Job share vs part-time job & childcare

Spendless

Recently I saw a job advertised 2 full days a week but it was a job share. The ad said would have to cover full-time for hols and sickness.

So I started thinking when I do go back to work 2 full days would suit me fine but do I really want it to be a job share where for so many weeks a year I would have to work full-time.

That would mean on those weeks I would have to use full-time childcare for my kids. I have absolutely nothing against childcare and have used it since both mine turned 2 (creches, pre-school, nurseries, breakfast club, holiday playschemes). The kids like them but I don't know that I want them going for full week even if only temporary. Hubby works away a lot so can't always help out and even if it could it would reduce his hols and threfore reduce time we spend together as a family. At the moment sons out of school club is new and not full and can probably accommodate ad-hoc (which is what the extra days would be), but as time goes on and gets fuller they may not be able to. I have some limited family help from nan and MIL but both have some health problems and nan is elderly so though they can give some help I can't rely on them permananetly nor do I wish to do so. If cover fell in school hols childcare though more available will be more expensive.

Alternatively a friend has told me about a possible 10-2 job Mon-Fri, which whilst wonderful for school pick ups drops offs means being out 5 days a week in the hols. Possibly I'd have to pay for full-day care too as half days tend to only be up to 1pm. Again if I used a local playscheme family could help out by picking up at 1pm but I can't depend on it.

This is all possibly hypothetical at the min as I'm at college until summer and DD isn't in full-time school till Sept 07 but I've started thinking about the sort of hours i wish to do and would appreciate peoples input.

Ideally between 2 to 3 full days a week that wasn't a job share (so I didn't need to cover) would be fantastic but how likely am I to find something

Counting_Pennies_2

My advice to you is if you aren't in a rush to get a job which it sounds like you might not be, you could keep an eye on jobs coming up at the local council and local schools, as they often do term time only part-time posts.

Log on to the Council's website often it is www.(the name of the town or borough).gov.uk or search on google. Go to the jobs page and often they have a facility to search for schools jobs on the same website.

If you can't wait for the ideal job to come along and need to take a job now, I personally would go for the two day job share. Most people only have four weeks holiday, some four, and you may be able to negotiate with your employer not to have to work every day when covering holidays and sickness, or if you do, maybe for just a couple of hours each day, which maybe your nan or MIL could cope with.

Often a company who is flexible to offer job shares are flexible when it comes to the cover.

With four or five weeks cover per year as opposed to having to do the whole year over 5 days I would prefer the job share.

Hope that helps

conradmum

I'm currently doing a job share and I would like to warn you to think carefully before taking this step. Depending on the job and who you're working with, it can be a real nightmare. If you're sharing with someone who can't do the job properly or who's lazy and leaves all the work to you, it can be very difficult to do anything about it. If you complain you could make the situation worse, and if you don't complain you end up doing the other person's job for them without getting paid for it.
From the childcare angle, my son goes to a nursery and it would be nigh on impossible for me to get extra days a week on an ad hoc basis. They just don't have the room.
If I were you I would wait for something more predictable. What if your counterpart is off sick one morning and they expect you to come in instead and you can't get childcare?

Spendless

Thanks for the replies. I am not really in a rush to find anything. Financially we can manage ok, not wonderfully for 'extras' but certainly enough to pay the bills.
Since I had my eldest 6 years ago I have either worked part-time in shops or as a dinner lady or been a SAHM. Technology had advanced so much that I could no longer apply for admin jobs (the type of work I used to do and what I'd like to go back to doing).
So I enrolled at college, putting youngest in nursery. the course finishes this summer and though I don't need to find anything just yet cos DD has just got nursery funding for turning 3 and our childcare costs have reduced I am in a position to apply if the right job came along IYSWIM.

Alternatively DD is due in the school nursery doing 1/2 days this Sept and I can probably find a small college course to do round that. That would qualify me more and give me the advantage of another year of school hols off to spend with them.

