'So many working parents are screwed': mothers on childcare costs in Britain

Joanna Jayarajan, 41, a self-employed mother of two in London, is one of thousands of working parents in Britain for whom the current childcare offer kids just doesn't work.

Previously, she worked five days a week providing extracurricular activities in schools and nurseries, until she lost her last au pair a year ago, and subsequently part of her earnings (her salary more than offset the cost of childcare).

"I can only work about three days a week now because I have my seven-year-old son every day after school. My two-year-old is with two different childminders, but my eldest is on a list of waiting for an after school club since January 2022.

"My job requires flexibility, and like other people who work in h staggered or irregular schedules, au pairs previously offered affordable and flexible childcare services. But since we left the EU, it is impossible to find an au pair because the pool of legal candidates is limited to very few.

"I now have to work less because I don't have anyone who can help me My parents aren't doing well enough so I have to ask favors from other moms or my babysitter to fill in the gap 15 an hour locally , more frequently if the government has provided financial support for childcare that is not registered with Ofsted.

"I know so many parents, in particularly in the medical field – , nurses, midwives – who are basically screwed up because of the lack of flexible and affordable childcare. My friend is training as a midwife, she has three children and was planning to send them to her in-laws in Cyprus so she could do her shifts.

Pressure is mounting for Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to announce help for beleaguered parents in Wednesday's budget.

Jayarajan is one of dozens of parents who have contacted the Guardian to share that they find Ofsted-registered childcare in a formal setting either unaffordable or unavailable when they need it, and have to ask family for help, fund informal arrangements themselves with babysitters they don't have to pay for on vacation, or work fewer hours.

Professional childcare is more expensive in the UK than in any other developed country, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. A couple earning two-thirds of the average income, with two children aged two and three, can spend 29% of their salary on childcare. This compares to 9% in France and 1% in Germany.