u/ill_help_you

We have one son and I love it, which is exactly what makes the second-kid question so annoying. We're not stuck on whether we can do it. We're stuck on whether we want to do it again.

And my answer won't hold still. Some weeks it's an obvious yes and I catch myself picturing two of them in the back seat. Some weeks it's an obvious no, usually after one bad night, when I can't imagine going back to newborn sleep. Nothing real changes between those weeks except how tired I am. So I've stopped trusting whichever answer I happen to be holding on any given day.

Which is why I'm asking: has anyone here used something structured to work through this, rather than just talking it round in circles? Clearer, Counsel.day, anything along those lines.

Did it actually move the decision, or did it just make the waiting feel productive · or drag the whole thing out longer than it needed to?

Cheers!

Morning, we’re relatively new to Canterbury and have been lucky enough to have our son accepted into St Andrew’s Prep for next year.

We applied at the start of the year and were really pleased when he was offered a place. Since then, though, we’ve heard a few less positive stories about the school, particularly around bullying and how some situations have been handled.

Does anyone here have a child at StAC Prep, ideally a boy, who would be willing to share what their experience has actually been like?

We’re interested in what the school is like day to day, how well the children are supported, whether bullying is a genuine concern, and how the school responds when issues are raised.

It has been quite difficult to get a balanced view through Facebook, as most of the school groups are understandably very supportive of StAC. We’re not looking to criticise the school or start a pile-on, but we would really appreciate some honest feedback before making a final decision.

Feel free to message me privately if you would rather not comment publicly.

Upwork’s exchange rate used to be "reasonably" close to the actual market rate, but it has become noticeably much worse.

For a recent USD to NZD payment, Upwork used a rate of around 1.82 when the actual rate was closer to 1.74. That difference effectively adds roughly another 6% to the cost before you even account for the other fees.

Then there is:

• The 5% marketplace fee
• The US$9.99 contract initiation fee
• The inflated currency conversion rate

By the time everything is added together, the cost of hiring through Upwork is significantly higher than the contractor’s actual rate.

Upwork has always charged for providing the marketplace, which is fair enough. But taking fees from the freelancer at 10%, fees from the client, a contract initiation fee, and then another substantial margin through the exchange rate is absolutely excessive.

They have become so greedy on the hiring side that it is getting difficult to justify using the platform at all.

What other platforms are people using now as even after a decade (elance previously) this is not acceptable.