Freelancers - what are your childcare arrangements?

[Schulte]

Am thinking about going freelance (PR). I have done it before but this time I have two dcs, 1yo and 3yo, and I am not sure what I should plan for them in terms of childcare. They currently go to nursery 4 days a week but I would certainly not earn enough to cover the fees in the first few months. Then again, if I only send them for one or 2 days, I may not be flexible enough to actually do any work and earn money in the first place. Just wondering how other people have solved this dilemma???

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i have a chilcare student with me on placement. she looks after dd but i am in next room- it's fab!

I'd been working freelance on and off for years but decided to take on more work when DS (DC3) started nursery. He started going three mornings a week, which meant it was quite difficult if work arrived on e.g. a Monday afternoon as I wouldn't be able to start on it properly until Wednesday morning. It did get easier when he went to nursery five mornings a week, which isn't too expensive here so I was earning more than enough to cover the fees.

All three DC are now at school or Kindergarten, but I must admit I often feel like I'm struggling to fit a full-time job into part-time hours. Getting all my work done in the mornings often isn't practical (DD1 is home from school at around 12) so I often work in the evenings or at weekends as well. One thing that makes it easier as they get older is that they now go and play at friends' houses more often - and fortunately I have a couple of friends who are happy to help out when work is very hectic (though I don't like to rely on them too often and obviously try to return the favour).

Nursery fees here are ridiculously high and they won't take children under 2 for half days so I have to put DD2 in for at least 2 full days to make it work... maybe an au pair would be an option?

I'm a freelance journalist with 3-year-old DTs. I found that working two days a week with the children at nursery (Tues and Thurs) really worked for me - I was just massively disciplined on those days, got done what I could and found that because I was working on alternate days in the early and latter part of the week, I was able to keep on top of things. On the days inbetween when the DTs were home with me, I'd use the quieter moments (when they were playing happily together/napping/chilled) to catch up on emails on the laptop - either in the same room as them, or in the kitchen next door. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't a nightmare, either. Was able to cover nursery fees and make a profit, too.
Things are changing for us again, though - have secured a preschool place for them locally where they'll be doing five half days a week (well, three hours per day). Means a massive shift in my working pattern as I won't have a full day to concentrate on stuff, but will have to chop stuff up into bite-sized pieces. But we'll adapt!
Good luck with whatever you decide - can honestly say that in career terms, going freelance was the best thing I've ever done. I've done some really rewarding work over the last few years and feel I've more recognition than if I'd stayed in my previous job and not made the leap into the world of the self-employed. And no wrestling with office politics, or begging for time off when the kids are ill! (Which they are, frequently).
Really hope it all works out for you.

I'm self-employed, and have a nanny who works usually 25 hours a week for me, but with flexibility when I need it - ie changing hours or days to accommodate client meetings or whatever.

Works really well for me, and I do more than cover her salary, but obviously initially there was a time where I wasn't, or wasn't every month. But I took the view that I wasn't going to be able to earn enough without the childcare in the first place, so had to take a 'hit' for a little while.

I have childcare Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (when I started out it was just Tues & Wed), with the flexibility to add extra sessions if I need them. In practise I find most people want meetings in the middle of the week in any case. You need to find a setting which is not completely full and can do extra sessions though - I had this initially with a less-poular nursery for DD1, and now a fantastically flexible childminder - it helps that Mon and Fri are not such popular days, and in extremis she will send her own DS to his grandparents, to be able to fit my DDs in!

my childcare arrangements are...haphazard.
getting abit more organised now dd is in pre school, but dc2 is on it's way, so not sure how things will pan out.....
I work the sort of freelance that is ridiculously full on for a couple of months, then barely anything for a couple of months, so it's been very difficult to plan, have relied on family and friends alot. Getting children christened so as well as family they have godparents who feel slightly obliged to help out is a good idea imo

Hi, thanks everyone for tips. Yes I had thought that if they go to nursery two days, it will need to be something like Tue & Thu. There's always drop-in creche for last minute childcare I suppose... and friends... so nobody here has an au pair then? And how do you find a part time nanny? That sounds like an interesting option.

I put an ad for a nanny on Gumtree and one of the nanny job websites, can't remember which one now- they'd be able to advise you on the Childminders Au Pairs Nannies etc board.