When to return to work after youngest child goes to full-time school

izoomzoom

Sorry, but why all the emphasis on school leaving qualifications ? I do not know what ECDL after CLAIT and text & word are (apart from perhaps computer skills) but surely you are at an age where you do not need these qualifications.

The way cv's are presented these days with emphasis being placed on 'skills' as long as you can present evidence of those (and you will be amazed at how many parenting skills are called for in the work force) you shouldn't have much trouble.

I never finished school, but am computer literate and currently work in a small retail store (which is part of a huge co) and a large majority of my day is office admin.

Failing which, why don't you offer to volunteer - you could gain valuable office skills there (either a school, charity, church or perhaps something to do with the council) ?

Spendless

Sometimes job adverts say a minimum of 5 GCSE's including Maths and English. The one I saw the other day did.

CLAIT is computer literacy and information technology. Text processing is I suppose what was once called typing. Word is typing but using graphs and cut and paste etc.

I have been out of the office type work I did, since my eldest was born 8 years ago and technology has advanced a lot, which is why I saw the need to go back to college to gain computer skills.

I had thought of voluntary work, but wouldn't know where to look for ad admin type of voluntary work.

My tutor has told me that course fees are going up a lot in September, so maybe I would be better off remaining at college for a while longer.

Savvy_Sue

Another question is that presumably a Maths GCSE course started in September - any chance of joining it late? You're not daft, you've already got a CSE grade 2 so not completely innumerate, probably just rusty.

A sensible employer would have a numeracy test to give you if it was helpful but not vital to be numerate. An agency probably would have. I wouldn't let the lack of it put you off applying for jobs which SAY they need GCSE Maths.

Spendless

When I started this thread, I had applied for 2 jobs. Both jobs I could do but if I didn't get anywhere at least it was experience in filling in application forms. I left it very last minute despite getting the applications early and only filled them in the day before the dead-line. I haven't got thru to an interview with either, but I've learnt a lesson in preparing earlier and reading thru the job description and the person spec. eg on on one of the jobs I found too late that I'd left off a desirable I had as I didn't think it was relevant.

Meanwhile my tutor has returned from having an op and told me the CLAIT plus diploma I'm interested in doing is currently running at a reduced price and the funding will be taken away in September. I don't want to leave it later than jan 09 to job-hunt so it makes sense to enroll on this within the next couple of weeks.

The maths I am still not sure whether to put level 2 or GCSE in and when to do it and need to give it some further thought.

Something I had not thought about at all till Savvy Sue mentioned it, was it was all right in theory DH saying he was going to be less busy, but the reality may have been something totally different. :rolleyes:

So I am returning to the plan A I had which is to stop at college for the rest of 2008, which means I am home for the school holidays for this year and will look for a job next year.

helen81_2

Do what is best for you and your familys circumstances at the time I say.
Good luck, Helen x

amandada

Are you in a position where you could work in the evening, if your dh is reliably home on the evenings?

I do this and it works well for us, he comes in from work and I go out! (ok so it's only 3 nights out of 6!)
We never have to worry about school holidays, inservice days, children being off ill etc....and we don't have to shell out for child care-BONUS!!

Spendless

amandada wrote: »

Are you in a position where you could work in the evening, No I'm not.

if your dh is reliably home on the evenings? :rotfl: :rotfl: I've had to tell my SIL I'll come back to her about whether I can go swimming at 8pm on Wednesday cos he's working away.

I do this and it works well for us, he comes in from work and I go out! (ok so it's only 3 nights out of 6!)
We never have to worry about school holidays, inservice days, children being off ill etc....and we don't have to shell out for child care-BONUS!!

I used to do this when we had 1 child and my husband had a more regular hours job. Since then he's changed jobs and employers but his work can take him all over the U.K and there is no pattern to it. That is something likely to become worse as he is Project Manager of a large project this year, which is why I've decided it would be better to wait till 2009 when the project WILL be over.:)

Violetta_2

SmileyHappyBeing wrote: »

Sorry, dont mean to sound stupid but how does that work?

I would have problems with childcare in school holidays and never realised about this.

Thanks..

My work can do a Term Time rota basically you only work eg 39 weeks of the year but your wages are spread out evenly over the 52 weeks of the year. Not sure if all companies that do it do the same you would need to check.

Spendless

Just thought I'd update what happened next. DH project has been put back till end of year, so really it's just as well I didn't take anything on though I still keep kicking myself for not applying for a local job which was 2 afternoons and 1 weekend day.

Meanwhile dd's school is running nvq level 2 maths there 1 morning a week, so I'm doing this as it's free.:p

I'm waiting for my results to come thru for my text processing level 3 and my clait plus certificate. Assumming I've passed them, I'll also enrol on the clait plus diploma before the price goes up, and that will keep me occupied for the first full-term in the next academic year, whilst I'm waiting for dh's project to finish.

oh and I'm also amost:rotfl: at the end of de-cluttering the house.:j

the_other_mce

When my youngest started school full-time I worked at the school as a dinner lady - sorry Lunchtime supervisor and later as a teaching assistant. I wasn't ready to abandon my kids for the world of work at that point. It was reassuring to see them settled and I earn't a little bit of money in the meantime; also if they were ill it was quite simple to take time off - the school were very supportive. It was a good decision as far as I was concerned - both mine caught chicken pox (within a fortnight of each other!) and both had tonsillitis a couple of months later- I spent more time off work with my babies (!) than I spent at work initially!!!
When my youngest was in yr 2 I finally went back to work (school hours only) but in a far more rewarding job - like you I had studied hard while they were babies to keep my qualifications up. As things stand - I still work part-time - my kids will always come first until they are settled in secondary school - I try to keep in mind the fact that time with children is once in a lifetime, I have to be there for them if they need me, not palming them off on someone else -there will always be time for work....