If you have primary aged children, how many days a week do you work?

[masm]

Trying to gauge what would work best.

DS(4) starts school this September. I am actually reducing my hours from three days a week to two. Just wondering what the sort of ‘norm’ is, not that there is a norm.

It sometimes hits me like a truck but its just a needs must situation! I go to bed at about 7.30 once littlest one is asleep and thankfully DH deals with the other 3 😁

If they can afford it then why do they need a reason? Part of the problem is other women viewing women who want to do this as lazy. 3 days at a slower pace, making sure the house is sorted, chores done so everyone’s weekend can be more quality time, more energy to spend with the kids when they come home from school and to do their homework. It’s anything but weird. Everyone would be less overwhelmed and stressed if they had this choice.

5 days - I work every day but reduced hours - 830-230. Means we use breakfast club but I pick up at finish time.
Works really well for us. I need to work as we can't afford for me not to so I feel its a good compromise.
I love being about to pick him up after school My DS gets to play in the park with friends after school, he also do activities some days of the week. In the summer we tend to have picnic dinner and eat a picnic at the park before getting DD at nursery around 430pm.

I work 3 days a week (60% FTE) and have 2 DDs in primary school. There is no normal, a lot of my school mum friends work full time but many of us are part time.....some doing full days like me and others working 5 short days to fit in with school runs.

3 days for me has been perfect. DDs go to after school club on the days I work and I didn't really want them there full time. It keeps my hand in at work but I also have a couple of days to myself during the week. I tend to have mornings doing chores and running errands e.g. food shopping, cleaning, laundry, gardening or whatever needs doing and then after lunch I have a couple of hours to myself before I need to set off on the school run. Sometimes the gym or a walk, other times just a long bath or reading.

It makes school holidays much easier that we only need to cover 3 days. DH can take a week off work and it cover almost 2 weeks of school holidays. It also means they're never in holiday club 5 days a week.

0, DS has SEN and ASC is too much for him. I did work and we had a nanny but that was the same as my pay and as DH doesnt see the kids in the week he wasnt much help.

Ideally i would like to find a school hours job (i was commuting 7.30am -7pm to a job i loved but was central london)

Ive been doing it about a year and am definitely ready to start looking again!

3 days.

And don't worry about anyone who thinks you need a reason for not working all the time DC are at school. Do what works best for your household.

I work 20 hours - generally 9:30-2:30 four days per week, but it's flexible. I love it, no wraparound needed and one day off to catch up on housework etc. I actually feel like it's a lot, I'm never quite on top of things and life feels quite rushed. I'd love more time to do the garden etc and I never seem to have time for things I used to enjoy like reading. There's always an errand to run on my day off that takes up half the day, then I give the house a quick scrub and it's time for pickup!

My kids are at the younger end of primary, so maybe once they're older it will be a bit easier to get things done while they're at home. I appreciate I'm lucky with my hours. It's a lovely job too. I really admire people who work more than that and seem to have it all under control!

You can’t imagine having 4 hours less work? 4.5 days to 4?

I worked full-time, 5 days per week. The vast majority of DD’s friends’ mothers weren’t working full-time. There were a lot who were SAHMs, a lot who worked school hours only, some who were self-employed so may have worked equivalent of full-time but had a lot more flexibility, some shift workers (usually not full-time) so often able to still do drop offs and pick ups. There might have been a few families who worked full-time but had grandparents to help. But there certainly weren’t many others in after-school care. DD left primary in 2020, and these days there are probably even fewer kids in after-school care due to the increase in working from home.

I wouldn’t work full-time if I didn’t have to. I wouldn’t mind working just school hours. But it’s hard to never be able to pick the kids up from school.

30 hours a week over 4 days but sometimes over 5. Single parent. Maybe it’s easier working full time if you have a hands on partner but I am at capacity. I did 22 hours a week when I was married / when the kids were younger but I had to look for another job in order to remortgage.

Why are you reducing at a time when most mums INCREASE their work days?

5 days a week normally (currently not working because I’m going through cancer treatment). But we both have flexibility with our days that one of us is always available to do the school run and be home after school with them. So even if I had a meeting til 5:30pm, Dh is available. When Dh is on site for work until late, I’m done for 3pm. Honestly, I wouldn’t really want to work less. It’s important if you can to be around to supervise homework and facilitate afternoon activities, but otherwise it’s a good time to be building up earning power because they do get more expensive in a few years.

5 days a week full time, both of us. We both have the flexibility of working from home several times a week.
This means we both do drop offs/pick ups, depending on work schedules. DS is in afterschool clubs/activities but still gets picked up before the end of our working day, which is fine by our employers. We then carry on working while he gets his tea/relaxes/watches TV.

No, he gets them up and breakfasted etc and then leaves for his train just after 8. I just get up then in time to wave youngest out the door at 0830 (he is old enough to walk to school alone, but I do walk him Thursday and Friday). Eldest is now in secondary and takes himself at 730.

I work Monday - Thursday. Financially, we’d be better off if I worked Friday but I enjoy the day off with my toddler.

Well yes, it does involve wraparound - is that a reason not to do it? The wraparound at my kids school is great and the kids enjoy going.

I am immensely lucky that I work Monday -Friday 9:3:10, so school hours! I do all pick up and drop offs and work doesn't eat into family time

No, I mean I can't imagine going to working 2 days a week, i.e. having 3 days off during the working week which is what the OP plans.

I mean I could occupy myself but I don't really see the point to avoid a handful of hours of after school club

I actually work all 5 days 8-5 but earn close to minimum wage. Sometimes I have big, 2-week projects and sometimes small, 1h ones or I just sit there waiting for work. It's usually non-stressful, easy for me to do and work from home, so I can do school runs. However, it is hard when kids are sick and I do use clubs at half-term, if I know there is a big project coming. But my profession is on it's deathbed due to AI so I don't how much time I have, I may need to retrain soon. I think it would be very difficult for me to work all 5 days full-time from an office. My youngest just started school and he still needs me a lot.

After-school club at my kids' school is £12 EACH per day! If you have more than one child, that seriously adds up.

Both mine are in upper primary & I now do 4 short days. I like having a day off without kids & would struggle to do my job in less hours.

Mine do clubs if they want though. One currently chooses after school club until 5 despite the fact I could get them at 3:15.

I do 4 days 9 to 3

5- full time. As does my other half.

5 days / 42 hours (50 with commute). Currently on maternity though and will go back part time until the baby starts school.