Update and ponderings!!!

Work is fine - all good - will one day have three staff on term time contracts- Ha ha will be negotiating  a term time only contract or may be term time plus once the service is set up and working well.  Its fine so far. Benefits include local gov pension scheme, possible flexi when justifiable of course. I have a perm desk, access to a kitchen at lunch time and am miles away from the shops so no lunchtime spends ! I start at 9 finish at five - 1 hour or there abouts for lunch as and when needed. Will plan on taking less when project actually starts. I can then wrack up flexi to take during the holidays - hopefully anyway.

Was watching super scrimpers and apparently Child tax credit will only pay a max of £122.50 pw for child care - generally a decrease from 80% to 70%!!!!  My child care will be £145 pw so I need to add 22.50 per week to child care bill. That uses up child benefit and also  some of the child tax credit that I may get. If am lucky may have £10 extra to keep gorgeous one on!!!  Could be worse - might not get a thing and be stuck not even able to contemplate working! Thankful for small mercies.


I am undecided whether to focus on mortgage or pension ( once I sell the house) I am 38. I have a small child (3). I have a mortgage not due to be paid off till I am nearly 65 . Do I sell the sodding house, rent and focus on making extra pension payments??? I cannot do both on my poxy wage. It is still 7k less than my pre redundancy salary - I didn't top 30k shall we say. I am probably with maintenance making around 21k now with additional commuting costs so its very tight and I am still balancing on a high wire rather precariously. I am now hoping that the house will sell before the car goes splat. I still intend on applying for another PGCE for next year. Buy and rent maybe who knows.  Its rather depressing having your salary reduce by such an amount at 38 with out having the payoff of working less or actually needing less having paid off bills, debt etc

I get a bit jealous when I see peers moving on careerwise or getting paid more to do jobs much simpler than mine. Ie they are overpaid and work for the local authority - yes some people are over paid who work for LA's. Its phenomenal!!! Senior support assistant on 29k on a non pro rata term time contract!!!!  without any specific training  or any sort of qualification such as a foundation degree or level 3 qualification in learning support. Shocking really - am sorry they can work full time for that. An LSA does not take work home with them not enough to justify that salary! More than plenty teachers get with less responsibility.oh well suppose its special needs. hmmmmm