Advice for changing to part time work from full time

Louisa_2

I returned to work full time in September after being on maternity leave with our first baby, a son (now 15 months and a complete joy) for nearly a year. I presumed that me working full time was a financial necessity for our new family but am now faced with a undeniable truth: I hate it. It needs to change even if it means that I can never buy a pair of ridiculously impractical but gorgeous shoes again

I need to be with my son more for both our sakes and think I will end up going a bit loopy if I can't spend more time with him, doing what I do best, being mummy. But financiallly I have to work, so am needing to find ways of moving heaven and earth to make a compromise.

But I don't know where to even start.

Help! It's been so upsetting that I can't even think clearly about what avenues to explore, have spent last week in tears at the awfulness of how the situation makes me feel.

Any suggestions?

Amanda65

Hi Louisa. I really feel for you - I have always been in the enviable position of working part-time. Although it has meant quite a few financial restraints this has been more than made up for by being able to spend time with my children (they're now 15, 13 and 10).

I think my starting point would be to work out what you actually need to live on each month, and how much of your salary you actually see after you've paid for childcare, travelling costs etc. Are you able to go part-time in the line of work you do - if so speak to your employers and find out what they can offer you. If not you'll need to do a bit of research in the local paper to see what part-time positions pay. Good luck x

bigburd

I have 3 children with the fourth on the way. I didn't work at all while the others were under a year but with this one I will be going back part-time. During the time since my eldest child was born I have worked full-time, part-time, evenings and flex-time!!
Firstly you should phone the tax credit people as they will tell you how much you are entitled to if you have a rough idea how much you will be earning. You then need to complete an Income/Expenditure form (there's one on this site!!) to show you how much money you will have. Making sure you are paying the best price for insurances, utilities etc before you work it out helps too, because it all adds up. Your travelling expenses/lunches/collections for colleagues etc make a difference to your spending every month too!!! The only drawback I found in working part-time with young children was that the other members of the household kindoff expect you to do the majority of the housework because you're at home anyway, but the extra time is for you to spend with your little one, not the hoover, and I found it helpful to point that out every now-and-again LOL!! Good luck and remember the years before school fly in - you wouldn't be part-time forever. x

Savvy_Sue

You might also consider going to see your GP or talking to your Health Visitor. It does sound as if going part-time would be helpful, but you sound depressed, and that may make it difficult for you to do what needs to be done to get there, if that makes sense.

mummytofour

Fist of all how much is childdcare costing you? say £600 a month? now you can afford to take a £600 a month pay cut! I have pretty much always worked full time or part time, up until number 4 came along, by which point the tax credits pretty much coverd my loss of pay, I may have to start working again once 5 is here as we are just buying a new house with double the morgage, but we shall see.

Good luck, kids do come first and I have to say i will now only work if its dh looking after the children as its to much agro otherwise and costs to much"!

Poppy9

First clarify why you think you need to work from a financial aspect. Is it to enable you to take 1 or more holidays a year. Is it to move to a bigger nicer house or buy a new car.

I went part-time 11 years ago. I would never go back full time. Financially it was hard. We couldn't afford to run two cars, we couldn't afford to buy new furniture or go on holiday. However what I gained was so much more. Time with my DD. She didn't notice that any of the above were missing. We had free trips to the park and beach with a picnic on days I didn't work. Mother and toddler clubs cost just a £1 a visit and you have adult company for a few hours. You can do it.

If I went back to work full time we would soon eat up the extra money. We now manage holidays and run two cars but we will never be well off but thats fine.

You will notice that when you go part-time you will not lose 50% of your pay as you will pay a lot less tax etc. Generally speaking if you reduce your hours by 50% your pay will reduce by 40% take home.

Counting_Pennies_2

Have you checked your right to tax credits, does your company offer childcare vouchers, that saves a huge amount on childcare, I work very part-time hence only pay £200 a month on childcare, and yet save £80 a month on the vouchers.

Look at your childcare cost, do you know of a good childminder recommended by other mums you know who charges less than the current childcare.

Can your other half put in for flexible working for one day a week to save on child care costs. That way perhaps you could both have one day off a week reducing child care costs (naturally that would only be beneficial if he earns similar to yourself).

Could you do a childcare swap with a good friend (say from NCT class you have known since their birth?), i.e. you look after their kid one day in return for one day a week they look after yours, that way you save at least one childcare day.

When it comes to asking your work to go part-time, you need to look at whether a similar role to yours has been able to function part-time, was the role split during your maternity leave between a few people, hence be proven it could be a job share role. It is important before you put in a request for flexible working, that you do as much research as you can to prove to your employer it is possible for your role to be reduced to part-time.

Do your sums, work out what you can do, be flexible with your employer when you put in your request, for example, don't say I want to work 'x' days, instead say how you see the role could be split, how much you propose is carried out by yourself in terms of hours, the rough number of days you propose and how the remainder of the role would be covered. Remember your company may see it differently, and if they can prove they have reasonably considered the offer and don't see it viable they do have a right to say no, although there is the right of appeal.

My best advice is to go into the request flexible, without banging on about rights, being approachable to ideas from the company and see how it goes. A boss likes nothing less than being told by their member of staff that they have a right in law to work part time, these are the hours they propose and folding their arms! I am sure that isn't how you propose, but you would be amazed how many people approach it this way!

hope this helps

Mado

Talk to your employer about part-time work. I think they HAVE to make it an option.
For child-care it is easier to work a reduced number of days rather than reduced hours daily. Saves on commuting time as well.

I have worked part-time since my first one was born (now on 3rd) and couldn't think of going full-time again.

Pal

If you have children under 5 your employer has to CONSIDER any request for part time working, and has to give written reasons if they are rejecting your application.

hex2

Talk to your employers first - they have a legal obligation to consider it. There is a standard form to you to fill in on dti website under flexible working http://www.dti.gov.uk/er/individual/flexforms.htm
Full days is usually easier and cheaper for childcare. Also avoid Mondays - your annual holiday entitlement will be pro rata to full time and you will have to book any bank holidays you should have worked out of your holiday entitlement. Nursery will be closed and will usually charge you for the day anyway. Try and spread your days out over the week so that if they are ill you are not having to take two days (unpaid whilst paying for childcare) in a row off. Most nurseries give a 10% discount for full time, so dropping to four days isn't often cost effective as you only save 10%. Eligibility for child tax credit etc depends on you or your partner doing 16 hours per week or more.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Good luck with

Counting_Pennies_2

Mado wrote:

Talk to your employer about part-time work. I think they HAVE to make it an option.

Legally they only have to reasonably consider the request. If they can prove it isn't a reasonable request, i.e. major disruption to the organisation, not finding someone to work the remainder of the role, or some posts require the same person's knowledge throughout the week, it does occasionally result in it not being possible to get the part-time request honoured.

As I said in my previous post, the more professional you are at putting in the request, remaining flexible and not being uptight about the request the better your chances are.