CHILDCARE: Two Weeks Summer Club In Spain Costs Less Than One Day Of Nursery In The UK Claims Mum
Spain News
Published: 17 August 2022 13:33 CET
A mum has highlighted the huge difference in the cost of childcare between Spain and the UK by revealing that two weeks of summer club in Spain cost her the same as one day of nursery in the UK.
Mum-of-two Carmen Hernandez who currently lives in Glasgow but is originally from Spain said that she decided to spend the summer in her native country as the equivalent cost of childcare in the UK would have been far too expensive for her family.
In an attempt to mitigate the cost of living, Carmen made the choice to spend the summer with her parents in Murcia where she could not only work remotely but also take advantage of the reduced costs. As an added bonus, she said her children also got to spend a holiday in the sunshine.
Hernandez said that she placed her daughter in a council-funded summer club in Spain and was shocked to find that the cost of a two-week placement was the same as just one day in Scotland.
Carmen, who has lived in the UK for 10 years and is married with a daughter, Isabel, aged three and a son, Teo 18 months said, “I was shocked and perplexed when I realised after having children how expensive childcare is.
“I am surprised people in the UK actually have children when childcare is so crazily pricey.”
With the cost of living on the rise, Carmen, who works in project management, said that since her maternity leave ended in January, she had been working four days a week in Scotland.
“I knew I could not afford to drop a day without pay as otherwise, I would not have been earning enough to cover the childcare,” she explained.
“Having both children in nursery for four days a week costs us about £1,800 a month.”
With the prospect of having to pay so much for childcare over the summer period, the family decided to head to Spain for the holidays once the children broke up on June 27.
Carmen believes that the UK can learn a lot from Spain and make life easier for working parents.
“The summer club in Spain cost us just €40 for two weeks – that’s less than what we pay for one day of their nursery in Glasgow where it costs £52 a day per child,” she said.
“It was funded by the local council in Spain and the €40 was more of a token payment to secure the place.”
Despite having to pay £884 for Teo’s nursery costs in July to secure his place, as the nursery charges yearly, the family still saved money.
However, they decided to take Isabel out as she would be starting a new childcare facility after the holidays.
As Carmen’s parents were residents in Spain, they were fortunate to be able to get a place in the local council-funded club. Furthermore, as the family were staying with Carmen’s parents, they were also able to save more money as they didn’t have to pay for accommodation or living expenses.
How much does the cost of nursery in Spain compare to the UK?
The cost of childcare in Spain is heavily subsidised by the Government so is considerably cheaper than in the UK with the average public nursery in Spain costing between €150 and €400 per month depending on your level of income.
Private nurseries can cost more at between €400 and €1,000 per month. However, this is still far less than the €2,100 Carmen claims she is currently paying in Scotland.
Carmen admitted that jetting off to Spain to save on childcare costs will not be for everyone, but wanted to highlight the difference and how the UK can learn from Spain and help parents of young children get back to work.
“We know we are lucky that we can visit my family in Spain and stay with them as otherwise, we would not have been able to go on holiday this year because we would not have been able to afford it,” she said.
Carmen said that childcare wasn’t the only thing that was cheaper while they were away. She also sent Teo for swimming lessons which were subsidised by the local council. This cost here just €20 for 45-minute swimming lessons twice a week for the whole of July.
“These swimming lessons were given by professional swimming instructors and in Glasgow, it would have cost us £15 for each lesson,” she said.
“I have a friend who lives in Madrid where things are very expensive and she complains it costs her €400 a month for her child to go to nursery full-time.”
However, Carmen points out that in Glasgow, a full-time nursery would cost her family substantially more than this, as it would other parents across the UK.
Learn more about childcare in Spain
Source
https://inews.co.uk/news/childcare-costs-summer-club-spain-nursery-uk-1786581
