Elphaba
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OK, I know you can't actually make the decision for me - that has to be me! - but I just wanted to get it down on paper to help me see more clearly and see what thoughts others had too.
My maternity leave finishes in August and, although my pay finishes, in May, I'll be taking the full amount of time allowed. But the question is whether I go back at all. I'm heavily leaning towards not going back at the moment but it does seem like such a big/scary decision to make. It's kind of nice being in the limbo land of maternity leave - you don't have to go to work but you still officially have a job if you want it
Anyway, I've divided the 'facts' up into reasons for staying home and reasons for going back to work.
Reasons to be a SAHM:
* I don't dislike my job, but don't enjoy it that much either;
* Childcare in my area is actually slightly more than than my net pay after travel costs - if I worked 3 days a week, I would probably be around £50-£60 worse of a month than not working;
* Travel time by public transport to my current job is 1.5 hours each way, making for a long day. If I learnt to drive, it would reduce it to 45 mins each way but would then either mean DH had to catch public transport, lengthening his day, or that we'd have to pay to buy/run a second car purely for this purpose.
* I'd miss being with my LO if I went back;
* DH earns significantly more than me (like 4-5 times as much!) which means we can live on his salary alone and also means we wouldn't be eligible for tax credits etc.
I guess the flip side arguments are:
* In this poor economic climate, it might be hard for me to find another job in the future, especially with a gap of a few years on my CV (just how many years is likely to depend on whether we end up having a second child);
* It would be nice to have some time to do something that's just about me for my sanity and confidence - however I guess this does not need to be a job as it coudl be a night class or some volunteering or something else.
So, WWYD?
My maternity leave finishes in August and, although my pay finishes, in May, I'll be taking the full amount of time allowed. But the question is whether I go back at all. I'm heavily leaning towards not going back at the moment but it does seem like such a big/scary decision to make. It's kind of nice being in the limbo land of maternity leave - you don't have to go to work but you still officially have a job if you want it
Anyway, I've divided the 'facts' up into reasons for staying home and reasons for going back to work.
Reasons to be a SAHM:
* I don't dislike my job, but don't enjoy it that much either;
* Childcare in my area is actually slightly more than than my net pay after travel costs - if I worked 3 days a week, I would probably be around £50-£60 worse of a month than not working;
* Travel time by public transport to my current job is 1.5 hours each way, making for a long day. If I learnt to drive, it would reduce it to 45 mins each way but would then either mean DH had to catch public transport, lengthening his day, or that we'd have to pay to buy/run a second car purely for this purpose.
* I'd miss being with my LO if I went back;
* DH earns significantly more than me (like 4-5 times as much!) which means we can live on his salary alone and also means we wouldn't be eligible for tax credits etc.
I guess the flip side arguments are:
* In this poor economic climate, it might be hard for me to find another job in the future, especially with a gap of a few years on my CV (just how many years is likely to depend on whether we end up having a second child);
* It would be nice to have some time to do something that's just about me for my sanity and confidence - however I guess this does not need to be a job as it coudl be a night class or some volunteering or something else.
So, WWYD?