cost of child care

[Rheghead]

A friend of my wife's pays £500.00 a month for 3 days a week childcare for her son, ( this is in Glasgow). I was wondering what are the costs of nursery/ day care, in the Caithness area? Has anyone decided not to go back to work because the cost of childcare would cancel out most of a pay check?

[DarkAngel]

My baby goes to a childminder 2 days per week..At £3 ph...If it was more than that i probably woulndt have gone back to work!:)

[sjj278]

I have 2 pre-school kids in childcare, i use a childminder as i found there is really no other option. i pay £5 ph for the two (which is very reasonable - compared to others i look at, one in my area was going to be £8.75 ph for the two kids!!)

and although i generally work to pay the childminder (on a 5 week month i have to borrow cash from hubby!!) i really love my work and it gives me the social life i need to stay sane! so i don't mind. I work part-time so as soon as my kids start school, i will only have holidays to pay for and then all that cash i earn will actually benefit the family!!!

If i didn't enjoy my job though i would definately stay at home and look after the kids myself. (oh and the tax credits adds to family pot!! however pitiful it is!!!)

[_Ju_]

I have no idea of Glasgow prices, but day care here is more expensive than it was in Lincolnshire. Minimum wages are £5 per hour before tax. Child care costs are at £3 per hour, after tax. You can get child care costs parcially covered, only on very low wages. The math is simple and proves why so many people opt not to return to work. It's hard with one child and practically impossible with two....

[Fluff]

I dont know about childcare costs, but a woman i work with went on materinty leave on sunday, she told me that she is having to put her baby on the waiting lists for nurserys! It's not even born yet, thats just madness!

[j4bberw0ck]

Tax credits are available for couples earning up to almost £60,000 p.a. between them who need child care and have to pay for it. Tax Office should be able to help.

[Murdina Bug]

I paid £3.75 for one childminder and £4.00 an hour for another in Thurso. Think the average is about £3.50 now and waiting lists can be long if you are trying to get a particular one. The registered ones go through quite a lot of hoops to get accredited now though so I don't begrudge them their money.

Like SSJ278 I don't really benefit financially from working and if I was in a lower paid job it would not have been worth going back at all but I do manage to have a little left at the end of the month!

As for tax credits - they are not all they are cracked up to be. I qualify for working tax credit but when I started paying childcare I didn't get anymore credit so am paying the full whack myself. I would be delighted if someone could tell me how they work that out!

[WeeBurd]

Like Murdina Bug, I found it was nigh on impossible to get help with childcare costs unless you have an exceptionally low household income, or you're a single parent.

I wished to return to work part-time after my first baby, and as that was not an option in my job, I agreed to take an alternative post with a lower hourly rate and no OT bonus (and also no option of OT anyway). I worked three days a week, which covered childcare and other extras. Hubby works shifts, which helped reduce childcare outgoings considerably.

After my second, I was looking for an alternative childminder who could take both 'Burdies to keep costs as low as possible. We figured over the course of a month, my wages would just cover the costs if I increased my hours, but we really could not allow for any extra time at the childminder (such as hubby working late, so an extra 2 hrs until I would be able to pick them up).

Considering on top of that the added stresses of trying to get a baby & toddler all organised and out the door for 6:45am, I could feel my blood pressure going through the roof!

As it is, I made the decision not to return to work for now, and I have to say I think it's the best decision I've made. I'm really enjoying seeing the WeeBurdies growing up, and I have a clear head - I'm not sitting worrying/thinking about work, I can focus totally on them. And I get to see more of hubby too which is an added bonus!

[Naefearjustbeer]

I know of one girl who was going to return to her job in dounreay, I think she was a secretary/admin type job and she worked out that she would be working a full week and after paying the minder she would be left with £10 and that wasnt even enough to pay the weekly petrol costs to run the bairn backwards and forwards to the childminders in thurso. Hence returning to work would make her family worse off than if she became a stay at home mum and relied of her mans wage to support the family. I know that when we had kids I offered to give up work and become an at home dad but as my wages were the better of ours I had to keep working. The wife also muttered something about me not doing enough hoovering and dusting if I was at home full time. I have no idea where she got that idea from :D Being a shift worker I see a lot more of my kids than if I were a normal day worker so I suppose I have the best of both worlds. I would not be happy if I had to work the monday to friday routine every week.

[Rheghead]

thanks for all your replies its given us alot to think about.

[_Ju_]

Tax credits are available for couples earning up to almost £60,000 p.a. between them who need child care and have to pay for it. Tax Office should be able to help.

