which job should I choose?

[redleaves75]

I have a bit of a dilemma and would appreciate some thoughts.
After returning from maternity leave, I have the choice of two permanent jobs to go back to. One is Mon-Fri in the office. The other is shift work across 7 days. The shift work one is definitely more interesting and I will only need to put LO in daycare on my working days, not on the days off during the week but I will see less of my husband (nights and weekends). I could also work .9 per fortnight due to the shift penalties increasing the income..
With the Mon-Fri option, we could work a 19 day month and have an RDO together as well as standard weekends.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

What's an RDO?

Rostered Day off, so working an extra half hour or so each day to accrue enough time for a day off in the month

I would stick with the Mon to Friday. Much easier and shifts are awful for any socialising and relationships

Oh, OK.

What about childcare, would that be difficult if you were working shifts?

childcare will be ok as my husband can do drop offs and pick ups but not as easy once she goes to school

Hmm, I think you should work out how much each option will cost in terms of childcare, and how many days you'll spend with your partner and DC with each as well.

How old is your DC now? I don't love the idea of taking the job that makes everything more difficult once they go to school.

Do both jobs pay similarly / have similar pensions and opportunities to progress?

Seriously Monday to Friday. It is easier to source paid childcare for regular times. With a shift pattern you are likely to still have to pay for weekday childcare even if you don't use it unless you shift is the same days all the time. So it is possible you won't make the savings you think you might.

Does your childcare allow you to just book days as and when you need them for shift work? Most require you to secure the place wether you need it or not.