What would you do?

[PicnicPie]

I am a new mother to a 6 month old. I am currently off on maternity leave until December.

My current role is based in central London which is at minimum an hour commute plus £300 on travel. When I go back I will be looking to reduce my hours to 2 days per week.

I have recently seen a job advertised which is 10 mins from home. But....it would mean a 10k drop in salary. I would compensate this by increasing the days I work to 3. If I got the job of course!

Just wondered what others would do. Am so tempted to apply just knowing that I'd be closer to home with minimal commute but then would I hate working 3 days and having less money?

I think it would be worth going local as it is going to make child care easier and you can be more flexible which would make up for salary drop,plus lovely short commute

Much easier to be local to home/nursery with DCs. Trust me, if they get sick or hurt themselves, being a few minutes away is so much better than having to rush back from central London.

certainly apply - over all the amount of time you have with your DC won't be that much different as I imagine you wouldn't see him the days you commutte and also in my view 2 days a week is a tricky amount to work - hard to do much in that time - depends on the job of course - and you of course you will save on the travel which would make up quite a bit of the drop in salery

If you're paying £300 a month on travel you must be quite a long way out?! (I pay £170 for zones 1 - 4) which means going local is going gone much more convenient.

Rail fares from Windsor coupled with car parking costs make up the £300.

I think you're right poppy. As DH also commutes to London both of us are an hour away. In an emergency neither of us would be able to get to DD quickly.

Really am not looking forward to returning just because of how far away I will be. Knowing that I will be 10 minutes from home gives me lot of comfort.

Suppose there is no harm in applying and seeing how I get on.

I've been back at work a month after ml, I also commute into London, about an hour too. A london salary has meant that I have been able to drop to 3 days a week and earn not much less (childcare costs considered) than something similar locally full time which makes the commute worth it for those days off. Both my dcs love their childcare, ds1 in after school club and ds2 at nursery. Both have come on leaps and bounds so our arrangements really works us in many ways but it is difficult to be so far away even it is for a few days a week.

One point I would make is that it going back to your old job is much much easier than starting something new after mat leave. It's pressure enough engaging baby brain when you know your job but starting something new and baby in childcare is double stress so bear that in mind.

You need to weigh up what works for your family but I guarantee that going back to work won't be nearly as daunting as you think

Thanks for your advice phantom. Going back to a job that I've been doing for ages and working with the same people will be a lot easier than starting afresh, particularly as you say whilst trying to engage baby brain. My management are really supportive and understanding and am sure this will continue once i return. But i almost feel like when i return i wint be the same me. I wont be as committed as before or able to go that extra mile for the team as my priority is now my DD. So in a way starting somewhere new where they have no previous knowledge of my work ethic may be better? Hmm...in two minds as to what to do. Maybe I should just get pregnant again!?

I would certainly keep your options open for the time being and apply for the local job. You will get more of a feel for it once you have interviewed.

That is definitely true about being easier to go back into a job you already know. And when the time is right for you to try for DC2, much easier to have the maternity leave in a job you've been in for a while than something new.

But no harm going for the local job and see how it goes?

Definitely keep options open - if you are not due back until December there may even be another job that comes up between now and then.
Would your current employee consider you working from home one day a week?
Could you use a nursery near your workplace?
Worth thinking longer term too about schools - seems a long way off but will come round quicker than you think!

Thanks for all your advice. I have applied for the job so we'll see what happens...