Na-ah! Single parent here who spend 1/4 of earnings on child care every month and I have no child care component in my tax credit: I am excluded because I am earning over whatever the limit is. That limit is under less than half of the 60 grand/year that you state.

[caithness lad]

if u want to work. then dont have kids:eek:

[Naefearjustbeer]

if u want to work. then dont have kids:eek:

I sometimes wonder about that. Some folk have kids and bundle them off to fulltime nursery care, Then off to private school as they get older. Summer camps during the holidays and then University after they leave school. Then they are surprised to find out that little princess has grown up into a debt ridden junkie. Where did we go wrong how could this happen they say??? We gave her the best money could buy and this is how she repays us oh the shame. Well maybe if folk gave there kids more of what is free. ie rules, boundries, love, time and understanding then little princess might grow up into a usefull member of society GRRR!!!!!!!!

Ahh rant over I am calm again..

[caithness lad]

I sometimes wonder about that. Some folk have kids and bundle them off to fulltime nursery care, Then off to private school as they get older. Summer camps during the holidays and then University after they leave school. Then they are surprised to find out that little princess has grown up into a debt ridden junkie. Where did we go wrong how could this happen they say??? We gave her the best money could buy and this is how she repays us oh the shame. Well maybe if folk gave there kids more of what is free. ie rules, boundries, love, time and understanding then little princess might grow up into a usefull member of society GRRR!!!!!!!!

Ahh rant over I am calm again..very well said i agree 100%

[the original ducky]

if u want to work. then dont have kids:eek:


well i think thats a shocking comment to make. some mothers and dads like to work i know when i went back to work and i was paying for childcare then i gives me a good feelling that what i have in my house is what i have worked hard for. also what would the tax man get if families wernt working poeple on the income support would certainly not get as much as they do and suprise they would have to go out and get a job. not that i am saying income support is useless all i am saying is some poeple cant work and thats good that they have money but some poeple are to lazy.

so tell me caithness lad do you have children?

[oldmarine]

if u want to work. then dont have kids:eek:


Or be borne a couple generations ago!

[the original ducky]

i also feel tht parents that want to work when they have children should not be judged for working.

[Rheghead]

if u want to work. then dont have kids:eek:

This was a widely spoken piece of advice to me when I was a young chiel in the shipyard,

'If you don't want to work then have a load o' kids!';)

[Naefearjustbeer]

well i think thats a shocking comment to make. some mothers and dads like to work i know when i went back to work and i was paying for childcare then i gives me a good feelling that what i have in my house is what i have worked hard for. also what would the tax man get if families wernt working poeple on the income support would certainly not get as much as they do and suprise they would have to go out and get a job. not that i am saying income support is useless all i am saying is some poeple cant work and thats good that they have money but some poeple are to lazy.

so tell me caithness lad do you have children?

What is shocking is the fact that one wage earner in the house is not enough of an income (for a lot of the population) to have a decent standard of life. Many couples have kids and both work full time and still recieve benfits to help them along. But then again many folk want everything, fancy house, flash car and expensive holidays every year. Of course the kids have to have £100 trainers every time and fancy expensive christmas pressies every year. Credit is so easy to get now and folk can run up thousands of pounds worth of debt that they cannot afford to repay. If one wage was good enough to pay the bills and the other parent spent the time at home with the kids I honestly think the world would be a better place. Oh yes you will always get bad ones and exeptions but on the whole I think that kids are better at home with mum(or dad) than away at a nursery or childminder.

[the original ducky]

most couples you will find that both or one of them does work. its not about getting out of work when you have kids. that remark would only come from someone that doesnt have any. if you dont have kids then dont pass judgement on peopl that do and still work.

[Naefearjustbeer]

most couples you will find that both or one of them does work. its not about getting out of work when you have kids. that remark would only come from someone that doesnt have any. if you dont have kids then dont pass judgement on peopl that do and still work.

What post or who is this comment aimed at?

[caithness lad]

well i think thats a shocking comment to make. some mothers and dads like to work i know when i went back to work and i was paying for childcare then i gives me a good feelling that what i have in my house is what i have worked hard for. also what would the tax man get if families wernt working poeple on the income support would certainly not get as much as they do and suprise they would have to go out and get a job. not that i am saying income support is useless all i am saying is some poeple cant work and thats good that they have money but some poeple are to lazy.

so tell me caithness lad do you have children?hi! yes i have a girl and a boy. my wife and i decided that our children would come first before work. i would support the family with food and shelter[working] and my wife would be at home with the children. we dont have much in the way of worldly goods. but we have much love and security as a family.

