Balancing working with childcare - your experiences?
Jul 27th 2009, 2:20 pm
#17
slanderer of the innocent
Joined: Dec 2008
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 6,695
Jul 27th 2009, 6:44 pm
#18
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Oct 2007
Location: In a darkened room somewhere.............
Posts: 34,175
Re: Balancing working with childcare - your experiences?
Don't assume that everywhere is so cheap though - £10 an hour here which makes it prohibitive for me to work outside the home.
Jul 27th 2009, 10:04 pm
#19
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2009
Location: Okotoks
Posts: 23
Re: Balancing working with childcare - your experiences?
Thanks all for your comments - it seems there is a wide range of opinions out there so I guess I will have to wait and see
In response to the first comment, I do believe the UK childcare is worth every penny I pay for it - the staff at my sons nursery are absolutely fantastic and he loves going there - it is a shame that their wages are not higher because they do an amazing job, but at the end of the day there is always the question whether it is worth going to work if the childcare costs are going to work out to be more than is coming in!
In response to the first comment, I do believe the UK childcare is worth every penny I pay for it - the staff at my sons nursery are absolutely fantastic and he loves going there - it is a shame that their wages are not higher because they do an amazing job, but at the end of the day there is always the question whether it is worth going to work if the childcare costs are going to work out to be more than is coming in!
Jul 27th 2009, 11:13 pm
#20
C'mon already
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: The Asylum
Posts: 841
Re: Balancing working with childcare - your experiences?
I've found it difficult - my kids are older than yours, but not old enough to be left on their own and I didn't want them in before or after school child minding (plus in order to facilitate too many after-school clubs and the need to don my taxi hat!), I've found it a bit of an issue to find a good quality part-time job with flexibility. In the UK I had a well-paid part-time job where I was able to work around my husband's shifts.
I suppose it comes down to need - we can muddle and sometimes struggle by without me earning - but I need to bring in something. A full time job locally or in the city would end up potentially being a 7am to 5pm day. It doesn't work for us/me on several levels. Never mind a new wardrobe and travel costs.
Plus sorting out all the school Professional Development days would be awkward too. Honestly, without finding super lovely and reliable and cheap child-minders, it's hard to sort out kids without the friends and family back up that we all sometimes used to rely on in the UK.
Now my kids are a bit older, and we know more people, things are getting easier.
Others will now report wildly differing views to my own of course
School bus driving and retail seem to be the options for many I know - and these are professional women with a variety of skills that could be put to better use (no offence to retail workers - been there, done that) - by that, I mean they could earn more in other fields, except for their childcare issues!
I can foresee one more year in retail coming up for me, before being able to properly dedicate myself to more hours. Hey ho, it pays for the groceries.
I suppose it comes down to need - we can muddle and sometimes struggle by without me earning - but I need to bring in something. A full time job locally or in the city would end up potentially being a 7am to 5pm day. It doesn't work for us/me on several levels. Never mind a new wardrobe and travel costs.
Plus sorting out all the school Professional Development days would be awkward too. Honestly, without finding super lovely and reliable and cheap child-minders, it's hard to sort out kids without the friends and family back up that we all sometimes used to rely on in the UK.
Now my kids are a bit older, and we know more people, things are getting easier.
Others will now report wildly differing views to my own of course
School bus driving and retail seem to be the options for many I know - and these are professional women with a variety of skills that could be put to better use (no offence to retail workers - been there, done that) - by that, I mean they could earn more in other fields, except for their childcare issues!
I can foresee one more year in retail coming up for me, before being able to properly dedicate myself to more hours. Hey ho, it pays for the groceries.
I'm in the same situation as you, Ann. My kids are 11 and 6. I work part-time but in a professional job which I have trained hard for. The kids go into the breakfast club at school, but I am there to pick them up at 3pm. However, now it's the school holidays and I am having to put them in the club all day, every day until I can take my hols, it is costing me an absolute fortune. I also have to pay for all the 'Inset Days' that the teachers take here or take some holiday (paid or unpaid, depending on how much I have left).
My 11 year old starts comp in September so I will not have any childcare for her when these Inset Days crop up, will have to sort something out there.
I want to work when we move over to NS next year but worry about the childcare situation as well.
Does anyone know what age a child can be left on their own at home during the day over there? Also, what is the minimum age a child can be left to babysit?
Karen
Jul 27th 2009, 11:21 pm
#21
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2007
Location: North
Posts: 1,357
Re: Balancing working with childcare - your experiences?
Agreed that the prices vary from area to area. I would say child care at £10 per hour would be at the higher end of the scale though in my experience.
