My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

The staffroom

Your thoughts

12 replies

eggofmantumbi · 31/12/2018 08:22

Hi everyone,
I'd Love your thoughts as I told myself if make a decision on this over Xmas and am so far struggling....

I'm currently an MFL HOD. I was on maternity leave until February 2018. Returned full time. April 2018 got diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and May was Ofsted. MFL is an Ofsted priority for improvement.

Since September my health hasn't been great but other factors have impacted how I felt at the end of term.
(Husband was away Mon-Fri, house was up for sale, FIL died, MIL currently living with us...)

I'm considering dropping my responsibility and going part time, and I've spoken to my line manager and business manager who say this would be doable, even if just for a year, but I'm torn. I want to spend more time with my daughter, want to have another baby, but financially obviously PT is a hot, especially losing the TLR as well.

I guess I just wanted to say this to some people who aren't at MY school but know what teaching is like and might have experience of having done similar.....

Thanks

OP posts:
Report
cansu · 31/12/2018 08:27

It is probably desirable for your health and well being. The question is can you afford it. I suppose the other thing to consider is who would become HOD and how would you feel about not running things.

Report
Jackshouse · 31/12/2018 08:33

I would suggest you sit down and go through all your finances and look at if you can afford it.

Then think about what is important to you in life. You need money to live but you can’t buy happiness and health.

I left teaching last year to be a SAHM. It was the best decision I made.

Report
Izzidigne · 31/12/2018 09:00

Why do you need to drop your HOD role if you go part time. Why can't you job share it?

Report
lorisparkle · 31/12/2018 09:28

I went part time after my ds and dropped being HOD. I did find it strange not being part of decision making etc and miss having that level of responsibility but I also love not having the workload and strangely that level of responsibility!!! I do find people come to me for advice and support and the person who took over from me I had ‘coached’ through her early career so found she carried on in a similar way to how I started. I did move schools eventually but that was more for logistics than anything else.

Report
EvangelineTheStar · 31/12/2018 09:49

Go part time but don't drop your TLR! I used to be 0.7 and still HOD. I don't think I would be happy to drop my TLR and remain in teaching (I'm leaving teaching at Easter, but that's a different story)

Report
noblegiraffe · 31/12/2018 10:30

If you want to have another baby, don’t forget the impact of going part time on your maternity pay.

I think if you go part time/step down because you want to spend more time with your DD then it would be very difficult for it to be a short-term thing, especially if you want another child - going back full time and giving up that extra time would probably be very hard when you still have babies.

When would you be resigning your TLR and going part time from?

Report
eggofmantumbi · 31/12/2018 10:54

My school doesn't allow PT and HOD roles.
The person who would almost certainly bring appointed to my role is great and I know I would enjoy working under her so that's not an issue.
I'm finding it really hard to balance the financial side with everything else.
I'm only 34 so I know I've got lots of time to go back to a TLR if I wanted. My school had even suggested I do it temporarily for a year but it still might impact my mat pay, as you say @noblegiraffe

OP posts:
Report
MutantDisco · 31/12/2018 11:46

You could always go back up to HoD when feeling more on top of things? Perhaps negotiate with your colleague that she does HoD on a year's contract, as professional development?

Report
eggofmantumbi · 31/12/2018 11:47

@mutantdisco she's already did she's happy to do this. I suppose if I made sure in TTC that I could go back to HOD (even if just technically) before may leave started that would help....

OP posts:
Report
noblegiraffe · 31/12/2018 11:52

Why would the school agree to you going back up to HOD just before leaving again? That seems unnecessarily disruptive for them.

Report
MissMarplesKnitting · 31/12/2018 11:58

I ditched my TLR and went part time. Initially 0.8 but now 0.7 and it works. Tbh the difference in salary isn't that huge compared beith normal teacher as tax evened it out a bit, along with the reduction in childcare costs.

I've stayed at 0.7 even though my kids are at school.

I find the 1.5 days means I get housework, shopping and other life stuff done, it gives me prep or marking time if I need it at squeeze points in the year. I get my weekends back, more or less and that is worth its weight in gold.

Report
eggofmantumbi · 31/12/2018 12:05

I need to do the maths but I suspect the difference won't be that big too.

School seem quite happy for me to do that at the moment - I think it's because we'd both still be in school and they do genuinely want to keep me there. I probably need to speak to business manager again

OP posts:
Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.