Young child and graduate scheme

[Rapunzel91]

Am I a complete fool for considering applying for graduate scheme while I have a toddler? I'm working full time and have starting studying accounting independently in the evenings.
After a bit of research ive found out that it's nearly impossible to go work for a big 10 accounting firm without starting out at the, so doing some sort of apprenticeship or graduate scheme. The reason why I want to work for a big 10 company as for the salary. I'm doing a career change as fell out of love with the career I had chose and I'm now in a somewhat related job that I chose until I could figure out what I wanted.
I dont mind doing long hours as long as I can drop off or pick up from nursery and can see my child for a couple hours after nursery (so work/study in the evenings). After spending long studying in working in one field and that not working out I really want to commit to something that will work for me and that I can earn a decent income, I'm just scared its not compatible.

The alternative is continuing studying AAT independently and get a job at a local firm, possibly qualify further (CIMA/ACA/ACCA) but I'm not sure how career progression and income levels are then.

I don't think you are a total tool at all, I have known several people who have done quite high flying graduate schemes/training programmes with young children - I would say though that they either had supportive families/partners and/or cast-iron wrap-around childcare, e.g. a nanny or childminder who was also prepared to do occasional evening babysitting/overnights. I don't know of any scheme (in the pre-covid world anyway, perhaps it's different now there is much more home working) that would 100% guarantee you could pick up from nursery by 5pm and do dinner/bath/bed every single day without fail so you will need back-up. Grad schemes are always going to be full-on, because the whole idea is to cram a lot of training and development that would normally take years and years into a very short space of time. Even the somewhat gentler more public/third sector ones with less emphasis placed on presenteeism in office/'visibility'/evening social events tend to have at least occasional requirements for flexibility with your hours, e.g. training courses that can be full days or over multi days away from home, travel to other bases for meetings or study, or the need to stay late in a crisis or at year end or similar, as well as the usual studying which has to be done in evenings/weekends on top of the day job of course. Not to say all this can't be done with children, of course it can (plenty of fathers do it of course ), but if you are unable or unwilling to ever miss the children's bedtime or nursery pick up then it will likely be tough for you.

If big 10 accountancy is your ambition/dream I'd absolutely go for it but do think how you will manage things and perhaps see if there's anyone you can speak to about the realities of the schemes so you can plan around them - usually with the big schemes there are sort of 'open day' events before you actually apply with the opportunity for Q&A and to meet/talk to current trainees which would really help you. They will all have objectives/aims around increasing the diversity of their workforce/training schemes and helping people with children access their schemes will likely feature so def worth a conversation about how it could work for you?