To The Person Who Does School Runs Daily
Are you trying to work between 10–2?
“I’m thinking of retraining to be a teacher because I can’t work outside of school hours with my kids.”
It was yet another doomed parent in the school yard resigning themselves to studying for a career they never wanted just because they can’t get childcare hours to do the work they’d previously trained for.
A biologist with good credentials, no less. She can’t get a job, because no-one seriously hires people to work 10–2 in term time only, which is her only work time for the foreseeable next 10 years or so. And that doesn’t even include days where the kids are sick, or the childcare isn’t open for whatever reason. There just aren’t enough employers offering flexible work that’s suitable as a job for parents.
Another career down the toilet for lack of childcare.
It’s almost as if this government doesn’t actually care that half of working parents are forced out of work. They run surveys to find out where the “hidden workforce” has gone. We’re right here, in the playground doing the school run, while we could be working and keeping the economy going.
It’s me. Hi! I’m the problem, it’s me.
Childcare in most countries is really not fit for purpose. Well, I guess that is if we think that the purpose of childcare is to allow parents to work.
Not only are there simply not enough places in childcare facilities, but they cost the equivalent of minimum wage in the UK just to look after one child (you need to start living in a tent if you have more than one child).
Childcare Isn’t Fit For Purpose
Most childcare facilities and after-school programmes are not geared towards the purpose that they’re hired for. They’re great with the kids — the consumer is getting fantastic service. However, the customers — the parents — are left unsatisfied.
After school clubs and childcare facilities often flaky and will occasionally call you to say they’re understaffed, so they can’t have your kids, randomly. I usually get a call once per week with one of my childcare arrangements flaking out on me.
They’re not open long enough hours, either — you’re lucky to find a place that will take kids outside of 8am-4pm in the UK.
If you’re working a 9–5 full time job in a city, you might need to spend an hour or so travelling to the city, parking, then getting to the office. You might get a little delayed leaving the office, too.
Ideally, you need childcare from at least 7:30am to 6:30pm to be sure.
So, when your after-school care program takes kids until 5:30pm at the latest, but they’re not open on Thursday nights, that’s essentially useless. Especially when they charge half a day’s wages for two kids to stay that late.
“Oh, okay. I’ll just tell my new boss I have to leave work at 4:30 most days and 2:30pm on Thursdays and that I can’t come in early to compensate either, because of school drop-off.
That’ll be fine, right?”
No, I don’t think many employers are happy when the employee starts dictating when they have to leave work, especially when they’re new.
That useless childcare arrangement has essentially blocked another parent’s access to a job.
And to work a whole day and pay all your wages in childcare for the privilege? Priceless. You’d be better off panhandling.
This is why the parents of the world would really benefit from childcare that allowed all adults to work full time.
Your Right to Work
Think on this: The human rights declarations state that everyone has the right to work.
Is this inadequate childcare setup really giving parents the ability to work? Is the government letting us down by not asking councils to provide sufficient childcare places and hours sufficient for people to hold down regular full time jobs?
Yes, absolutely.
They’re also letting down every business that is struggling to find workers right now. How many businesses do you know looking for workers? I can think of dozens just locally.
I also know so many capable, talented local people who are regularly begging to find jobs that will let them work Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9:30 and 2:30pm, evenings, or weekends, because that’s all they can manage around their kids. All of them would gladly work full time if childcare made it possible.
I know other parents who work 6pm to midnight (or overnight) doing care work or supermarket shifts, then get back up at 6:30am to get the kids to school. In the words of one mother working at Tesco in the evenings, “By Friday I am so tired I can’t string a sentence together”.
I bet if you asked around, you’d find most of those parents working menial jobs because they have odd shifts, actually have degrees under their belt, just going to waste.
Isn’t it just ridiculous that this is the case? In a civilised country with think-tanks and politicians who are supposedly trying to fix the economy?
Just Imagine: Being Able To Go To Work Easily
And for those who try hard to maintain a full-time job, paying exorbitant costs for childcare and wraparound care, wouldn’t it be nice to turn up to work feeling like your morning was a breeze, rather than rushed and difficult?
I’m telling you, it’s not fun at all to race into work feeling like you’re late, covered in some kid’s breakfast and as if you’ve already done a full shift. Especially when you’re not even getting paid for the day thanks to all the childcare costs.
Yes, I used to work Wednesdays “for free” essentially so I could have a job that paid me to work from home two other days per week. It was a trade-off that made sense at the time.
Every school should have wraparound care from 7am to 7pm at a cheap rate. Every childcare centre should offer those hours too, at reasonable rates.
All the parents who have carried little kids while trying to drop an older kid at the school gate know all too well that being able to choose which kid to drop off first, would make all the difference.
Imagine being able to drop all the kids off in the order that suited you best, according to what was easiest for you and where you were going next?
Don’t Lose Hope
Just imagine if the government of the country you lived in cared enough to make it easy for you to hold down a job.
Sorry, unless you live in France or a Nordic country, you’re probably out of luck here.
But that’s not to say you should lose hope.
There are ways you can make your life easier. There are things we can do to earn money around the school run. And I’m personally on a mission to share every good idea I find with the rest of you.
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