Taking paycut to gain family friendly hours

[frazzled74]

I have the chance to change my job, new job would be more interesting, no unsocial hours ,less hours and more family friendly. It would mean losing a third of my pay though. We would have to cut out most of trips, treats etc but is manageable, just. There may be chance of increasing hours at a later date and of promotion so needn't be for ever . Has anyone done this? Did it work out?

Well, many of us have gone PT, to gain a better balance, obviously then only earning a proportion of our pay. I'd certainly advocate it, but it's a bit difficult to know just how tight that would make your family's budget, and how much you would or wouldn't resent it. For me, it's been the ideal choice - time is more important than money - but that's easy to say when you aren't going hungry or cold.

Do you pay out for childcare? that may mean you don't lose as much...How old are your children..they are small for such a short time...I would take it if I could afford to

Yes, I did exactly this 3 years ago. We adjusted our spending/outgoings and still manage to have nice holidays, a good Christmas etc.

It's amazing how you adapt to a new (reduced!) budget.

As long as you have enough to pay the bills, there is more to life than money - and more family time is priceless.

Good luck

I would do it to get rid of unsocial hours. You will sort it out...do it!

I am thinking of doing the same myself!

Thanks, we will have enough for bills and food , dcs 10, 8 ,2. We will have to pay out more for childcare as at the moment Dh does majority of childcare when I am on nights./weekends .I have included that in the 1/3 pay loss. It will be good to be home for bedtimes, dinner times , homework etc and I think dcs will have a better routine. At the moment I feel like I have a permanent hangover unless I am on annual leave. I find it difficult to get much done in the house as on my days off I feel so tired and ill. I think I should go for it , thankyou for reassurance .

go for it!
your level of tiredness can drive you to a break down

You don't usually lose the % of pay that you cut your hours by due to tax/NI allowances. Have you included this in your 1/3 less calculation?

I am MUCH better off not working ft as I can work it with minimal childcare and stay below 40% tax. My marginal income rate would be way lower for the additional 12hrs I could, but chose not to, work.

And yes, go for it! You probably will find you spent more money as you are constantly tired. With more time you tend less to 'throw money at the situation' to just get it sorted ASAP.

I did this just over a year ago. I too worked nightshift and the constant hungover feeling was just awfull.

I would say go for it you will manage and the benefits to your health and well being will be worth the sacrafices.

If you've done the sums and you can afford the essentials, then go for it. You'll soon find that an enjoyable job will compensate you for the sacrifices, and the extra time with a happier wife/mum will compensate your family for any treats or trips they have to do without. Good luck!

Go for it! I work three days and lost 10k pa in the process, but is has been so worth it.

I have done this and do not regret it 1 tiny bit. I am healthier, happier, have more job satisfaction and get to be more involved with school stuff. I still work full time but my commute is less and I work flexi time (and have an understanding and flexible manager)

Best. Decision. Ever!

It's amazing what you can adjust to budget wise OP, & that time with the DC goes so quickly. If you are less frazzled you may be able to ebay/ sell stuff as they grow out of clothes & toys etc, all pennies but it helps.

Good luck.

I've done it too, my salary dropped by 80%!, although it's creeping up again now as I've re-trained, increased my hours (a tiny bit) as the children are older and had a promotion.

I think you'll find you're not as much worse off as you think. When you're less frazzled and have a bit more time you don't waste money as much.

e.g. I used to just stick with existing insurers at renewal time because I simply didn't have the time or energy to switch. Now I shop around and save £100s. Fewer takeaways etc and you don't feel the need to treat yourself or DC because you're so frazzled in the same way. You have time to find voucher codes for days out etc and cook properly which saves a lot more than people who don't cook will ever admit/accept.

I wouldn't do it if anyone's going to be hungry or you'll be worrying about the rent but the luxury of a calmer, happier family life is way more valuable than any material treat IMO. If, on top of that it's a more enjoyable job and there's opportunity for progression later then i'd be biting their hand off.

I did it this year and it has even worth the loss of every single penny a million times over. My new job is a more senior role but working locally rather than in Central London. On paper I have lost loads but by the time I have factored in a shorter journey, by car rather than public transport, no wraparound for the children and total flexibility to run up to school for an hour to watch an assembly and then get back to work 15 minutes later I am only £150 a month worse off. From September I am changing my hours to school hours only which means no pre and after school care saving even more and our quality of life is infinitely better.

ClubName,
What did you retrain as?

I'm a school business manager.

I'm never going to get close to the salary I was on before but I'm working far less hard for it than I did before and working in a far more relaxed environment. I'm sorry but don't believe anyone who tells you school offices are chaotic and everyone who works in a school is under constant pressure.

Yes there are busy periods and yes there's some pressure when OFSTED turn up but in (what I call) the real world every minute/day is like that.

That is great Clubname. And term time only?
I am in a similar position to the original poster. I work for the NHS and although work part time I end up working a LOT of unsocial hours and it is causing huge difficulties.
I am seriously considering teaching (although I am aware of teaching not being a walk in the park these days). Can't decide between secondary or post-16 (where I could use my NHS background). I want term time only though.

Just done it and am loving it