What do I do??

[shabbadababa]

Goodmorning Mumsnetters,
I'm needing som help and advice!
I'm wanting to go to work , never been to work as I finished college and got pregnant had really bad mental health issues,much much better place now, don't suffer with all this anymore I saved myself! I'm so ready to go to work and show my children I can make them proud, after working out how to work I came to a slump lastnight , very upset realising I got really excited to find jobs then noticed I wouldn't have no childcare in the holidays, spoke to a childminder that told me due to my 2 older children 4&9 not obviously having any free hours like my son 3 years, I have to pay full price which is obviously normal I know, but working it out it came to about £450 a month for the 6 weeks and that price was only for 4 weeks, ide be working for nothing my partner works every day too so he wouldn't be able to watch them on holidays and we have NO family either, I do not converse with mine due
To been too toxic, and my partners family works 247 too I'm absolutely gutted as I really wanted to work and enjoy a new surroundings now my children are at school I wanted to earn my
Own money😔 how do people do this? All my friends have family members etc I don't 😭

You save up for holiday childcare over the whole year so the cost is spread over 12 months rather than one bulk sum, get a tax free childcare account which is a government run replacement for the old childcare voucher scheme. They top up what you put in by 20% up to a maximum limit per year, so if you put in £100 you'll have £120 to spend.

You may also get some childcare element in UC if you are eligible for that.

Could you work a few evena week and tag out with your partner?

So. I think in general people do
Lots of different things.

-save up a bit every month inc childcare vouchers to be able to cover the six weeks

-if you work full time both of you are entitled to 5 weeks off per year. So most people tag team with their annual leave to cover school
Holidays. This is a bit crap as it sometimes
Means you dont get that much holiday time
All of you together.

-make arrangements with friends and other school parents. One had them all tuesdays the other does thursdays.

-find the cheapest holiday camp in the area

-get term time only
Work

-get part time work. If only working three days then the care costs less. Negotiate with your employer to do contractually three days a week but do four days term time and two days school hols or similar

-take unpaid leave

-only work weekends and evenings

However, its now september. Get a job and get the experience under your belt and if you sadly had to quit before the end of next july that would be a shame but it will have
Got you experience you can build
On. One step at a time and dont overthink it.

What is your partner going to do to help you return to work? Thats the other key thing both parents have to step up and do 50/50 and be flexible and do their bit to make it work. He may say he couldnt possibly-but most men do these days. Hes just always had you to fall back on.

Where are you that you get childcare so cheap?!? I’m £1300 a month for three kids (2 school age, 1 nursery)!!

@ButterflyAway wow really?! I'm in Leeds!

It is not that you earn 0 for summer weeks but you spread that cost mentally across the whole year. Also your partners earnings should part fund it. Can you share childcare by taking leave on alternate weeks? Ate there any council run holiday clubs which may be cheaper? Don't forget half term, Christmas and Easter too

There are around 13 weeks of school holiday but if you and your partner split your leave, you can cover a chunk of that.
Depending on what jobs you do, you might also have employers who are happy for you to work flexibly over the holidays so you need less childcare e.g. I'd work a week's hours over 3 days, so I only needed to pay for 3 days childcare. Or my partner might cover one and a friend would cover one and then I'd only have to pay for 1 day. (I'd look after friend's child on a day off to reciprocate).
Pretty much no one I know has any or much family help. So you just have to get on with it.

And sorry to be the bearer of more bad news ... but your 3 year old won't have free hours over the holiday either. They only count during term time. Although your provider may agree to spread the costs.

Funding is term time only. I work full time and my daughter goes to childcare 5 days a week... We make it work. I think you'd be better off doing evening work or even studying to retrain. What do you enjoy doing? Could you perhaps look at open University? Don't give up hope.

I have zero family to help me. Just DD and I. You just make it work. Definitely look at evening work, night shifts in a super market, it's an honest and proud job to have, super market workers have been heroes during the pandemic.

@Singleparentstruggles I'm very limited on what I can do, I cannot do nights as my partners up at 4 for work and there isn't anyone to take my children to school, I had a carers job lined up with my sisters company and them times was brilliant! But again no-one for my kids during holidays

It is workable, although very tough. We don't have any family to support with childcare so we take our annual leave separately over the holidays which reduces the amount of childcare needed. For the rest we save up over the year.