Talk

No, you don't have a 'right' to your own class, HT can put you anywhere in the school. Are you in an area with teacher shortages, that you could transfer elsewhere/hint at moving on? Most class teacher jobs advertised are full-time though.

I've put in a transfer request, but there's nothing available.

Sorry, no, there's no right to your own class. Your best hope might be to find a prospective job share partner and pitch it to the HT.

I feel I utterly screwed myself by going PT.

It's too late in the year to apply to change my hours, no Probationers coming to school next year.

I feel I have no control over my career, no opportunity for development. It's utterly shit.

Lots of Heads don't like job shares (as lots of parents don't) and will put full timers in classes and have part timers doing PPA cover etc.

It just seems very unfair on PT teachers, when we are supposed to be treated the same.

It's not even non-class contact time cover I'm being offered next year - it's scrappy bits of this and that, which I know will end up turning into being used as a supply teacher when staff are off sick. I did five years of that, not through choice - enough!

Forgive me - I'm not very familiar with the Scottish system - but presumably there are no middle schools in Scotland, where you could specialise in your subject? Would you consider teaching in secondary? It's much easier to make PT work on a secondary tt IMHO.

I was 0.8 for years with my own class. I also was 0.5 and job shared a class with my friend (also 0.5) for the best part of 6 years. However I'm afraid your HT can put you where she wants - however, most HTs ask everyone what stage they would like each session and you should have had the opportunity to put your views across. We have about 8 PT staff in my school (13 classes) and they all have classes although two teachers have chosen to cover NCCT in recent years of their own choice. I've done it too and much preferred it to having my own class. However, I'd had my own class for years so was glad of the change.

It's completely up to your senior management I think.
0.8 is four days a week though isn't it? So you would be there most of the time. Seems a bit harsh to rule out any return to class teaching. Not good people management, you're unlikely to do a brilliant job is you're unhappy.
Sadly I don't think you have a 'right' to anything. Only a hope that your head will listen to you and take your preferences into account.

I've been doing this sort of thing for a couple of years as I wanted part time. It has been a really good step for me as gave me loads of great, varied, relevant experience and chance to genuinely make improvements to my teaching with much less pressure than having my own class. I have been teaching a long time though, so enjoyed the change. Can you use this as a springboard for applying for something else?

I'm going back to full time class teaching in a new school next week!

I didn't read that you were 4 days - sorry! I know 3 teachers on 4 day weeks (2 in infants and 1 in juniors) with their own classes. Put it on your professional development form that you would like your own class for CPD reasons and start to look for a class based job elsewhere too.

I asked for a class this year, didn't get. I told the HT back in March my order of preference of classes for next year, didn't get. Two members of staff who've been appointed very recently have got classes next year, because they're full time.

No likelihood of 4.5 day weeks in my region.

I'm not qualified to teach Secondary, Jacob. No middle schools here.

Sounds really frustrating, Euphemia. I sympathise. English / Welsh QTS enables you to teach across phases as long as you can find a position; must be one of the differences between the systems.

I just feel like I cant catch a break. I qualified when there were no jobs - cue five years on supply. We then moved house because of DH's job and I got a permanent job within a year - yay!

Then six months in one school, a year with my own class in another school, same school this year but no class, similar next year.

I qualified in 2008 and I've had my own class once.

I'm so low. I don't know how to get into a position where I get some continuity, some sense of building, progressing.

It's very frustrating!

I'm 0.6 but because of the timetable (secondary maths) I don't actually get a full day off, it's a fortnightly timetable and I have different bits of time off on different days over the two weeks, which are different every year. I also can't apply for promotion because I'm part time.

Basically, if you're part time as a teacher, you may have to decide how much you value being part time and having time off over the crap you get presented with as your timetable and the limits it places on your career.

Have you spoken to anyone in your union about this. Are they actually saying they won't give part time teachers a class & with that the possibility of promotion, because I think that could be classed as discrimination. For what its worth all 3 of my son's were taught by job sharing teachers at some point & I think they benefited from that (apart from one pair who were awful after parents night with our 2nd son taught by them I was on the point of complaining to the head & didn't only because they were about to retire, but then they weren't good teachers.)

It doesn't apply to all part-time teachers, just me and the two classes I'd expressed an interest in.

I haven't spoken to the union yet.

You don't have a right to a class but can request it. As a 0.8 you are entitled to 2 hours CCR time too remember. Make the job your own, non class contact can be satisfying if you Approach it in a positive manner. If you have longer blocks of the CCR time of 2 and a half hours is more satisfying. If this can be added to management time too you could teach a class for a day? Then it becomes more like a job share?

Perhaps email the region no request to be considered for any posts on a transfer basis, and get in touch at Easter next year, before staffing decisions are made.

But I'd you are doing the job you applied for originally the only way out might be to apply for mother one.

I've done bits and pieces for SEVEN YEARS and tried to be positive about it. SEVEN YEARS. I've had enough. I end up being used as supply, so there's no "making it my own". I can't plan when I can be shoved in any class, any time.

Why are you telling me about my own entitlement to non-class contact time?

Have you considered sending speculative CVs to other schools in the authority? They may not be advertising but they might nevertheless have something appropriate.

FWIW, PT working doesn't have to be like this. I found my current school by sending out speculative CVs as described above, outlining my skills and experience. Admittedly, I work in secondary - but I have found a school which is genuinely supportive of part-timers. They do exist. Good luck.

The authority is my employer - I can't apply to individual schools.