More and more schools are going online. And it's just the beginning of wave five. And parents often find themselves in seemingly hopeless situations. They either pay for babysitters or afterschool, or quit their jobs, all to avoid leaving their kids home alone. But nannies are getting harder to find and not everyone has money for afterschool.
Nearly three thousand schools risk going online next week if the incidence exceeds three per thousand population. Even more if the threshold rises significantly. And it's not just the students. Parents are starting to have serious problems as they can't leave their children home alone while they go to work.
"If they didn't have help from their grandparents, they have nothing to do, even working at home. Too bad!"
And if you don't have grandparents, you'd better look for them.
"I disagree with online. I gave up work anyway, for me it was a sacrifice for the first time since the pandemic started."
Those who don't have a fallback option and are forced to quit their jobs and stay at home are now waiting for help from the state. Which is 75% of the average gross wage. Last year, in wave 4 alone, 646 employees from 467 firms asked for days off to stay at home during the online school period. Data from the Labor Ministry show that the state paid more than 660 thousand lei for parents' allowances.
Parents have to pay for babysitters or afterschool
One alternative is afterschool. And in the past year, applications for private facilities have been higher than ever.
Stela Ionescu, Afterschool manager: Children come in the morning, connect with the online classroom, attend school classes, have lunch here, prepare their homework, get educational support from our teachers. Language classes, robotics classes, sports.
Some of them spend almost all day there. Basically from 8 in the morning till 6 at night.
Misha, elev: My schedule - I'm doing English, I'm doing my bachelor's and my mom comes to pick me up. I like seeing my classmates, that's what I really like.
For parents with younger children, the situation is more complicated. Looking for a nanny can be a real ordeal. Nanny recruitment agencies are constantly on the lookout.
Magda Peisakh, bone recruitment manager: We decide together what they want, we discuss, we make a proposal of resumes, we interview 3, 4 applicants, and after the interview we select the person we go forward with.
Experience in the field and knowledge of English is a plus.
