im so angry

[phleb]

because i will work only 15 hours, i am entitled to no help with childcare at all. Not even for half an hour in the morning. That is all i need, just half an hour. New manager wont let me start at 9am instead of 8.30am. My old work know im leaving, although havent handed my notice in yet, i feel i want to stay now, even if i will struggle with the hours there.

can they force me to leave now? my boss has told everyone im leaving, she seems happy for me, already made plans for my old job to be downgraded and employ someone lower grade to save money. what would you do in this situation?

Its annoying that i can't do my dream job just over half an hour, have to drop the kids at school at 8.45, but have to start work at 8.30am. It all stinks.

[phleb]

thank you wingnut, i will check that out. Bednobs, i am reducing my hours becuase this phlebotomy post came up and i realy wanted the job,so to have it, i had to drop hours, which i didnt mind, as its a great new opportunity for me, if it happens now that is.

thanks everyone for answering my post.

[phleb]

school starts on tuesday. :-(

[~Wingnut~]

Mondays prob teacher training day then so give them a call, someone should pick up :o)

[phleb]

well, i have contacted the school and left them a message to call me when they can. Its a matter of hoping for the best.

[ummmm]

How old are the kids?

[craft1948]

My first job starting back at work after having my daughter had a start time of 8:30am and because I couldn't even be 5 minutes late I arrived at 8:05am due to the bus timetables. I was never given nor expected help with childcare.

[phleb]

kids are in primary and junior school. Craft where did you leave your daughter? They have to go to school, and the job is 8.30 start and school is 8.45 start. only if it were the other way round!!

[craft1948]

phleb when I started back at work I paid one of my neighbours, who had children of a similar age, to look after her for a couple of hours in the morning, or a couple of hours after school (my husband worked shifts so he had her depending on his shift) and for this I paid her 25% of my salary. To get the job in the first place I had to provide names of 2 people (in my case grandmas) who would look after her if she was ill as I would not be allowed time off work to do so. Employers are not supposed to fit in with people's private lives (in my opinion), people should fit in with the jobs they do, if they wish to be paid for doing so.

[horseshoes]

This thread reminds me of when I was little in the late 50's early 60's, my Mum was a working Mum - quite unusual in those days. We lived in Nantwich but my Mum worked in Crewe and had to catch a bus quite a bit earlier than my school opening time so she used to leave me with the "lollipop lady". I can remember going with her each day to collect her "lollipop" from an old garage. Sorry,I'm no help, it just got me reminiscing. Good luck with your dilemma.

[phleb]

Just to update you, it is £3.50 for childcare per child every morning, and even if i send the kids breakfasted, i still have to pay that. It leaves me in hardship of £140 per month, and due to only working 15 hours in this new job, my pay will already be smaller. (reason i wanted to reduce my hours was because i wanted more time with the kids in the school holidays, as well as after school. Make sure their meals are cooked on time, and bedtime routines are in place, and help them with homework regularly)

Unfortunately, and sadly for me, i now have made a decision and have declined the job, i was very sad to do this, but have to put my kids first, as i would not like the idea of dropping them to school earlier than they would like.. It would have been a great new career for me, and was very excited, but thats been shortlived.

Many thanks for all your input and advice, i am most grateful. You are so very kind people.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

Craft I think you're harking back to a time when women had a choice whether to work or not. The only alternative now is not to have children at all.
phleb I'm sad that no-one near you could help. Isn't there a retired person on the street who could help?
I really wish you'd taken the job.

[phleb]

Mojo, i cannot explain how i feel right now about not taking the job. I asked if i could start at 9am, they said no, i asked if i could have another hour a week, they said no, so then i went down all the channels to find suitable child care, which i could afford, as i would have to pay out of pocket, i just failed at every avenue, and now feel angry at the system. All i wanted was a career in something i knew i would be great at. I have no family support, and even if i did, i couldnt expect them to drop the kids to school every morning, there is no one retired round here, they all mostly on benefits and living off the state, and never have time for anyone, some are very unfriendly, and dont like speaking to you unless you are like them. i get called a snob behind my back, because i work and have a nice care and home, which i work very hard for.

[phleb]

*car

[phleb]

I told my boss today that i am staying. She asked me what the issue was and why i have dismissed the new job. When i explained, she said she would speak to the manager and see if he can work with me with a different start time or an extra hour a week, so i can get help with childcare via tax credits. I am very much grateful for her input, but couldnt help feel as if she couldnt wait till i left. what do you think.

[boxtops]

It's hard when someone says they are leaving, you do make plans for replacement, and if she's a good boss, she'd be glad that you are leaving to advance yourself. It doesn't sound to me as if she doesn't want to you, it sounds to me as if she's intervening to try to make the new job possible for you. From the new employer's point of view, if you decline they have to start recruitment all over again - I hope that they would think that it'd be easier to offer you a bit of flexibility. However - in the current healthcare climate - if they offer flexibility to you they'll have to offer it to others, which might open floodgates! I hope it works out for you, I know how much you wanted this new job - but there will be others, phlebotomists are always in demand :-)

[sherrardk]

Who looks after your children when you have to work during the school holidays?

[boxtops]

I don't understand though, phleb, why you are so angry. Surely you looked into all these things before you even thought about accepting the job? I'm agree with others - you are there to do the job of patient care, the job doesn't sort itself out round individuals' needs, the NHS is already hugely family-friendly in so many other ways.

[phleb]

Boxtops, I did have plans in place, but then they all changed when i found out the total cost of childcare!! Their dad looks after them alot in hols etc, but he works nights and so cannot do school run in morning, but can pick them up.

[sherrardk]

Can you get another part time job to bump up your hours (and pay) so that you can get enough money to pay for the child care?