Would Shift Work Suit Your Family?
Just because shift work doesn’t necessarily have the best reputation for creating family harmony doesn’t mean that it might not be right for you.
Many people find that shift work can actually be a great way for both partners to earn a good wage while still being able to look after children themselves, but for shift work to succeed there needs to be a few questions asked in relation to your individual circumstances.
Children
If you have young children, shift work can be very helpful in making sure that one parent is always able to look after them, without having to pay for childcare or rely on family members. Even with older children, shift work can mean that there is always someone available to pick up children from school or be around to help with homework.Of course, this is assuming there are two parents at home. For one parent families, shift work can be more of a necessity that a choice, especially in tricky economic times when there are fewer jobs available. But that’s not to say that it can’t work well for you and your children, especially if you can fit your shift work around their school day. Even if you have to leave a little earlier than they do, you can teach older children to get themselves to school, particularly if you have been able to leave out breakfast things and school uniforms.
Money
Shift work can be well paid, particularly if overtime or weekend/bank holiday work is undertaken. Be careful to check through your employment contract before you assume that you will get double pay for bank holidays though, as it may be that you are expected to work at these times.Most shift work has a set hourly rate or salary for a particular number of hours per week or per month, and there are often seasonal demands where a considerable increase in hours worked is available. This may not fit in with your family commitments though, so do bear this in mind before accepting a shift position.