Working Mums

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Originally posted by Cali
At our work we get 6 months paid maternity leave. Which is very good I think.

I'm not sure what I would do... hopefully if I have another child, I will be financially secure to stay at home for a full year.

Child Tax Credit only pays a portion of the childcare bill... this was one of the things I had to take into account when I went back to work. I only do 32 hours a week so I'm part time but I still pay the full whack of childcare - my son is in school so I'm only paying from 3.15 - 5.15 - so for 10 hours per week i pay £30. This is not bad at all...compared to the Holiday club which is near enough £100 per week..still not as bad as some ppl.

I was lucky enough to stay at home until my son was nearly 5. I'm really really grateful for those years we have had... it's made us have an unbreakable bond. But I admire all those who went to work. I went to work when Connor was 6 weeks old at first... it was horrible! When he was 4 months old I had to stop!

The option she has chosen may not necessarily have been the right one. The cost of childcare is going to eat into that full time salary and she may well find that after the childcare bills she is worse off than before. As has been said many times, in this type of scenario, provided you have the accommodation, an au-pair is a far better and cheaper way to go. Au-pairs are not salaried, they receive pockey money typically around £70 a week plus board and lodging....we went that route and have never looked back.