Please weigh in with your opinion! - Page 2

[joyluc]

There is such a nursing shortage here that there are all sorts of incentive programs to bring people into the profession, don't know what the situation is in Canada but is that an alternative for you? I understand how important it is to love where you live so I am sympathetic to trying to stay if you can work it out.

[Kidsndog]

Originally Posted by crayolaab

if you will have some children in school part of the time and can work it out, have you thought about having an au pair versus a nanny? They are generally quite a bit less expensive but the quality of care can be just as good, and there are several good exchange programs in canada to allow au pairs from a variety of countries. www.greataupair.com is a good website to have a look to see what is available. You provide room/board and pay a small stipend for up to 40 hours of work.

An Au Pair? Oh wow, I thought you paid them the same as a nanny? Hmm....that might be the way to go! Thanks sooo much for this suggestion - I'm going to look into it immediately!!

[pranamama]

If you like your house, maybe you could stay put until you graduate from nursing school, then decide whether you would need to work overtime for a year or two, sell the house, or just lower expenses when you are working your first nursing job.

[polyhymnia]

double post sorry!

[polyhymnia]

Originally Posted by Kidsndog

An Au Pair? Oh wow, I thought you paid them the same as a nanny? Hmm....that might be the way to go! Thanks sooo much for this suggestion - I'm going to look into it immediately!!

*I think you are in Canada, ignore me if not!*
I don't know the specifics of au pairs in canada, but it's generally meant to be partially childcare and partially a cultural "exchange". Some places require the au pair to enroll in a language course but it doesn't look like Canada does, and as you are a Commonwealth country it will be relatively easy for you to have someone from the UK, Australia, NZ or other commonwealth countries. There should be more information here: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/123go/menu-en.asp. You can also use the "live-in caregiver" program should it be necessary.

It looks like there is not a specific au pair visa/program at the federal level, but if you use an agency to find an au pair then they may have specific requirements you must meet. In the US, au pairs typically receive "a weekly payment tied to the minimum wage (currently $139.05), an educational allowance of $500, and room/board." and this would be in exchange for 45 hours of work per week.

In Canada, I don't know what going rates are, but my guess is that it may be roughly equivalent depending on the agency. I don't have any Canada-specific experience, but it *can* be a more cost-effective way to have in-home childcare. Here's one website I found that gives a rough idea of how it works: http://www.newaupair.com/nanny_jobs_canada.aspx

[madskye]

Go to school. Sell your house--if the crappy house down the street sold for more than yours, take the profit to pay for school. Or some of school. Are there any 'burbs that are closer than you were, but still of the subway? Somewhere your husband could drive a few minutes to a train? I know sometimes just being slightly off the public transportation makes a big difference in prices. You could buy him a beater "station car" to go back and forth in to the train station.

You sound pretty committed to becoming a nurse, so I wouldn't abandon that dream to stay in a house or a neighborhood.

Lastly, you mention that part of the motivation to become a nurse is to up the $16 per hour you're currently making, working very part-time. I don't know how it is in Canada, but in the US it is very difficult to make a decent hourly rate part-time. I left a full-time, salaried job in June seeking flexibility, and people were not even offering me half of my prior salary for half of my time. As a nurse, will you be able to work the hours you want, or be slotted into 30 hours plus a week? As your children grow, will you want to work more anyway?

[D_McG]

Originally Posted by madskye

Go to school. Sell your house--if the crappy house down the street sold for more than yours, take the profit to pay for school. Or some of school. Are there any 'burbs that are closer than you were, but still of the subway? Somewhere your husband could drive a few minutes to a train? I know sometimes just being slightly off the public transportation makes a big difference in prices. You could buy him a beater "station car" to go back and forth in to the train station.

You sound pretty committed to becoming a nurse, so I wouldn't abandon that dream to stay in a house or a neighborhood.

I agree with this! Would also be concerned about your retirement savings. It take a lot to build up what you would make by saving early (ie. now) with the compounded interest. I'd try and put a little away for that, too once you move to a cheaper home.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by Kidsndog

The catch is that, in order to stay in our current home and neighbourhood, I will have to work full time for twenty years (I'll be 42 when I graduate from nursing). My four children will be relatively young (10 and under). Is it realistic to think I can work full time during their childhood, with no hiring of help for housekeeping, babysitting, etc? Or am I delerious? My husband's job keeps him working long hours at work or from home for good chunks of time, so he is not really able to do too much. I'm scared I will be taking on too much to juggle kids, cooking, laundry, errands, homework help, extracurricular activities AND a full-time job.

