Full time working after 15 years part-time (and term-time) - what are your hacks?

[newnamenellie]

So, after 15 years of part-time work as a teacher, I'm leaving the profession to go into an office job using a new skill.
I chose to work part-time after DC1 was born and DP has always continued to work full-time throughout. We have two DC now, aged nearly 17 and 12. Obviously they are old enough that they don't need me much anymore and so doing part-time, term-time work no longer seems relevant or necessary.
Anyway, I'm aware that moving to a 9-5 full time job is going to be a bit of a shock to the system, but I'm prepared for that. What I'm most concerned about is how the house will run when I'm not there to do all of the bits and bobs, chores etc that I normally do on the days I don't work or in the school holidays.
What do others do? I'm hoping that some of you will have some tips or advice on how you get everything done and keep things running smoothly!

Im tempted to say leave them until someone moans, then make it that persons job!

Can you get a little ahead of tge gane and book a delivery of food, prepare some meals,book a few appointments a bit longer in advance.

With older kids the most important thing is to share the workload fairly. You must not be a fulltime worker + housewife, you and your DP now need to split the jobs equally and you should make sure your kids are doing a good share. By 17 I would expect plenty fo help. By 12 they can do their own school prep - like make packed lunch and iron shirts - themselves.

Batch cooking is great - we cook three times per week and eat it twice so half the evenings are reheating not cooking.

Make lists of what needs doing and share that out - your 17yo can pop to the shop for bits for example as they will potentially have more time at home than you.

Make your weekends restful to catch up.

Absolutely share out the tasks - a rota if needed. My lot do not pull their weight as much as they should and we have some humdingers about it.

Lower your meal expectations. I found I resented spending my v limited spare time batch cooking in addition to doing the dog walking, ferrying the DC to evening activities, voluntary work etc so we now have more quick meals - pasta, chicken in pitta, that kind of things.

Say no to stuff. Don’t take in too much. Build in time for rest.

Shared calendar or WhatsApp/Messenger to arrange family stuff

If you can, work at home some of the time - being able to put on a washing as you wait for the kettle to boil is great for keeping ahead of things.

Set aside an hour or two each week for household paperwork - use your lunch break if needed.

This is all good stuff, thank you.

I absolutely agree that I need to get my DC and DP more involved in the chores. At the moment, my DP does a fair amount relative to him working full time, but it still boils down to me doing most of the household tasks and having the mental load too.

I'm a very organised person, so in theory, I should enjoy the planning side of this!

I think you might be surprised how easy you find it if you can leave the new job at 5pm and not have to bring anything home. Teaching, even PT, tends to encroach into evenings and weekends more than many other roles.

Yes, splitting chores is important, both daily stuff and weekly stuff. Get your family's input. You're moving to a team based system now so they need some ownership. It won't be your job to remind them to cook - how can you collectively share the management? Tech can help - shared apps, phone reminders.

Carve out a quiet time just for you. If you will be taking packed lunches, either do a rota or make sure someone else is in charge. Lunch tastes better when someone else makes it!

May we ask what you chose to re-train in?

Outsource what you can/are able to - we have a cleaner and someone to do the ironing. If we had a bigger garden, we’d get a gardener.

Split the jobs with DP and give him the job as a whole - don’t expect him to necessarily do it your way. For example, DH does all birthdays and family organising on his side & I leave him to it. He also does all bills & insurance, and annual/monthly appointments for us all (dentists, opticians, hair for DS) while I do food and nursery liaison.

Book the same weekly online food delivery slot & have a number of meals to rotate through. Get the kids to cook at least one meal per week. Maybe look at a discounted Hello Fresh or Gousto box for the first month.

Not so much for big kids but I bulk buy birthday cards at the start of the year and get some generic birthday present for the parties we get invited to throughout the year.

Multiple laundry baskets. Put a wash on delayed timer in the evening so it’s finished when you wake up in the morning. Everyone is responsible for putting their own laundry in the wash and then away.

Shared family calendars - on paper or online/an app. If it isn’t in the calendar, it doesn’t exist. It’s about aligning, managing & communicating expectations across the family.

Declutter if you can and lower your standards until you all get into the new rhythm. Don’t martyr yourself - this is a good thing for the family.

First things first, make sure your pension contributions are big enough. You’ll have a small teachers pension, so may need to boost it.
get a cleaner.
make a rota of chores.
make a weekly menu with everyone, use it to make a shopping list then do an online food shop to be collected by Dh on his way home from work.
make sure the dc know how to use the washing machine!

@WalkingOnSonshine thank you - lots of good advice there.

I've start four weeks today, so got time to get things in place, get everyone briefed!

Care less about how things are done. Outcomes not methods are key. Accept things will not always be to your liking. Have a house admin catch up with your husband regularly - just sit at the table after dinner and go through together what needs to be done and who's responsible. Have a shared Google/digital calendar which everyone can view and edit.

Get a few meals in the freezer ready, then you dh and 17yo take a day each to cook in week. Do a list for each child of chores they need to do.

Remember you finish at 5pm and enjoy all that free time now with no planning, assessment etc!