Jul 28th 2009, 1:05 am
#22
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,710
Re: Balancing working with childcare - your experiences?
Jul 28th 2009, 2:48 am
#23
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2005
Location: Okotoks AB
Posts: 313
Re: Balancing working with childcare - your experiences?
I'm in the same situation as you, Ann. My kids are 11 and 6. I work part-time but in a professional job which I have trained hard for. The kids go into the breakfast club at school, but I am there to pick them up at 3pm. However, now it's the school holidays and I am having to put them in the club all day, every day until I can take my hols, it is costing me an absolute fortune. I also have to pay for all the 'Inset Days' that the teachers take here or take some holiday (paid or unpaid, depending on how much I have left).
My 11 year old starts comp in September so I will not have any childcare for her when these Inset Days crop up, will have to sort something out there.
I want to work when we move over to NS next year but worry about the childcare situation as well.
Does anyone know what age a child can be left on their own at home during the day over there? Also, what is the minimum age a child can be left to babysit?
Karen
My 11 year old starts comp in September so I will not have any childcare for her when these Inset Days crop up, will have to sort something out there.
I want to work when we move over to NS next year but worry about the childcare situation as well.
Does anyone know what age a child can be left on their own at home during the day over there? Also, what is the minimum age a child can be left to babysit?
Karen
Hi Karen
They are a bit more relaxed here about the age you can leave your children 'unattended'. To my knowledge there is no set age. Many children of upper elementary age (grades 5/6) let themselves in after school, with parents arriving home within an hour of them. My son is 11 and we now often leave him alone at home for short periods (eg. while I do the weekly shop etc). Babysitting courses are widely taken up by 12 year olds here, and we have 2 12 year old babysitters, who have taken their courses and have a little certificate to prove it. They do courses in first aid etc.
Jul 28th 2009, 3:01 am
#24
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2005
Location: Okotoks AB
Posts: 313
Re: Balancing working with childcare - your experiences?
Hi
We are coming out to Alberta (Okotoks) in September and I will be needing to get a part time job but as I have 2 small kids (6 months and 2) I am not sure how the balance of working vs childcare works out (in the UK this is a complete nono as childcare is so expensive!)
Can you tell me your experiences or what has worked for you?
Many thanks
We are coming out to Alberta (Okotoks) in September and I will be needing to get a part time job but as I have 2 small kids (6 months and 2) I am not sure how the balance of working vs childcare works out (in the UK this is a complete nono as childcare is so expensive!)
Can you tell me your experiences or what has worked for you?
Many thanks
We live in Okotoks too. Childcare seems to differ here from the UK, in that there are certainly more stay at home mums and less childcare available. They don't seem to have the day nursery option available from just a few months old that is readily available in the UK. Very young children are often cared for by childminders in their own homes, or 'dayhomes' as they call them here. I'm not sure what hourly rates are like, but my experiences here with summer camps etc have been that rates are more reasonable than in the UK.
A link to Okotoks specific options is here
http://www.okotoks.worldweb.com/Busi...dex/ChildCare/
Once the children are a little older, then Okotoks Preschool Academy will take them from 2 1/2.
Once they are school age, there are lots of options for you. From my perspective, getting a job that fitted around school hours was a challenge, but not an impossible one.
If I can be any more help then don't hesitate to PM me.
Sarah
Jul 28th 2009, 3:05 am
#25
C'mon already
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: The Asylum
Posts: 841
Re: Balancing working with childcare - your experiences?
Hi Karen
They are a bit more relaxed here about the age you can leave your children 'unattended'. To my knowledge there is no set age. Many children of upper elementary age (grades 5/6) let themselves in after school, with parents arriving home within an hour of them. My son is 11 and we now often leave him alone at home for short periods (eg. while I do the weekly shop etc). Babysitting courses are widely taken up by 12 year olds here, and we have 2 12 year old babysitters, who have taken their courses and have a little certificate to prove it. They do courses in first aid etc.
They are a bit more relaxed here about the age you can leave your children 'unattended'. To my knowledge there is no set age. Many children of upper elementary age (grades 5/6) let themselves in after school, with parents arriving home within an hour of them. My son is 11 and we now often leave him alone at home for short periods (eg. while I do the weekly shop etc). Babysitting courses are widely taken up by 12 year olds here, and we have 2 12 year old babysitters, who have taken their courses and have a little certificate to prove it. They do courses in first aid etc.
Thanks for that, very useful information. My daughter will be 12 in January, so if they run courses like that in NS then it would be good for her to get on. We have just started leaving her in the house on her own here as well for short periods, nipping to the shops or picking my son up from a party, etc.
Karen
