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Original poster

4 day week? Teacher

38 replies

MilkCereal · 07/11/2021 17:44

I'm struggling with work and life demands. Work fulltime in demanding job as does dh. We have 2 dc. Seriously wanting to drop to 4 days but not sure if I should financially and career wise. Anyone do 4 days? I'm a primary school teacher. Wondering how to approach the subject with headteacher.

OP posts:

AuntyMabelandPippin · 07/11/2021 17:56

Either three days or full time. Four, and you work your day off getting all the stuff you've not had time to do at school done.

HugeAckmansWife · 07/11/2021 17:56

I had 4 days for a while and it was good but you have to be sure you'll be given 4 full dad and a whole day off, not half days or anything useless like that.

ThirdElephant · 07/11/2021 17:58

You can do 4.5 days- get the other half of your PPA day off unpaid- if your school are amenable to it.

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ThirdElephant · 07/11/2021 17:59

Oh, and yes, you will spend the 5th day basically as a long PPA day, but it does enable you to have weekends off.

ramonaquimby · 07/11/2021 18:00

I currently do 4 days and agree - should be 3, or stick to part time.
I don't have the 5th day to myself, I feel as though I'm still doing full time hours (including evening and weekend planning.....wahhhh)

Original poster

MilkCereal · 07/11/2021 18:16

Oh this is what I'm worried about ending up doing a days paperwork at home on the day off but then I suppose it frees up the evenings. I'm getting fed up of working each evening once kids in bed as well as fulltime hours.
3 seems very part time and a big drop in pay 🤔

I'm so unsure whether to just plod on...
What reasons did you all give when requesting part time?

OP posts:

ThirdElephant · 07/11/2021 18:18

Just, 'As you know, teaching takes a weekend day at least and I'm not willing to spend that time away from my kids anymore so I need another time to do it.'

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 07/11/2021 18:21

I did 4 days when I first qualified. Don’t. You will be solely responsible for the class for 80% of your pay.

Kite22 · 07/11/2021 18:27

No, don't do 4. You will just end up doing the whole of the job except the actual class contact on that one day.
All the planning, tracking, report writing, assemblies, displays, organising trips, Christmas plays, social care, SEND meetings, etc et etc

You need to do 3 days, then you will have a job share partner and can distribute all the "stuff" that is exhausting you fairly.
You might be surprised that their pay doesn't go down as much as you'd think, due to the high personal tax allowance everyone has now, and then other deductions being lower (so you won't be paying back your student loan for example). Then you save on childcare you are paying for too.
Once mine were at school I did used to work through that day but as you say, it means you then don't need to work every evening and every weekend, so it really is the BEST balance, IME.

Original poster

MilkCereal · 07/11/2021 18:38

Thanks @Thirdelephant perfect.
@Kite22 interesting about the pay and yes we work save on afterschool club extortionate fee 2 days a week so actually that's already a lot! Thanks

OP posts:

Bearnecessity · 07/11/2021 18:55

I work three days now and I spend one day off working all day....unpaid...but I get one midweek day to myself.I have worked 4 in the past and Kite 22 is right about still doing everything. I was employed on a three day basis so didn't have to come up with reasons. My advice is to think about who is already in school who could pick up your two days you are more likely to get it if you can help to smooth the alternative arrangements for the Head.

Original poster

MilkCereal · 07/11/2021 19:02

Thankyou @bearnecessity that's a good point

OP posts:

Kite22 · 07/11/2021 19:08

What reasons did you all give when requesting part time?

First time was when I had had dc2 and I requested it as I came back from maternity. But, as Bearnecessity suggests, I was lucky enough that there was another teacher in my school who wanted to go down to two days, so it would have been difficult for them to offer any reason why not.
Next two jobs were advertised as PT anyway.
However you only need to request - they would need to come up with a reason why it wouldn't work.

looloo247 · 07/11/2021 19:11

Definitely go with 3. I do 3 as a teacher and have a great job share so it is manageable. Teachers in my school who do 4 days tend to either get full class responsibility for 80% pay or PPA cover roles and having to plan for various year groups across school.

LookdeepintotheParka · 07/11/2021 19:15

I've just tried going to 3 days for similar reasons but was told no it would have to be 2.5 in order to recruit a job share.

Funnily enough they have agreed to 4 days as they know I'll be basically fitting in a full time job into 4 days

It's either that or having no work life balance at all and I need a clear day off to stay sane!

Good luck OP hope you can negotiate what you want

pinksquash13 · 07/11/2021 19:17

Agree with @Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies and @Kite22. The trouble with 4 days in a primary school is you'll likely have 100% of the class responsibility e.g. reports, planning, parents eve. If it were my school, it would likely be an HLTA covering one day and then you'd maybe even end up with more problems e.g. behaviour or low quality work produced. If you can't afford 3 days I'd look at staying full time and changing schools/ roles? What else could you do to find a better work life balance? Sending you solisarity. It's very hard.

bizboz · 07/11/2021 19:17

@ThirdElephant

You can do 4.5 days- get the other half of your PPA day off unpaid- if your school are amenable to it.

I did this but it depends who covers you. I was covered by a TA and had to do all the planning for that day, including the unpaid half day so it was actually more work.

Waterlemon · 07/11/2021 19:18

With 4 days you still have all the same responsibilities and expectations as someone doing 5 days, but less time to actually do them!

hollyivysaurus · 07/11/2021 19:21

I do 3 days and it’s brilliant - I work on one of my days off, but it means weekends are for my kids.

Kite22 · 07/11/2021 19:24

I've just tried going to 3 days for similar reasons but was told no it would have to be 2.5 in order to recruit a job share.

That's nonsense though. I know LOADS of teachers who would prefer to do 2 days over 2.5. The only justification they can have for that is if they already have several teachers doing 2.5 and want to be able to swap them around.

kennythekangaroo · 07/11/2021 19:36

I do 3 days a week with my job share and it's great. I've done it for years.
I have gone up to 4 days a week some years and as a pp said it's pretty much like working full time with all the responsibility for parents evenings, reports etc
The best couple of years were when my job share and I both did three days, one of us covered management time for the unit leader on a Wednesday morning, then we had our PPA together Wednesday afternoon.
You could always let slt know you are available for the occasional supply on your days off if it fits.

Original poster

MilkCereal · 07/11/2021 19:39

Thank you so much everyone. I'm seriously considering asking for 3 days after all your advice. My worry was that a ta would cover day 5 and I would end up planning/assessing it so 3 seems a better choice, the thought of less reports is actually making me giddy! Off to put dc to bed and start reports!!

OP posts:

glowingtwig · 07/11/2021 19:41

It sounds like you need a rethink of your work/life balance. I work 3 days a week, never do work on those days off and very rarely at weekends- only during mock marking season. It means cutting corners and not doing such a good job as I used to do, but tbh at this stage of my life I'm prioritising myself and my children. Teaching full time, evenings and weekends is soul destroying and I will never ever do it again! No one thanks you for it. x

RacketeerRalph · 07/11/2021 19:59

Primary or secondary? My friend is a secondary teacher doing "4 days" (0.8 timetable) except she's in school everyday, her gaps are often middle of the day. It's absolutely shit.

Original poster

MilkCereal · 07/11/2021 20:13

Yes definitely need a rethink and something has to change. We did have a cleaner, Dh does school drop offs, do online shopping etc but still feel like work is taking over. If we have no cleaner or after school club for 2 nights we'd be saving £ 264 a month.
Silly question but how do I work out monthly pay on 3 days a week?

OP posts:

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