djamila

hello

maybe silly question but...i have started searching jibs and discussing a few offers.
i have 3 kids aged 11-6-4...
most job offers are from 8/9 to 5/5.30

i am now living abroad where we have nurses picking kids from school and garden

i have heard that before 5 there is no way to have a child in kinder garden and that nurses are extremely expensive?

anyone can give me some help?

thanks!

BritInParis

If you mean nannies, then yes, they will not be cheap in the UK. Consider a nursery or childminder.

christmasoompa

Don't know what you mean by 'kinder garden', but we have pre-school here which is for before 'normal' school starts. That will be for your youngest child, and 15 or 30 hours a week are funded by the government (depending on your income), the rest you have to pay for but it's usually a pretty small cost. You could also look at private nursery schools but they will be much more expensive.

If by 'nurses' you mean nannies then yes, they will be expensive, but most nannies are full-time anyway, if you only want before/after school child care, then look at either a childminder or check with the school your children will be attending, as many have wrap around care.

Potentially, if you find a pre-school attached to a primary, you can have your youngest and middle child there together, and if they have a breakfast club (usually from 7.30am) and after school club (usually until about 6pm, again quite low cost) that would be them sorted.

Your 11 year old will presumably be at secondary school, so that may be trickier as most secondaries don't offer wrap around care. But for example, the secondary school my children go to opens it's doors at 8am where they can go and have breakfast in the canteen, and then they have a choice of over 80 free after school clubs they can do which go on until 4.30pm. Most secondary school students make their own way to school on bus or walking/cycling, so then if your child could do an after school club each day, by the time they're home you would probably be just about finishing.

HTH.

BritInParis

Variations on ‘Kindergarten’.

djamila

yes....mixing french...where we say jardin (my french is much better than my english now)

djamila

My husband and myself will both have to work. At least one of us full time. I am more worried for my son who is just four. He is already attending kindergarten here. I am anxious i won't be able to work full time

christmasoompa

Did you not read my post above? If he's already 4 then he'll be starting primary school in September anyway, so you won't even need to bother with pre-school unless you move before July. Find a primary school with wrap around care and he can be there from 8am to 6pm as a rough guide - although of course, you've missed school applications for this year, so may not get much choice in the school he goes to. But most primaries offer breakfast and/or after school club.

Your main issue will be holiday care, it's not a problem finding it, it's just expensive.

djamila

yes, thank you so much. he is just 3.5 (born may 2015).....so he wont be able to join school until he is 4. and he suffers from asthma. this is why am always a bit worried.
i know i wont be able to choose school but i will not be too demanding for a start. their english is not perfect. the kids will be leaving from a north african culture where people are let's say "much warmer" .they will need adaptation time.
we have taken the decision of relocating but this implies the children will have their universe change.

christmasoompa

So he'll still start primary school this September if he turns 4 in May. Don't worry about asthma at all, all schools are very used to that and have procedures in place. You'll need to sign consent forms and leave an inhaler with them, but it's perfectly normal as loads of kids here have it.

Hopefully in a good way though, new experiences, culture, friends etc. Good luck with it.

scot47

Cost of childcare is a major problem in Ukania.

Pollyana

yellowroom

There are many many families where both parents work full time and manage childcare, you will not be unusual.

Parents often make compromises to balance their work/home commitments (eg take a lesser paid job because its more convenient, forgo/postpone promotions if they mean more travel away from home, that kind of thing), but that's part and parcel of having kids.

scot47

Ukania is an alternative name for the UK
https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/04...ght-of-ukania/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindergarten

And the cost of childcare is prohibitive for most of us living in these Offshore Islands.

yellowroom

Having lived in the UK for all my live [minus three years in the US] I can safely say I have NEVER heard the term Ukania before - ever. And I read and stuff.

durham_lad