If you had the choice, would you work school hours all year round, or longer days term-time only?

[MontyBowJangles]

Kids are 5 and 8. I've been a SAHM for 5 years and am now looking to return to work. Ideally only want to do a max of 20-22hrs a week.

On one hand I'd love to be able to continue to do school run every day. On the other, term-time only appeals so I can enjoy the hols every six weeks with them.

This is rather hypothetical as I realise I won't have the choice (the job market is tough right now!).

Just wondered what YOU would do in my position?

I would rather do 2 long days, all year round. So 2 10 or 12 hour shifts. That way I am at home alone 3 days a week, 38 weeks a year to get rid of admin, cleaning, shopping, batch cooking long dog walks, nan naps, pottering on the allotment and riding dpony. Thats while ds is still small (5) and a stroppy sod after school so we don't get much done.

I'm a term time nursery worker. It definitely works for me but my 2 are now older teens, and my work are thinking of changing us to 52 weeks. I like the idea of having my holidays when I want, but will miss my long holidays.

Long days term time and the holidays off with the kids .

I work 3 days a week: school-hours during term-time, and full days during the holidays. I feel incredibly lucky to get so much flexibility from my employer!

The downside is that it feels like I'm always rushing around (I'm always trying to squeeze in an extra hour of work, because I want to do more than I can do in 3 days), there's no extra time for house/organisation (let alone time to myself!) and it's exhausting.

I think that my normal (ie what I expect for myself) is working full-time so part-time feels like a gift of extra time with DD, but if your normal is SAHP, that schedule might feel a bit relentless. On the other hand you might be better than me with work boundaries!

I work 4 days a week, 8-2 all year round, so the equivalent of 3 full days a week. Due to pretty generous holiday allowance plus working a couple of Saturdays (each Saturday counts as 1.5 days off) I only need to find about 15 days of holiday childcare a year. When I am working in the holidays, I change to 3 long days a week.

I was widowed in my 30s so thank goodness I’d been with my company a long time, know how to get a heck of a lot done in a short time period, and have a boss who allows me this flexibility.

Not quite sure what I’m going to do when my eldest hits 11 and most clubs won’t accept him any more... I won’t be happy to leave him home alone for full days at that age after all he’s been through.

Hope you find something suitable and that you really enjoy it

I do 8-4 TTO but as I do OT when it suits me I get OT pay too.

I was a corporate employee before with 30 days holiday which I thought was plenty. I looked forward to holidays but never felt like I had to hurl myself over the final line in the last week beforehand.

Schools are draining! I’ve never worked harder for less. The 13 weeks are the absolutely only reason to do it IMO.

School hours year round as there's lots of childcare options in school hols that only run school hours. Ideally something that's also flexi time so you can build up a few days

I do two long days (8-6), term time only. Breakfast & after school clubs on those days.

I like the balance of mostly being there for drop off / pick up and home in the holidays but also get three glorious days of peace & quiet during term time.

Same as some others, I do term time short days and condense the hours in the holidays to work less days but longer. Works really well as they're already with childcare so may as well have the whole day there.

I would much rather work long days all year round though but not full time, I actually find the 930 to 230 quite hard as you have to switch to parent mode mid afternoon when you've been working all day. Not to mention all the rushing about...

I work for myself, am almost divorced and stbxh shares the dc 50/50. I do longer days when I don't have the dc and when I do have them I do shorter days and school runs. I can take time off as and when in the holidays although costs me to pay extra staff but works well. Both sets of GPs have always given us loads of help with childcare so never have to use paid childcare.

On average I work 60-70hrs a week but the nature of my work means I can work it to fit in with dc, best of both worlds I think

My hours are 9.00 to 2.40 term time only, I would happily do it all year round 😂😂 but I still get paid during the summer anyway as I’m a teacher....in Ireland.

It depends on whether or not you have local family support and whether your kids school offers wraparound care (I really naively thought all schools did until I read threads on here) and what the holiday clubs are like.

That said I do agree with the people who say at least with an all year round school hours job you aren't at the mercy of there only being holiday clubs that run 9-3.

I worked 19 hours term time only when I was working, it was great as my parents did drop offs so I could go in early, most days I had time to nip to supermarket if I needed to before school finish time, I worked my hours over 3 days, Monday 7.15 - 2.45, Tuesday & Wednesday 8.00 - 2.00. It was good that I could swap days if I wanted to go to school events & I also qualified for annual leave that I could take off during term time which was handy for if DS was poorly or had hospital appointments. It's one of the things I would recommend the Civil Service for, they are very family friendly employers.

Thanks for all your replies - it's a bloody minefield isn't it?! Maybe I'll just stick to being a SAHM for another year or two

Now thinking that two long days (with dh doing drop off/drop off to breakfast club, and either after school club or in-laws doing pick up), then two short days (with me doing both drop off and pick up) then Fridays off so I can do school run and catch up on housework and shopping would be best.

The schools my kids go to don't have breakfast or after-school clubs attached, but there is one in the town that does cater for them. Will look at what hours they do.

I'm lucky in that dh's work is very flexible and he can work from home. I have the in-laws locally who will probably do one school pick up a week, plus holiday childcare for free.

I'd personally do longer days in term-time, as mine are knackered by school holidays & need a break - not being rushed out the door to clubs.

I work 30 hrs over 4 days & DC go to wrap-around care. It's a bit manic in term time; I love the school holidays with them but unfortunately don't get enough annual leave to take them all.

I'd kill for a term time job!

In your shoes, which was similar to mine (although I gave up work when my youngest was born), I'd do term time. Sorting childcare in the holidays can be an absolute pain in the backside so I decided not to go there when I didn't have to.

Also if you do go for 4 days then Mondays, then Fridays, are the best day to have off because you still have an entitlement to bank holidays pro rata so if you are not in on a Monday you get a part credit (which is why it's better if part time holidays are in hours). Fridays is the same, but less holidays fall on Fridays.

@lyralalala I gave up work when I had my youngest too he's 5.5 now. Still little really.

I've worked p/t hours before (public sector) and they had changed that rule about having Mondays and Fridays off in addition to bank holidays, so it was all split evenly.

@MoreProseccoNow I know what you mean about them being shattered at the end of term! Am hoping they'd either be with me or dh (he gets 30 days a year a/l + bank holidays) or chilling at the grandparents most of the time.