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Childcare issues with DH work

4 replies

EricNorthmansFangbanger · 29/01/2014 12:55

I am sorry this is long and maybe a bit jumbled, but I would really appreciate some advice please.

I have recently secured a job and start work next week. I've managed to sort childcare for DD1 (6), but trying to find childcare for DD2 (2) and DS (11 months) has proved to be difficult. I will be driving to Manchester every day (28 miles there, 28 miles back) and DH currently works in the town centre where we live, so the idea was he would pick up DD2 and DS then get the bus or walk to get DD1 and I would pick them up from DD1's childcare.

A lot of suitable nurseries are full. There was one that we could have possibly used that had availability, but we went to visit it and it was awful. We've managed to get places at the nursery DD2 used to attend, but they can only take them for 3.5 days instead of the 4 we needed. We needed them Tuesday to Friday, but they can only do Monday to Thursday, with Wednesday being a morning only. They can take them both on a Friday from the end of March/beginning of April, but can't fit them in of a Wednesday afternoon until July.

DH works for 3.5 week days and every Saturday. To save him losing Monday as his day off, MiL said that temporarily she would come over and do childcare of a Friday. This is extremely generous of her, as she lives 50 miles away. She would come on Thursday and stay until Friday evening. So DH went into work today to ask if he could change his half day to Wednesday, due to childcare reasons. He was told a straight no. He asked about reducing his working hours to 31 from 35, but was again told no. He works in a bank and is trying to now schedule a meeting with the bank manager, but things are looking doubtful. Funnily enough DH did used to have Wednesday afternoons off, but changed due to a request from one of the managers as a favour. Apparently now no one is allowed to have their half day off as an afternoon. In the past other members of staff have been allowed to start late and go early due to childcare. They've also just employed a new person, but are apparently looking to get rid of an existing person now due to this, so DH doesn't want to kick off a huge fuss. He also thinks it may be in his contract that they can relocate him to another branch if it isnt an unreasonable distance, but he would have to be in the town centre to be able to do the childcare drop offs and pick ups...

Is there anything DH could potentially do? We really needed me to get this job and can't afford for him to give his job up either.

Thank you for reading.

OP posts:
Rockchick1984 · 29/01/2014 13:04

He can make a formal flexible working request, the bank I worked for had template forms on their intranet to print off and all the details of how to complete them. My contract was they could send me to any branch within 40 miles of my home address so probably worth him asking to stay within the town centre as well on his FWR.

There's no guarantees it will be granted, but they will have to give it proper consideration. He may be told he can have the time off but moved to another branch if his normal branch can't accommodate that. He could also offer to swap his day off to Wednesday rather than Monday as an alternative solution - each branch I worked at was mad busy on a Monday, far quieter on a Wednesday!

Sallycinnamum · 29/01/2014 21:11

OP, have you considered getting a nanny or au pair of some kind?

I always thought it would be ridiculously expensive but when I looked into it, it was cheaper to have a nanny than a nursery.

I found ours on findababysitter.com and at the moment she isn't ofsted registered but is in the process of registering.

She comes at 8am, takes my DC to school and looks after my younger DC during the day. As I posted on another thread, I can't imagine not having her now.

PM me if you want more details.

TheDoctrineOfSnatch · 29/01/2014 22:01

Second doing a formal flexible working request - and annual leave of half a day a week in the meantime.

EricNorthmansFangbanger · 30/01/2014 12:36

Thank you all very much for your advice.

Apparently they're going to change his half day now. The managers had a meeting in the afternoon and DH has been told now that they will be able to do it, which is fantastic. I will keep in mind formal flexible working requests just in case for the future.

Sally - I'd never thought about an au pair, but I don't think I'd be so keen on it. Thank you for the idea though, always good to have an other option Smile

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