Hi all. Currently pregnant with DC1 so this is a while off yet, but DH and I are thinking about next steps for working patterns once we’re both back after DC is born.
DH and I both work for great employers which offer good benefits and I think will be pretty amenable to whatever we put forward. Both jobs are professional services based in Central London. We earn exactly the same salary to the penny so there’s no obvious person to take an income hit!
Our initial plan was to both go down to 4 days a week so 80% of salary for each of us and DC in childcare Tues/Weds/Thurs. However at the moment that looks a little tight financially as we’re hoping to move house (currently in a flat) once baby is born. We’re both in line to take the next step up the ladder career wise in the next year or two, and would probably try and negotiate 4 day weeks as a part of that when it comes. In the meantime, we’ve been thinking about whether a 90% arrangement would work - with each of us having an alternating Friday off and DC being in childcare 4 days a week.
I was just wondering whether anyone had any experience of this? I have a few people in my office who do 90% with an afternoon off a week but they’re generally parents of school age DC and obviously for us, paying 4 days a week childcare is more efficient in exchange for a 10% household income drop. Are there any pitfalls I’m missing? DH will be making the most of his 3 months fully paid SPL (
) when I go back after 9 months ML, so hopefully we’ll both be confident about looking after DC and there shouldn’t be any concerns on that front.
Everything I’ve seen about 9 day fortnights is based on compressed hours but we’d both rather take the hit on income than commit to contractually longer days with a new DC.
Any advice welcome, I appreciate we’re in a lucky situation with equal income and flexible workplaces but I’ve not seen anything about this set up before and wondering if there’s a reason for that!