Working Single Parents – Lone Parents Getting Back To Work

As a single parent, choosing whether to work or not can be very difficult. The attraction of staying at home to care for your children is great, particularly with the benefits available. However, contributing to society and enhance your skills in the workplace is something that the majority would like to get involved with.

Can You Afford to Work?

The biggest factor in the decision process is usually money. Unfortunately we live in a country where single mothers and fathers often believe that they cannot afford to work as they will be worse off, partly due to losing benefits, but often the cost of childcare in working hours is prohibitive. So, are there any options to help?

One good starting point is sharing childcare with other parents you trust to look after your children. For example, if you were able to arrange work on a Monday and Tuesday and a friend had a job on Thursday and Friday you could arrange to look after each other’s kids to save on professional childcare costs.

Government Help With Childcare

There are also free childcare places available for all three and four year old children to allow them to begin to learn in their preschool years. At the time of writing, most parents can claim 15 hours per week to be used at a registered provider, usually a nursery or preschool. There are also plans in place to extend this to two year old children from low income families in the near future.

Tax Free Childcare Vouchers

If you are able to work, ask your employers to register for childcare vouchers, this means you can get the part of your salary which pays for childcare free of tax and national insurance, up to £243 per month.

Make Sure You Know Your Entitlements

In relation to benefits, just because you start earning does not necessarily mean you will lose all support. Child benefit for example is available to all households for now, and from 2013 those that do not have a higher rate tax payer.

Even once the changes come into force in 2013, as a single parent you can claim child benefit until you earn over approximately £44,000 per year, and there may also be child tax credits available if you are on a low income. You can find out more about specific benefits in our single parent benefits section.

The Right To Time Off

As a parent you may also have the right to expect an employer to be reasonable to your circumstances. For example, employers must be able to demonstrate a clear business need to refuse certain things like allowing you leave (although it may be unpaid) when your child is ill.

It is important to thoroughly research your rights as a parent, you might be surprised that you can afford to work and be a parent. Remember that the government want people to work, this means they pay tax rather than claim benefits.

Are Your Benefits Reliable?

With money being tight for everyone in recent times (including the government), the chance that benefits will be cut for single parents is as great as any other group so getting into work may be a wise choice before benefits get reduced and your hand is forced.

If you would like to enhance your skills, check out our single parent education section, which includes advice on getting onto courses and developing new skills. Often colleges tailor classes to lone mums and dads, and even provide guidance on the best jobs for single parents.

Working single parents are a great asset to employers, so if you are ready to return to work, be proud of your family – you might just find they win you a job!