[brandy]

well we are on number 3 and i work.
its only part itme ... but still its 16 hours a week
i will be going back to work after baby is born taking 6 mnths off.
what we have done.. is i work around hubbys shifts.. and my best mate takes the kids for the in between times that we lap over.. so it works out.
given i wouldnt be bale to work if it were not for all the above circumstances.
but i do enjoy it.. and i work with some really lovley people and have made great friends thru my work!

[Naefearjustbeer]

we dont have much in the way of worldly goods. but we have much love and security as a family.

And that is the most important things you require.

[the original ducky]

well i wasnt passing judgement on the up bring of your kids and i am glad that you are able to provide that sort of family life. in my family i stay at home and my partner works and thats what works from us. however some familys dont have the option to one at home the other works. i know that when i was raising me wee gal by my self then i did work but partime and thatworked for me. but now i am happy to say that i get to stay at home and put her to bed at play wih her when ever i want.

[Naefearjustbeer]

well we are on number 3 and i work.
its only part itme ... but still its 16 hours a week
i will be going back to work after baby is born taking 6 mnths off.
what we have done.. is i work around hubbys shifts.. and my best mate takes the kids for the in between times that we lap over.. so it works out.
given i wouldnt be bale to work if it were not for all the above circumstances.
but i do enjoy it.. and i work with some really lovley people and have made great friends thru my work!

That is the joys of shift work, If I worked normal monday to friday patern I would see my kids for a couple of hours a day max. I hate when I am on the day working part of my shifts I hardly see my kids.
I am not against folk working, I think it is only right that folk are paying there own way in life. What I am against is folk that appear to put wordly possesions in front of there children or folk that are happy to sit back and make no effort to be self sufficent and sponge off of the state. I as a tax payer am hit hard every month because we have so many wastes of space in this country sitiing back and expecting society to provide everything for them. Some familys have to have 2 fulltime wages to get by because some jobs are poorly paid. Some familys have 2 full time workers because they want the flash new car and holidays abroad and that is wrong. Many families would be better off on the social but they are too proud to scrounge and chose to work hard to earn a living. I know what example is better for the kids growing up.

My wife has kept working part time after the kids and she enjoys her job and the company that she keeps. I look after the kids as much as I can and when I cant the kids granny comes round to look after them.

[jinglejangle]

if u want to work. then dont have kids:eek:

here here! i agree. i stay at home and my husband works. i gave up a good job when had my kids because i felt that staying at home with them was more important than going to work. they are only little for a short time so i am glad i am making the most of it. since giving up work we have tightened our belts so to speak - we don't go out / go on holidays anymore ; don't excess with food shopping and dont buy kids toys through-out the year. a good friend of mine works full-time and is buying her little boys toys / dvds the whole time but i think that is trying to make up for firing them out the door for 9 hours a day! i do feel sorry for people who HAVE to work - but not for those who WANT to work so they can feed their shopping habits / luxiourous life-styles! these days people tend to want everything but unfortunately that can not be achieved!:eek:

[_Ju_]

if u want to work. then dont have kids:eek:

You have got to be kidding! So if you want to be a parent you don't work...... what kind of an example is that for a child?

[jinglejangle]

You have got to be kidding! So if you want to be a parent you don't work...... what kind of an example is that for a child?

i will go back to work - once my children are in school. i feel that looking after my children is a good example. panning them off to child-minders to look after isn't the kind of example i want to give my children. i brought them into this world because i wanted to be a mum - not drop them off in all weathers at 0730 in the morning to pick them up at 5 at night 5/6 days a week!

i am not talking about the people who have to work as i said in my last thread but i know lots of people who work so they can fritter their money away on shopping trips away, holidays, label brand clothing, gadgets children are too young to play with, tv/dvds for their bedroom etc etc, ! everyone is entitled to their own opinions but my opinion is people today want it all! we see that at christmas / birthday times when hundreds of pounds are being spent on toys !

[Naefearjustbeer]

You have got to be kidding! So if you want to be a parent you don't work...... what kind of an example is that for a child?
I think you have taken that out of context. I took that to be one of the parents stays home to bring up the kinds instead of shirking the resposibillity onto a nursery or childminder. I think it is better all round for one parent to work full time and the other to be the one that stays at home to bring up the kids.

I know that some folk are in a single parent situation and I think you have to do whats best for your kids. If that is go out to work then go out to work and hold your head high knowing that you are a tax payer and teaching your kids you have to work to get somewhere in life. Better than being a benefits sponger. However if there is a mum and dad on the scene I maintain in general it is better for a parent to take the responsibillity for bringing up the kids over a childminder or nursery.