What would YOU do?

This is actually the key for me. A certain lifestyle, a certain home, taking on more debt, having to work full-time, and adding stress to my life would never be worth being away from my babies. I think that children mostly remember whether their parents are around or not... not if there was money for extracurricular activities or living in a more expensive house. I know you posted this in regards to the financial aspects of the decision, but for me, it would actually be an attachment parenting decision before it being a financial one. It sounds like you will be just spending a lot of time away from your kids and not getting to spend quality time with them when you do because you will be spending your time to pay off debt, which will take their entire childhoods. So, for me personally, I wouldn't want to be 62 years old remembering that I just spent the last 20+ years working to pay off debt rather than downscaling my life, living more frugally, still achieving my dreams, but spending those years with my kids. In your shoes, I'd do what you can to reduce your debt, put off school until your kids are all in school themselves, and develop a lifestyle that allows you to pursue your dreams of nursing, but still be there for your kids. If your dh didn't have the earning potential he has, I'd have a different opinion, probably. Good luck!!

[dsaucone]

Could you get a job that would pay for your schooling? That would at least help out on that end? NP schooling is going to take, what? 5+ years? Do you have all those little b/s classes out of the way? You could start out taking those part time for now? I'm only a CNA right now, but I'd like to get my BSN. I have a job lined up that will pay for most of my school (without the whole commit to work for them - but those aren't that bad).

You mentioned getting a fulltime nanny? What if you waited just a few years? Then most of the children would be in school? You mentioned that DH's family lives nearby, any chance they could help out with the kids while you're at school? What if you got your CNA? Seeing as how you're going to need it for nursing anyways? (I don't know how it is up there, but that's how it works in NY.) The CNA is only a 4-6 week course, and you'll at least be getting some income from that until you can get all the way through nursing school? I don't know, if I'm wrong on how healthcare works up there then just forget everything I've said. haha. I'm going on how it works in NY.

[mommykood]

I, too, would be making an "Attached Parenting" decision first and foremost, rather than a "lifestyle" decision. Staying home with my children and being their main care provider is so important to our family, that we would be willing to reduce our expenses, our home size/mortgage, and delay furthering our own education until they are older. No amount of money or a bigger mortgage is worth these precious years!!

[Kidsndog]

Thanks so much to all who weighed in on my moving & school dilema. I think I've come to a decision:

1) We will stay in our home and neighbourhood for now. We love our neighbourhood, and my husband might be assigned to a massive four year project located downtown Toronto. If he is chosen to manage this project, the closer he is to downtown Toronto the better, due to the hours he would be putting in.

2) We've created a new budget that will help us to not incur any additional debt (barring unforseen life incidents) for the next year or while I continue to take my pre-nursing courses. I will continue to work part-time (five evenings from 5 - 9pm).

3) If I am accepted to nursing school for Sept 2009, it will be a two year continuous program, during which I will not work part-time. We will hire a live in helper for those two years, be it an au pair or a nanny. Hopefully, this will be less than $30 in debt.

4) I will graduate in Sept 2011, and many nurses are hired during their last semster of school here in Ontario. My goal is to work full time for two years, which will repay a good portion of our debt. In Sept 2010 all of children will be in school - two full time and two part time.

5) After two years of working, I will take the Nurse Practitioner Masters courses via distance education - hopefully paid for by my employer. In fact, many employers give nurses paid days off so they can study for the distance courses. By this point, my four little monkeys will all be in full time school.

6) In 2014 I will be 45 and preparing to write the Nurse Practitioner exam - yippe!! A significant pay hike will occur and we can start being a bit more aggressive with our RRSPs, educational savings for the kids and mortgage. A yearly vacation at this point would be wonderful. The kids will be 12, 10, 9 and 7. Any courses from this point on will be smaller and via distance for professional upgrading of skills.

So, I'm taking a deep breath and jumping in. The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. My husband, who is very pragmatic and cautious, believes we should stay the course and hope/pray for the best. I love the idea of being able to work in a career that could support our family if hubby ever was out of work, give me flexibility to work shifts that lets me be there for my little ones, and, most importantly, helps me fulfill what I feel is my greater purpose in life. Being a mother is WONDERFUL, and being a mother who can take care of her children both medically and financially makes me feel really, really good.