since when has 8am to 6.15pm been 'child-friendly' hours?

[wheelsonthebus]

looking for work, i was recently interviewed for a full-time job where the hours were 8-7pm, and one Sunday in three. When I said i needed to pick up my daughter at 7, so would have to leave at 6.15pm, i was told i wouldn't find a full-time job if i insisted on child friendly hours. excuse me, but when was 10-plus hours a day 'child friendly'. am i going mad?

No, you are not going mad, but a job offering those hours was always going to be tricky, I think. What line of work was it?

8-7 is a long day by anyones standards. Is it in retail/catering/manufacturing? They are renowned for long hours but can also usually offer some form of flexiblity. Keep looking, you don't want to work for someone with that attitude.

No, you're not mad. That is not childfriendly. Childfriendly is 9.30-10am to allow you to do school run then finish at 3pm to collect. Or some variation which allows you to see more of your children.

i didn't know the hours until i had the interview; was hoping for some (incy wincy) flexibility but wasn't offered any. the hours are long because it's a nine day fortnight. neverthless...
it was a job in broadcasting.

That is not childfriendly at all!
are you going to turn it down?

Ah - ha - broadcasing eh?

Many jobs in TV, particularly in production, have these kinds of hours.

Fornightly rotas are hard. We run one where I work and the staff are happy to some extent but if they have DC they want the alternative shift which we try and accommodate. Keep looking, as I said earlier there are lots of employers grasping at PT or "flexi" workers they just don't advertise it enough.

yes; i turned it down. was gutted doing so.
But i just hated the idea of never dropping off my dd at nursery in the mornings or picking her up and seeing her do that lovely little joyful dance she does when i walk thru the door to pick her up at nights.
and then the prospect, if id did do the job, of tagging a nanny onto the nursery (like our child care isn't expensive enough)
anyway, as a result we are broke. does life ever get easier?