[jinglejangle]

I think you have taken that out of context. I took that to be one of the parents stays home to bring up the kinds instead of shirking the resposibillity onto a nursery or childminder. I think it is better all round for one parent to work full time and the other to be the one that stays at home to bring up the kids.

I know that some folk are in a single parent situation and I think you have to do whats best for your kids. If that is go out to work then go out to work and hold your head high knowing that you are a tax payer and teaching your kids you have to work to get somewhere in life. Better than being a benefits sponger. However if there is a mum and dad on the scene I maintain in general it is better for a parent to take the responsibillity for bringing up the kids over a childminder or nursery.

thank you - you phrased it better than i! i agree it doesn't matter if it is the mum or dad that stays at home - just as long as one of the parents is there i feel it is better for the child that they chose to bring into this world. however, in single parent situations it is a different ball-game but in that case the parent needs to work rather than wants to work [i think!]

[mums angels]

I don't work and hopefully will never have to work more than part time whilst the kids are young ....my ideal job would be something within a school just so i wouldnt have to worry about who would have my kids during the school holidays.

My hubby agrees that they are better of at home with me than with someone else and I love doing it , best job in the world even if the pays not there. I wouldnt even earn enough to pay for 1 child in a childminders not alone 3.

I fully support working parents and do not judge them, It must be very hard to juggle parenting and work.

As for tax credits my husband doesnt earn as much as the previously stated 60K and we're still not entitled to one single penny for anything not alone childcare costs. i dont know how people do it its such alot of money , a friend of mine has to pay £1000 a month for childcare in Aberdeen and she gets £400 in help but she barley makes that much money in the first place.

[brandy]

i know that if we had tro pay a childminder there is no way we could afford for me to work.. and we would then be strapped for cash!
god knows weve just gone into debt again to but a car.. but what do you do.. when the car you have isnt big enough to hold you and kids.. and you have to get from point a to point b?
so we went into debt for a few years and bought the zafira.. yippie its a seven seater! and will hold all the car seats! *G*
so that means me going back to work part time to pay for it..
i feel personally that even though i would like to be a full time mum it is benificial to the kids and me to get out of the house away from each other from time to time.
its only 16 hours a week in my case 4 hours a day.. so its not all day things
i do know that as ive been in an out of hospital this preg. that it has affected the kids.. and they freak out when mommy is gone for days at a time with no notice..
they are only 3 and 2 so its kinda hard to explain.. was trying to tell my 3 year old today that the new baby was going to be here soon .. and that i would have to go back into hospital for a while so the dr can take the baby out of mummy's tummy... but that when mummy came home he would be getting a wonderful new baby to love!
wow that kid is excited over the fact of the baby!
when the 2 year old tried to climb on me he gets all protective.. NO BEN!!!
down!! and then kisses my belly and says... no climb on baby... bad ben!
then proceeds to stand guard.. which does cause a tantrum.. but its sooooooooo sweet! what can you do!

[oldmarine]

Both my daughter and son-in-law work (my daughter part-time) with my eldest grandson in school. They both need to work for sufficient income to balance their budget. I help by providing care for my grandson when needed. I find great joy and good bonding by doing so.

My youngest daughter is a single working parent with none of her children in school as of yet. My wife is still working and I wonder what's ahead for that daughter and her children under those circumstances.

[Glenys Hirst]

I work full time doing shifts..having 3 days off a week.My husband also works full time Monday-friday.I've always had a childminder and my children have been fine..my children are 11 and 8..I pay up to £300 pounds a month depending if its school holidays..
I went back to work when both my children were 4 months old and yes it was hard.When I'm not working I love to spend time with them.

[mccaugm]

I don't work and hopefully will never have to work more than part time whilst the kids are young ....my ideal job would be something within a school just so i wouldnt have to worry about who would have my kids during the school holidays.

My hubby agrees that they are better of at home with me than with someone else and I love doing it , best job in the world even if the pays not there. I wouldnt even earn enough to pay for 1 child in a childminders not alone 3.

I fully support working parents and do not judge them, It must be very hard to juggle parenting and work.

As for tax credits my husband doesnt earn as much as the previously stated 60K and we're still not entitled to one single penny for anything not alone childcare costs. i dont know how people do it its such alot of money , a friend of mine has to pay £1000 a month for childcare in Aberdeen and she gets £400 in help but she barley makes that much money in the first place.

You are (very likely to be )entitled to tax credits of about a tenner a week - however you may not be entitled to Family Tax Credit...I was shocked to learn that I could claim for it...you might even get it backdated...ask at the CAB...