working student mum with redundancy looming - looking for a little advice please

dmg24

How about studying part time? OU offer Law degrees, or perhaps your uni offers a part time option?

snapping_crocodile

Why does your OH see looking after your son as a burden?

marywooyeah

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Given your first statement, he could have a point!

Did I see you say something about evening lectures as well as classes changing all the time? Where on earth is this university - I've never heard of anything like this!

its nottingham trent - to be honest I haven't either I just assumed there would be a set timetable but every week is different, we get the timetables a month in advance but they differ from week to week

marywooyeah

Morgan_Ree wrote: »

Is working a Saturday completely out of the question?
I know you said you're partner would moan coz he's left looking after the baby (by the way thats real nice of him) but surely he's aware of the situation and therefore needs to compromise

I DO work saturdays every week which makes up half of my working hours, I said that in my first post. he doesnt see looking after our son as a burden, but he works hard mon-fri so its not fair on him to look after him all day saturday and sunday and then go back to work for a full week on the monday

Oldernotwiser

marywooyeah wrote: »

I DO work saturdays every week which makes up half of my working hours, I said that in my first post. he doesnt see looking after our son as a burden, but he works hard mon-fri so its not fair on him to look after him all day saturday and sunday and then go back to work for a full week on the monday

But it would only be for 40 weeks of the academic year!

I think your best bet would be to struggle through the rest of this year with the help of your husband and then transfer your credits to the OU, finishing your law degree with them.

Indie_Kid

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

But it would only be for 40 weeks of the academic year!

I think your best bet would be to struggle through the rest of this year with the help of your husband and then transfer your credits to the OU, finishing your law degree with them.

It may not even be that. My course is only 24 weeks long. April - June (first year; so not affected) is spent doing exams.

snapping_crocodile

marywooyeah wrote: »

I DO work saturdays every week which makes up half of my working hours, I said that in my first post. he doesnt see looking after our son as a burden, but he works hard mon-fri so its not fair on him to look after him all day saturday and sunday and then go back to work for a full week on the monday

I'm sorry to say but he chose to be part of the baby making process so he needs to take his repsonsibility seriously. You cant have a day off having a baby just because you work full time. I suspect you wouldn't have a 'day off ' if you worked in a full time job? I understand where you are coming from, but I think your OH needs to get a bit of perspective and take full responsibility for your child. You are doing a full time course, and working to bring money in, and bring a mother. If you need to work the sunday as well to keep the money coming in then he needs to understand and take his daddy role seriously!

Amanda65

Having re-read this thread again, I think tbh that you are looking to your employer to solve your childcare issues.

If you have worked at the same place for 5 years, then presumably you have taken on the uni course and had the baby since you have been there. I am sure that you thought long and hard before you undertook both and therefore must have worked out how they would both fit in around you working, which you obviously financially have to do.

I ask again how much longer the course is for and if you are coming towards the end, can you and your OH not just soldier on? Your course will no doubt finish in May / June giving you and your OH more time in the summer.

In the current economic climate you are unlikely to find a job for 16 hours a week that is more flexible than your current employer and I would be tempted to go to the meeting on Saturday as pliable as possible and hang on to the job to get through this difficult phase. Do you really want to lose your job, your mortgage and your degree just because you can't / won't see your employers point of view and your OH will have to do a bit of babysitting for his own son

Amanda65

Hi Mary

Wondered how your meeting went yesterday ?

marywooyeah

Amanda65 wrote: »

Having re-read this thread again, I think tbh that you are looking to your employer to solve your childcare issues.

If you have worked at the same place for 5 years, then presumably you have taken on the uni course and had the baby since you have been there. I am sure that you thought long and hard before you undertook both and therefore must have worked out how they would both fit in around you working, which you obviously financially have to do.

I ask again how much longer the course is for and if you are coming towards the end, can you and your OH not just soldier on? Your course will no doubt finish in May / June giving you and your OH more time in the summer.

In the current economic climate you are unlikely to find a job for 16 hours a week that is more flexible than your current employer and I would be tempted to go to the meeting on Saturday as pliable as possible and hang on to the job to get through this difficult phase. Do you really want to lose your job, your mortgage and your degree just because you can't / won't see your employers point of view and your OH will have to do a bit of babysitting for his own son

Yes I had my baby while I was working here, went back to work dec 08 and started uni oct 09, my employer was fine with me working whatever hours I wanted in the week and only saturdays. I would like to make it clear that my OH does not consider our son a burden and is not refusing to look after him at all, its just that after 5 days full time work and having him on saturdays too sunday is the only time he gets off a week. I CAN see my employers point of view, and I can see my OH's point of view aswell, I'm trying to be as flexible as possible for everyone but with the shop only open 9-5:30 and uni timetable being so erratic it is difficult to do so. the course ends in may and exams are in june, so my employer said he would speak to the area manager about the posssibility of taking someone else on a temporary contract until my exams are over so I wont have to worry about redundancy anymore.
In my first post I asked for advice on redundancy and recieved absolutely none.