If you've gone part-time or stopped working during primary years, how did it impact you (if at all) in the secondary years?

[december2020]

I've been in FT employment my entire working career where unpaid overtime is the norm (annualised salary and working culture of the industry).

DS is starting school next year and I'm currently in conflict with keeping up FT employment, working over time and long commutes or putting the break on career for a while (either going PT or finding something a bit more local which may not have the same career trajectory or opportunities) while DS is in his primary years to be able to be a bit more present then I will otherwise be able to be with my current work set up.

The fear is that if I do this, will it be impossible to go back to FT employment as DS gets older? Or will I end up getting paid for PT hours but still doing the equivalent of a FT job to get the work load done.

So if anyone has done this while your kids were young, how did you find it? Did it affect you in the long run or did it work out quite well?

I did this and it was the best choice I could have made.

the key for me was that with my company, I work by billable hour. When I worked FT, I had a straight salary. Now that I am part-time, I record my actual hours worked like normal, but I am paid for those hours. So if I work a full time week one week, I get paid for it. I don’t think I would have made the switch without this provision because I know I would have just ended up working just as much for less money.

I was 3 days a week while they were very young (one in primary school, one at nursery) then went back 4 days a week a while after dd2 started primary, and last year when they were in y5 and 2 respectively I went back full time.

It worked well for me - in the early years it cut down on nursery costs, but meant I was keeping my hand in in the industry.

3 days a week or 5 days a week work best IME - when you're there 4 days, you're given a full time job to do in less time. I did end up going up to 4.5 towards the end of that period just to get everything done, and then inevitably wouldn't log off until 3pm when I had to get the kids from school, so they were essentially getting 2hrs free out of me every week.

My increases in office time also coincided with promotions at work, so my return full-time was at Director level. They offered me 4.5 days but I was wise to the downsides by then so decided I'd rather work and be paid for all of it!

DD1 is starting secondary school this September and though I think the transition will be awkward as there will be more running around to do, it should work its way out. I will say that I (mostly) WFH and my diary tends to get filled up about a week in advance so I can plan things around work and family pretty easily. DH works locally so in a true emergency (and I work in an industry where we do have those - fire and flood, etc!) I could tag him in.

Yes I did this.

I was a maths teacher so I was pretty sure I'd be able to get a full time job later.

No management responsibilities which would have made it harder.

I worked PT until my youngest was nearly 7, it was a massive help to us with me being able to sort some of the school pick ups and made school holidays and when they were home sick easier.
I went back FT in the job I was already doing.
As for doing FT hours on PT pay you do have to be disciplined and just not do it. I only did PT for about a year when WFH and that was the hardest year actually with resisting the temptation to log on on my non working day.

Oh wow ! So it sounds like it could totally be possible? That does feel really reassuring!