The job I saw was for the days I'm at college anyway so I couldn't do it and I doubt they'd wait till mid june for me. What I was wondering was whether to write and say not in a position to apply now but bare me in mind in future. the friend that has told me about the 10-2 job, it won't vbecome available till some time next year.

I asked hubby about what he thought to the pros and cons of each job but apparantly I 'overthink' things:rolleyes: . Pointing out that he doesn't have to take into consideration whether he finishes at 2pm or 8pm each day cos I'm here just lead to a 'heated discussion'. hence me asking for advice on here.

I must admit part of my worrying about whether to find a job now or not is to do with my age as I will be 41 as DD starts full-time school and will have been out of the type of work I'm looking for for about 8 years by then.

plumpmouse

There are part time jobs out there that do just want people for a couple of days.

I apllied for a job and stated I only wanted 2 days and they took me on.

Supermarkets and shops may be a good place to try.

Spendless

plumpmouse wrote:

There are part time jobs out there that do just want people for a couple of days.

I apllied for a job and stated I only wanted 2 days and they took me on.

Supermarkets and shops may be a good place to try.

Thanks but I don't really want supermarket or shop work though. The reason why is you tend (round here at least) to get evenings/weekends/bank holiday work in with your hours. Evenings are not possible due to hubbys job and I prefer to spend the other times with the family.

savingstill

I work 10 - 2 Mon - fri & during school its fine , but its a real pain in school holdays or when a note is sent home from school with additional days off. luckily my husband is OK about taking days off to look after DS, but I do feel guilty as he is the main breadwinner.
hope it works out Ok for you

Spendless

savingstill wrote:

I work 10 - 2 Mon - fri & during school its fine , but its a real pain in school holdays or when a note is sent home from school with additional days off. luckily my husband is OK about taking days off to look after DS, but I do feel guilty as he is the main breadwinner.
hope it works out Ok for you

How do you find only having a tiny bit of time outside of work times to get anything done without kids or even have some time to yourself? finding childcare in the hols won't be a problem as there are several holiday playschemes here and the one at sons school will also open TT days, it's more the cost of the childcare and that I wouldn't often get full days with them in the hols that bothers me.

savingstill

Spendless,
I think I understand what you are saying. I have all next week off , two weeks in the summer & one in autumm, also five additional days & bank Hols! My son is 11yo & I only went back to work 2.5yrs ago! We are very close but I can't be there all the time. I go to badminton on Monday evenings & get lots done if he in the house or not. My husband also loves spending time with him & its great they get along so well.

PS, it wouldn't pay me to go out to work if I was paying for care.

Spendless

savingstill wrote:

Spendless,
I think I understand what you are saying. I have all next week off , two weeks in the summer & one in autumm, also five additional days & bank Hols! My son is 11yo & I only went back to work 2.5yrs ago! We are very close but I can't be there all the time. I go to badminton on Monday evenings & get lots done if he in the house or not. My husband also loves spending time with him & its great they get along so well.

PS, it wouldn't pay me to go out to work if I was paying for care.

ah right, possibly getting things done round one 11 year old is different to one 3 year old and one 6 year old. I can totally understand at his age you've got nice work hours. Childcare costs for us as long as they're not extreme would not be too bad cos hubbys employer offers chilcare vouchers and due to company car hubby is 40% tax payer so quite a reduction for us.
Good point about BH I hadn't thought of that.
Hmmm bit more to ponder over.

savingstill

Spendless wrote:

ah right, possibly getting things done round one 11 year old is different to one 3 year old and one 6 year old. I can totally understand at his age you've got nice work hours. Childcare costs for us as long as they're not extreme would not be too bad cos hubbys employer offers chilcare vouchers and due to company car hubby is 40% tax payer so quite a reduction for us.
Good point about BH I hadn't thought of that.
Hmmm bit more to ponder over.

I worked full time when my daughters (23yrs & 20yrs)were @ primary school, but I would not recomend it to anyone! :rolleyes: