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<< Going back to work

Working full-time

Jen, 29, works full-time as a website editor. She and her partner Jon, who works full-time as a business analyst, have one child, Kirsten, aged two.

"I returned to work when my daughter was almost six months old, and initially worked nine days out of ten every fortnight. That one extra day at home might not sound like much but into it Kirsten and I packed a postnatal group, the weekly shop, a baby swimming session and as much of the laundry as we could.

"I changed jobs the day after my daughter’s first birthday, and now work full-time, just as I did before we had kids. Losing just that one day has been a hard blow because it means that laundry and shopping have to be squeezed into weekends, when I want to be spending time with my daughter.

"Having a large mortgage – and being the highest earner in our family – means that part-time work just wasn’t an option for me, I have to work full-time. And in our case, finances were the greatest consideration when we were thinking about the option. Having said that, my partner and I are home by six nearly every night, rarely work weekends and there’s only been one night since Kirsten was born that one or both of us haven’t bathed her and put her to bed ourselves.

"My daughter goes to nursery, which I think works better with a full-time job than any other childcare option, except perhaps a nanny – but that’s very expensive for one child. Sending her to nursery means I never have to worry that her carer is sick. And, since I normally pick Kirsten up half an hour before nursery closes, there’s some flexibility for me to be a little late.

"Despite the restriction of having a big mortgage, it’s a priority for us to have great holidays where our daughter gets all our attention; last year we had a week in France and a week in Norway. On both occasions it was just the three of us, in the middle of nowhere, taking it easy, which was fantastic.

"Working full-time means I am fully in control of my career – save for very occasional childcare crises – and if I have to be away from my daughter, I am glad it is for such a fulfilling and inspiring job."

Pros of being a full-time working mum:

  • You don’t have to worry too much about the bills.
  • Your career isn’t interrupted – or dented – because you chose to have kids.
  • You don’t feel isolated from your office, unlike part-time working mums.
  • You learn to juggle job, childcare, partner and home with such aplomb that you treat full-scale crises at work like minor problems.

Cons of being a full-time working mum:

  • You miss your children. It doesn’t matter how good your childcare, you’ll always worry you’re doing the right thing by going out to work.
  • You can be a target for working-mum-bashing in the media. You try to shrug it off but there’s always a seed of doubt in your mind.
  • The cost of full-time childcare in the UK: some women find that once they’ve paid for decent childcare, it’s hardly worth working.
  • Colleagues may assume that your job isn’t your main priority, and so treat you as a ‘special case’, or feel resentful when you have to leave at 5pm.

Read first-hand experiences of other options of going back to work after becoming a mum:

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