shal i go back to work or not? help please!!!!!

[callumsmummy]

shal i go back to work or not? help please!!!!!
hey al
im a single mommy of a 16 month old little boy and i love him to bits....

the only thing is ....im starting to strugge....i live at home with my mum but have to pay 400 pound a month to live there....
im thinking of going back to work but so many people have told me im better off at home??
i hate the thought of leaving my son but part time wont be too bad ? or is it?

is it worth going back ?? it might help my son share and be away from me for a bit ? hes very clingy and follows me everywhere!
he even sits in the toilet with me...if i leave him playing with toys he soon realises and sceams after me....

how would it work with my benefits??? how many hours would i have to do ?
im a single mom with hardley any family as well so i would have to drop him off and pick him up too



any help/advice would be great thanks

 

[xxembobxx]

£400 is a bit steep but then it's still cheaper than paying for your own place.
I lived with my mum and my kids for a while and worked and I was laughing financially. If you work part-time (Minimum of 16 hours) you would get maximum tax credits plus your wage. And if you pay for childcare you will get 70% help towards the cost.
I think it's only when you have more than one baby or you have a partner that it is not financially viable to go to work. Otherwise you should be better off.
Book an appointment with a lone parent advisor. They can show how much better off you would be working and help you look for jobs. They can even point you in the right direction for childcare.
I would suggest figuring out childcare first though as places are scarce and you may have to wait. And you should find out the charges so you can give the figures to the lone parent advisor.
Of course if you're not ready to go back to work then you won't be asked until your LO is at school. So the choice is yours - good luck x