Postponed

I was due to go back to work at the end of February and J is booked into nursery 4 days a week (sob).  However, he is such a little monkey with his milk and screams his way through every bottle, taking about an hour each time and with meal times taking aaaages too I was feeling too scared to send him to nursery.  The ratio of staff is 1 to every 3 babies and I just don't think they could spend the time making sure he gets enough to eat.  Plus, I don't want to go back anyway.

So, I wrangled with my boss and am now taking the full year I am allowed!! Wooopeeeeee.  The plan was always to just complete my mandatory 3 months when I start back and then resign, live on S's wage and be poor poor poor (with no new clothes, shoes or glitte/feathers) so now that three months will be in June/July/August which seems a much easier time to get to work in the morning.  Also, hopefully by then J will not be having milk in the daytime anymore and perhaps (dare I hope) he may be eating better too.

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Oink (who appreciates fine thighs)
That's really lovely for you. Also when you eventually do go back, you might find that he behaves himself better for the nursery staff. My sister found that her daughter wouldn't eat certain foods for her, but took to them when given them at nursery (and when with her she wouldn't touch them again).

It's lovely that you get to spend more time with him.
Daisy

It's so silly - not you by the way - that the current system is like this.

When I used to work in HR we were constantly having to cope with temps covering maternity and then the person resigning when they got back. And of course they would! I would! But in teaching now it means that the kids get an agency teacher for a year, a half hearted teacher for three months and then a new teacher and if all of that happens in your GCSEs you are fairly screwed.

I wish the system let you be honest - 'I want my maternity pay in full but I have absolutely no intention of returning to work so please replace me with another full time teacher' would be such a better system!

Anyway - brilliant news xxx

EmFlem
Can I be really boring and ask how much nursery costs? I know it is probs a teeny bit cheaper for you guys up there, but I have started looking into it down here and it's a joke. I don't earn very much but enough to cover my outgoings, but if I have to pay for nursery I've worked out it would take about 80% of my wages, even including both me and Chaunce using the childcare voucher scheme. So basically I am screwed!
Oink (who appreciates fine thighs)
My sister's (in Wales) in the same position. She could afford to just go back to work for the sake of it (spending most of her wages on childcare), but hasn't been able to find enough child care to cover it. It's extortionately expensive.
Jando
I think you'll probably be looking in the region of £800-£1,200+ a month for a full time place. It is well expensive. When I returned to work, once the childcare costs had been factored in, it meant we only had an extra £200 a month, but we were living on so little that it was worth it (in a financial sense, it did break my heart a lot). It does get cheaper as your child gets older though, once the child:carer ratio decreases.
EmFlem
I earn just over a grand a month after taxes etc, and the cheapest nursery I've found is 36 quid a day but that would involve me wrangling my hours around and I don't know if I'll be able to. I went into work to try and sort this out and they wer bloody useless. Argh. I will try again next month.
slowloris
Emm - ours is 36 quid a day too. There are cheaper ones up here but the ones I visited were a bit skank. I don't earn much more than you (spesh as I'll be dropping down to 4 days) and after fees, petrol to work etc etc I'll end up with practically nothing. Now I like my job, but I don't like it enough to not get any money for it!! Plus my contract expires in 2010 anyway...Have you considered a child minder? I think they are a bit cheaper and there are some really really good ones.
Oink (who appreciates fine thighs)
My sister likewise refused cheaper nurseries on the grounds that she found they had a higher turnover of staff. She wants her daughters to bond with their carers rather than have to put up with them leaving and being replaced.

It all sounds impossible.
Gamba
Emm - is there a nursery for Kings staff? Would that work out affordable?
EmFlem
There's one on campus but it is only cheap for students, it's just normal prices for staff. Although to be fair I haven't checked the Strand, just Guy's. There's a waiting list as well. I didn't realise but to get into a decent place you need to be looking while you're still preggers.

Having said that KCL do do Childcare Vouchers (where you give up some of your salary before you're taxed on it) which makes it do-able. Chaunce's mum will have Osc 2 days a week, and if we can both drop a day from our jobs then we would only need nursery for one day a week. I think I might be better off looking for a childminder though.Or just quitting. We're managing fine on one salary at the moment, though we do need to move.
Gamba
It all sounds very complicated and stressful - which of course, it shouldn't be any more than is reasonable.

I should also say, congrats to Loris for your decision - sounds good.

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