Last week, there was a lot in the press about how the Easter holidays is going to affect working parents.
I was quoted in the Daily Mail, and appeared on BBC Breakfast to talk about how it will affect parents, but obviously this won’t call a stop (neither should it, I might add) to Easter holidays.
So, what can you do to ease the pressure at work if your child is one of those who will only be spending around seven days at school in April?
1. Nanny share
Some of you may be doig this already, but it you don’t then you can get together with two or three parents with children at your child’s school, and find a nannyt o look after them, therefore reducing the cost of you paying for one nanny yourself.
You can decide which family’s home will host the childcare, and work out how to provide food for the children, the activities they will do etc, and how the payments will be made.
The average cost for a nanny can be anything from £258 to £328 per week, according to the last NannyTax survey, so splitting it between another family or two will significantly reduce your spend.
2.Use friends and family
If you have close family (grandparents are a God send!), who can help out, then you really are blessed.
Make sure you give them enough notice, and discuss food, activities and how you will pay for them etc before, to avoid any confusion.
Also, don’t take it for granted that they have agreed to do it for free – show some appreciation afterwards with a thank you gift and card. It’s amazing what a box of chocolates can do the next time you need help.
3. Holiday clubs
The headteacher for the Epsom school that I was on BBC Breakfast told me that a lot of schools cannot afford the liability insurance costs that they need for the afterschool club, so it gave me a greater insight into why some schools offer afterschool and holiday clubs, while other don’t.
If you are passionate about this issue, maybe you could look into setting one up with a group of parents. Grants are thin on the ground these days, but you can tender for funds from local authorities and charities like the Big Lottery Fund to undertake community projects.
4. Change the way you work
Please don’t think I’m giving you the excuse you’ve always wanted to leave your job – I’m not! But if your child has a lot of years ahead of them in school, and your current careers makes school holidays stressful, then it’s probably time to look at applying for flexible working, or changing your career.
You could also look into starting a business, and build your income up to a sustainable, regular income before you finally hand in your resignantion…
