If you work FT did you work PT first when kids were young?

[Whoopstheregoesmyshoulder]

Or have you always worked Ft? I'm 4 days but debating going 5 days again as my job never changed from when I went "part time" and I'm knackered so wondered about going 5 days again as I may as well get paid for all the extras I do during my 4 days. Early starts and late finishes, evening emails. I'm doing the full time hours but equally would miss taking my youngest to school on my day off as he does after and before clubs every other day and I hate putting him in there. Gah! What to do?

Always worked FT with the kids
Had flexible employers so could do earlier/later finishes when needed
Could you negotiate that so you can do a weekly drop off etc?

I have two under 10 and have always worked ft. First half of that was shifts which was crap, but I've been a Mon-Fri 9-5er for the last half of that and it's great.

I worked part time when my children were small and my husband did something called a 'nine day fortnight'. We managed and grandparents helped with child care. I gradually increased my hours and started full time work when they were 12 and 10.

Yes. 4 days with one DC. 3 days till DC 2 hit primary. Then i upped to 4. Then 4.5 as i was doing lots of work they were not paying me for and i couldn't afford to give it away.

However, the flexible working revolution that is covid has meant i moved company and gone full time. I may go in one day a week when the world starts up again. 5 days totally flexibly feels not that much different to 4 rigid.

I do school run 4 days a week. And organise my diary around what i need to sort out for the kids.

I work full time but worked part time until my youngest was in secondary. That worked for us as a family but do what suits you OP. I had friends who became SAHPs for a few years whilst others never stopped working full time. Pros and cons for all scenarios but there's no one size fits all.

I should say I've Got no family help at all hence reliance on clubs
I feel a bit sick about it but also hate the stress of fitting it into 4 days - you might be right that I'm doing 5 days already!
Plus I doubt my husband would do more house stuff which would need a discussion. If I go 5 days than all the admin and house shit I do on a Friday and any appointments I do fridays now will eat into his free to do as he likes on a Friday as it's "your day off" School holidays to consider too....maybe 5 days during term time but I doubt my company would ever do that

DH and I both work FT but flexible so we can do school runs.

Is that not a possibility?

Is there an option to work flexibly around the school runs that day? I do school runs and pick up my extra hours (to make it full time) in the evening

Both work FT and always have but we can manage school runs. But I do have a husband who really pulls his weight and shares the load. Yours would need a talking to by the sound of it...

And would a cleaner be an option for the housework?

If you are both working FT then all the other stuff should be shared

I have 2 kids, aged 5 years and 10 months. Work full time Monday - Friday 9-5 and have done forever.

like you OP, if I drop a day I'm just giving myself more work to do in 4 days.

Always worked FT and very grateful for one day a week of parental support. Obviously hasn't been in place last year but have had DH going halves on EVERYTHING which has compensated. As pp says, one size doesn't fit all but I don't feel like my kids have missed out by having two FT parents. It has done wonders for my career and earning potential which they will hopefully benefit from in years to come with more opportunities. We couldn't do it thought without DH and I being on same page about expectations.

I do four days and used to do three, I miss three! I’d never go five days again especially while my DD is little but I’m very good at work boundaries even though my job could easily be five days.

If you’re basically doing compressed hours ie five days in four then you should be paid for it and I’d have a talk with work first about workload and pay.

Part time when they were small and eventually up to full time.

Have always worked FT but with flexible hours to allow various pick up/drop offs. No family help. I could drop to 4 days but what would actually happen would be that I would do the same amount of work for 80% of the pay, plus the impact it would have on progression etc.

I went down to 4 days, with 3 in the office and 1 at home, after DC2. I've done that for 3 years now, but now with the sudden embracing of agile and flexible working I'm going back to f/t because I can work from home more (normally it's a pain of a commute into London), and finish early when needed and mop up the hours later.

I just stuck to full time as so many people told me that in my role part time just means full time work for part time pay.

I stuck with FT all the way through as I'd have been doing FT hours for PT work

I'm going to record my hours and see what I'm doing and approach that angle first
I'm definitely being paid 4 but doing 5. All my work is left not done on my day off, waiting for me 😩

With the eldest; PT until 2yrs when I got a job that was FT only. With DC2 I managed to negotiate PT return, I've only just gone FT now the youngest is 8yrs although I'm WFH so I have flexibility to do school runs.

@Whoopstheregoesmyshoulder - I am exactly in the same position as you. Previously I did 3 days which was blissful, it meant 3 days pay for 3 days work. Totally worth the cut. Now I've had to do 4 days since 1 year due to a role change and it's 80% pay for 100% work. I currently doing a 'trial' of 5 days to see how it works out. It's definitely more relaxed and rewarding on the work front. Not more frantic Thursdays and crazy Mondays. BUT I do miss my 1 extra day off and I feel like I am not as much with the kids as I previously was. Even though technically now I don't need to do late evenings on any day. Worried that I will regret giving up my PT option. On the fence here!!!

I started off doing 3 days when the kids were young and that was perfect.
The last few years I upped to 4 days, but found I was doing a fulltime caseload crammed into 4 days, so switched to fulltime.
I wouldn’t do 4 days again, I’d either go for 3 days or fulltime.

I worked full time after maternity until they were 3 and a half, then went part time for about a year. Now theyre gearing up for school ive gone back to full time BUT i’ve changed job roles so i’m days only, no more shift work. It means i’ll miss out on the school run 4 days a week, which i’m a bit sad about, but i’ll have my weekends back for doing things and i’ll be home at night too.

I did 3 days, then 4, then 3 full days and 2 half days when DC1 started school. I then got a new ft job not long after that.

I found part time more stressful, the 3 days especially, as always playing catch up, always working evenings.

Although 3 full days plus 2 half days wasn’t too bad (well I say half days, it was 9am to flying-out-the-office-at-3:05pm)

I went back full time when you eldest was 6months old. I am due our second in September and have taken a short career break before maternity to spend much needed time with my daughter and will aim to go back part time (3 days) per week after a year (+ A/L) maternity leave.