Free resource
Childcare and the working day
By Nancy Osazee, Founder
Funded hours, Tax-Free Childcare, and school hours are not the same in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The amounts and the ages change. Use the GOV.UK childcare pages for where you live rather than a figure from a blog.
This planner is about the working day: when you need cover, what the job is asking, and which official page you still have to read.
Written by Nancy Osazee, Founder of CareerPilot. This is a practical note, not advice about your own visa, contract, or legal case. Read the official page linked on this sheet before you rely on a figure.
Match the day before you match the job title
- The hours you can work if drop-off and pick-up stay as they are.
- The hours the advert states. If it does not state them, ask.
- A backup for a training day or a sick child. A job plan with no backup is fragile.
What not to put on the application
You do not have to explain your childcare arrangements in a cover letter. You do need to be able to work the hours you accept.
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On CareerPilot
Start with adverts that already print the hours, then fill the day planner beside them.
Questions
How many funded hours do I get?
It depends on where you live and the age of the child. The GOV.UK childcare pages are the source. This planner does not print a number that would be wrong for one of the nations.
Should I tell the interviewer I have children?
Only if you want to. Ask about the hours instead.
Can I request a change once I am in the job?
Yes, as a statutory flexible-working request from day one. See that page for what the letter must include.
Sources
Last checked 10 October 2026.