. he finishes at 3, picks up DD, then until about 4 only answers phone calls/emails and doesn't do anything else while he chats to the DC after school/gets drinks/snacks etc. He then goes back to work (at home), the DC are allowed to play on the computer or watch TV or get on with homework (and unbelievably they have worked out that if they want to do stuff later actually getting on with homework now is a good idea).

I'm home by 5 so the DC are only unsupervised for an hour - they manage it fine (they are 8 and 7 so similar age to yours). DH tends to work in the evening after the DC are in bed and also takes a short lunch to compensate.

The only downsides are when I'm late home (because I have to stay late at work) so DH has to manage sorting out tea as well which takes him away from work for longer. Or when DH has to actually work at work (meeting or something) - but we can usually cover this by asking favours from friends as it is sufficiently infrequent, or I take off half a day.

We don't try to cover holidays this way incidentally. I think that would be hard. It does, however, give us flexibility with choosing holiday clubs (e.g. the DC often goes to one that runs 9-4 which wouldn't work if we were both doing "traditional" full time jobs).

I thought it might be a zero-hours contract, Murtette.
Or something else where the work will be more / worse/ less than OP expects.
Can but try.

I am not sure what a zero hours contract is. I know the job as I am in a related tike and its the same company. I will only take it if my hours are agreed as outlined in my first post. I suppose my question is do you think my plan to work at home once a week and then work part office and part at home for the rest of the week is doable. It means at least an four or so a day with DDs with me - havibg never worked at home I don't know if its realistic. Alternatively the 3 day a week at my friends company may be better as although there is no option to work at home it is only 3 days to think about. It's also a less demanding role as in I should be able to just switch off my PC and go.

Murtette - The person who offered me the role said she doesn't mind how I do the hours as long as I get the job done. She has people on the team already working 9.30 to 3.30 in the office and then home after picking children up. so no catches although I will put my plan in writing as part of accepting the job. I am just not sure about working at home with DDs although it should be about an hour and a half at most and then school holidays as it means childcare for 5 instead of 4.

I am not sure what a zero hours contract is.

It means you are not contacted to work any specific hours, so some weeks you may not get any work at all.

Your holiday entitlement may be calculated on the number of hours you actually work, where as someone on say a 40 hour contract would get holiday calculated on the contracted hours.

I will only take it if my hours are agreed as outlined in my first post.

If it is a zero hour contract, not sure how they would agree hours with you. Maybe they could agree that if they needed you to work, such work would only be between certain hours.

I suppose my question is do you think my plan to work at home once a week and then work part office and part at home for the rest of the week is doable.

Depends on the job, depends on your ability to actually do any work at home. Are you able to go to part of your home which is as self contained as possible, so you do not get disturbed. Can you find childcare that fits, so that your DDs are not present when you are working from home... or are you looking at working whilst also caring for your DDs?

Alternatively the 3 day a week at my friends company may be better as although there is no option to work at home it is only 3 days to think about. It's also a less demanding role as in I should be able to just switch off my PC and go.

That does sound better, especially if it is under a contract of employment, thus you would get statutory rights based on working say 24 hours or more per week. With things like the childcare subsidy mentioned in Budget2013, that looks like it may only apply to parents who both work a certain minimum number of hours, so with a 3 day a week job under contract you would be meeting that condition, whereas with a zero hour contract I do not think you would meet it, as you are not working the minimum hours. Same applies to benefits now, some are based on how many hours you work. So look at the big picture now and try to predict the future .

Thanks nannynick. It's defiantly not a zero hours contract.

Thanks nannynick. It's defiantly not a zero hours contract.

Good, sounds like one of those is not ideal, though suppose it works for some people.

If your DDs go to after-school club, holiday clubs during holidays, then it could well work, especially if your DDs will be happy at home with you doing some work at the same time.

However, would you feel that you are constantly on call? Constantly checking work email? Sometimes that can be a downside to working from home.