FEES, FLEXIBILITY AND THE WAY FORWARD FOR FAMILIES

Research by the Independent Schools Council shows that parents are determined to keep their children at fee paying schools and are willingly giving up skiing holidays and shopping at Lidl instead ofWaitrose.

It’s a popular misconception that independent schools are only for kids of the rich - the vast majority of school fees are paid for by both parents working extremely hard. To fund school fees, most families need not just one salary; they need two. Parents not only have to find substantial amounts of money to pay for fees, they also have childcare responsibilities outside school hours and during the holidays. The ideal family now is not dad bringing home the pancetta while mum plumps cushions at home, it’s a family where one or the other parent manages, with seconds to spare, to race from the office just in time to watch Duncan’s unmissable performance as a starfish in the school play. The solution is for one, or increasingly both, parents to work flexibly.

With near equality of pay between men and women, and with women making up almost half the workforce, the traditional gender roles of ‘cup-cakes or golf-clubs’ have shifted, and families are working out how best to achieve the balance between work and home, careers and children.

Just a few years’ ago, the work/life balance was all about women - this is no longer true. It used to be about wanting the best of both worlds, or having your cake and eating it - in other words, wanting the impossible. Now it’s about the practical realities of careers and family life - for men and for women.An important cultural shift is taking place,with flexible working at its heart.

The good news for hard-pressed parents is that the time for flexible working - whether parttime, freelance, project or job share - has arrived. Forward thinking companies have woken up to the reality that flexible working isn’t just about fluffy idealism, it’s about cash. The benefits for organizations are measurable and positive: increased productivity, better control of costs, a more settled workforce. Taking on an employee to complete a set project, or a part-time specialist for a growing company makes perfect financial sense. The question isn’t whether an organization can afford to offer flexible working, it’s whether it can afford not to.

In a 30 or 40 year working life different career patterns, whether for family commitments or other reasons, are becoming the norm and more enlightened companies have realized this.

Having some of their workforce working outside the old ‘nine to five’ routine allows them to react more responsively and to avoid a ‘brain drain’ of talent and experience. Employers get people who bring maturity and knowledge to the role, while parents get important flexibility, career satisfaction and a serious contribution to family finances. The traditional motivators of big salary and benefit packages are less significant to people for whom flexibility is the most important consideration. Everyone wins.

It’s a difficult economic climate, for both parents and for independent schools. There are anxious faces at the school gates and in the school office. Flexible working is hitting the news - not just as a worthy aim through government initiatives but also in books and new movies like The Evolution of Dad. In recessionary cycles, companies are wary of increasing the workforce and need to keep a tight control over staff costs. Organizations are also equally mindful that they need to be able to react quickly in an upswing - a flexible workforce gives them this vital ability to react more quickly to changing economic circumstances. Traditional part-time or flexible jobs were low-paid and low-skilled; this is changing rapidly as we all realize we can’t afford to waste competent, trained and valuable talent.

Some companies are notably progressive about the advantages to them of flexible working practices, others are less open-minded, and there are recruitment consultancies which focus on flexible working opportunities, combining the best interests of employers and employees alike.

There’s even something in it for the recruitment company because when they’ve introduced a high-calibre, well-motivated person they get hired again! I’ve run my own businesses and put three children through independent schools. That’s why I’m passionate about flexible working - I’ve had to be - I’ve had school fees to pay!

So, for companies and individuals feeling the squeeze and for parents with school fees to pay - flexible working has to be the way ahead.

Claire Macdonald is a flexible working mother