Can't decide if worth while being a working Mum of 4!

Mama_Lucas

I could do with a little advice from other mums!

I'm currently on maternity leave from having baby number four. I usually work as a part time teaching assistant and love my job. BUT and its a big but I've been calculating what tax credits and housing benefit we're entitled to if I stay at home and then a separate calculation for if I go back to work at the end of my leave. I'm not sure that I'll actually be earning any money once child care has been paid for.
I phoned tax credits and housing benefit directly for estimates as the online calculators drive me potty!!
The figures they've given me are;

My partner and myself working with £125.00 p/w child care costs.
Tax Credits £263.48
Housing Benefit £43.55
Wages £376.88
Total p/w £683.91
Total minus childcare p/w £588.91

My partner working, myself being a sahm.
Tax Credits £201.60
Housing Benefit £143.23
Wages £264.00
Total p/w £608.83

Thing is I'm not sure I'm cut out to be a stay at home mum!! But according to the figures above we'll be worse off by me working by nearly £20 a week. Working for nothings seems daft, especially as my partner works full time (he's out 7am till 6pm) so can't help with any school runs etc to reduce the childcare costs and stress of organizing it all.
Also I'm really conscious of people thinking we're scroungers with claiming tax credits and housing benefit and only one of us working!
Just wondering if anyone has had estimates from tax credits and housing benefit and they've been way off the mark?
I've used the entitled to website which said we'd be even better off by me not working!!
Many thanks in advance.

Spendless

Where I live people would sell their kidneys for a part-time term-time job, they are so hard to get into (unless you volunteer for several years first). How old are your other children?

Mama_Lucas

I know! Thats another reason why I don't want to give it up! It took me two years of volunteering before any school would even give me a chance to be interviewed. My children are 8, 5, 3 and 7 months.

Takeaway_Addict

There is more to work than just money IMO. Self esteem, friendships, adult conversation, not being stuck in the house constantly etc etc

To me you should view it as £20 cost to stay sane

Bluemeanie_2

I agree with Takeaway-addict. Also, I hate to say it as well, but your Hubby could clear off tomorrow and screw you over (go to the CSA board for some examples) and you could have no job, no maintenance or anything.

Spendless

Mama_Lucas wrote: »

I know! Thats another reason why I don't want to give it up! It took me two years of volunteering before any school would even give me a chance to be interviewed. My children are 8, 5, 3 and 7 months.

Then I wouldn't. I'm guessing the 2 older ones don't incur any childcare costs? The 3 yo must be entitled to nursery funding soon, if not currently getting it and will be will be a year or so off going into Reception? That only leaves the baby. Can you take as much maternity leave as you are entitled to, even the unpaid bit. It then means you wouldn't pay childcare for as long with the 3 yo. Can you find a Nursery that fit with your work hours eg the school nursery mine went to, no longer offers just am or pm sessions they also offer all day Mon tues, wed am or wed pm all day thurs, fri and attend a lunchclub between morning and afternoon sessions- parents may pay for this, not sure but it'd be negligible compared to paying childcare, as some childminders charge for the time a child is in nursery and not everywhere offers a term-time only contract.

embob74

I had the same issue when I had my DD. With 2 children under 2 it wasn't financially economical to go to work and OH works long hours so could never be relied on to help with the childcare. I was quite shocked that we would be better off with tax credits paying more for me to stay at home than my wages minus childcare costs would equate to.
So much for being better off working!!

However I have now come to the stage that I am stir crazy in the house and am looking for part-time work knowing that we will be worse off financially but worth it for my sanity!

DS is nearly 3 though so at least I know the childcare costs will drop and more so when he's at school next year and hopefully my earnings can increase after a few years, even if it's due to taking on more hours.

I am glad I waited until DD is over 1 year as I've seen all the important milestones and also hopefully her immune system will be able to cope with all the germs they pick up at nursery. I did used to panic that if I went back to work and the children were ill I would lose out on wages and still have to pay childcare they weren't using and then we would end up being quite a lot worse off working!

Counting_Pennies_2

I guess the questions are do you get anything out of the job.

Do you enjoy it. Do you still have energy at the end of the day to look after your family.

If the answers are yes, then I would stick with the job.

As previous posters have mentioned it will be just your baby who you will need to pay childcare costs for, as school will start very soon, and if you take the full amount of time off you will be even closer there.

Some schools offer morning only TA roles for the older part of the school, have you considered asking them if you could take on one of those roles then you could fit it all in with preschool hours for your 3 year old with perhaps a friend dropping off and picking up to tide you over those extra few minutes for the odd evening babysitting favour in return?

I also wonder if baby is in nursery for the full amount of time alloted to that day that it would enable you to get the after school activities achieved. You will then be giving the other children your time without baby requirements. So the £20 might be what you need to sacrifice for harmony all round.

Mama_Lucas

Spendless wrote: »

I'm guessing the 2 older ones don't incur any childcare costs? The 3 yo must be entitled to nursery funding soon, if not currently getting it and will be will be a year or so off going into Reception? That only leaves the baby. Can you take as much maternity leave as you are entitled to, even the unpaid bit. It then means you wouldn't pay childcare for as long with the 3 yo. Can you find a Nursery that fit with your work hours.

I'm lucky enough to have a relative who can do the school runs for me on working days for the three older children. My 3 year old is already entitled to the nursery funding and attends a pre-school within the school my older children go to five mornings a week for free. Before maternity leave my relative was also looking after the three year old in the afternoons on the days I worked. She can continue to do this with is fantastic so it's just paid childcare for my little one. I have been planning to take the additional unpaid maternity leave and go back to work in September which will make it a little easier. As for term time only childcare, I haven't been able to find a nursery or child minder locally who will not charge for the school holidays. I've put babies name down for an all year round nursery that all the others went to so makes me feel more comfortable!
The school have been asking parents if we would like them to run a breakfast and after school club which could mean relying less on relatives for the older two at least.

Mama_Lucas

Thank you everyone for the replies. Its been really helpful to hear other opinions. Most of which echo the things I have already been thinking!

mysk_girl

I'm doing these sums to be a working mum of 3 from September. I will still make a profit, although very small. OH and I have decided to slog it out for a year until middle one goes to school which suddenly changes to figures to look much better! Then another 18 months on, the baby will get the nursery funding and we will be very nicely off. Very worth it in my mind, although I won't be working at a loss at any point.