Flexible work around school hours - what actually worked for you?

[MumLearningFlexibleWork]

Hi everyone,

I'm a mum of 2 trying to figure out what flexible work really works around family life. I've been researching lots of options that people suggest online and trying to sort what is actually realistic with school hours vs what sounds good but isn't.

Would love to hear - what has actually worked for you? What was a waste of time?

I'm happy to share a little checklist of what I found from my research if it's helpful for anyone else in the same boat.

Thanks so much x

I quit when youngest started primary, as we just couldn't make 2 FT jobs work, and my reduced hours were rejected.

I went back to work when they were 11 and 9 - term time only. DH was pretty flexible WFH by then. He covered anything in term time, and I did all the holidays. We still used afterschool clubs, and had an ad hoc childminder who would do before school the weeks DH was travelling (I needed to drop at 7.20).

I dropped my hours and worked 3 days worth of hours over 4 days in a community NHS role. It wasn’t term time only, though I could compress my hours into 3 days in the holidays so we paid for less childcare.

It’s affected my pension and career progression but I wouldn’t change it.

I work in a school doing a non teaching (admin) job. It is the best thing for us atm. I have been doing it for about five years since my littlest started preschool.

The money is not great, but that's because it is fewer hours across the year obviously.

I work in field sales - I used to be in a much more senior position but couldn’t make that work, with this so long as I hit my targets my manager doesn’t care what hours I do. When my DC was younger they could come with me to work but that was when I sold into convenience shops rather than what I do now. It’s not perfect but it’s the only thing I’ve found to offer as much flexibility as it does (so long as you hit your sales targets!)

edited to add mine is a full time role but I probably work 8:30-2:30 most days. Occasionally longer or shorter, but that’s my core.

After failing to find a job that worked around school hours - and didn't fancy retraining as a TA like a lot of my fellow mum friends did - I started my own business. Other friends of mine started working in hospitality (evenings and weekends) so they were there in the day to look after the kids. School holidays - combination of annual leave and holiday clubs. It's not ideal but gets easier once they get older and can walk themselves to/ from school etc and can safely entertain themselves.

What was the job?

Did you have much admin experience before? Ive heard these jobs are
lile
gold dust!

I’m a nurse and do permanent night shifts now part time so 2 nights a week and works so well for me. I have turned up to many school events and sports days on no sleep whatsoever though but I do genuinely have a better work life balance

I worked in private sector admin pre-kids.

I worked here and there (evenings and weekends mainly) when I had babies at home. When my littlest was in preschool, I got a job as a midday supervisor in a secondary school and then their whole finance department ended up being absent longterm for one reason or another and they were desperate for help, so I worked in the finance office in the morning, midday supervisor in the pm. I did various bits and bobs for a year in that school (in classroom and out), and then applied for a full time admin job in another secondary school and got it.

We both did 33 hours a week, with two short days and three longer ones. The one on a long day did the drop off, started work at 9:30 and worked later, the one on the short day went in earlier and left at 3pm to do the pick up. We used after school club on the remaining day.

In the school holidays, we booked our two short days of the week off each, so used less leave in the long run.

Worked really well for us, it was part time, but not too part time and our kids were home with a parent most days of the week. Whoever was on the short day cooked tea, so it made life easier that way as well.

So basically, yes I had experience but it was also luck and being willing to randomly help out.

I love my current job and it does work really well for us

Thank you so much both for sharing, really appreciate it x It's so helpful to hear what actually worked. The term time only and the compressed hours both sound really sensible.

@Lelophants I was a technician in a school.

I did 4 days a week 6.30 - 2.30. Hubby did the drop offs on his way to work. It meant that we could used a preschool for DD which was free because of the hours and was able to be there for pickups every day

Teaching! I use some wrap around at school but don’t worry about holidays.I work in a school that likes its staff and treats them well.

This is very similar to what DH and I do. Though I do 29/30 hours and he does 35 (which is considered full-time in his work!).

We each do two shorter days (when we WFH to make drop off and pick ups easier), then I do two longer days and he does three longer days.

Then in the holidays we each take the two shorter days as leave (as well as the occasional day childcare from his parents and holiday club). This makes our leave cover more as only needing to take off six hours per day.

I worked in a call centre evenings and weekends.

I work I'm my youngests school, in a pastoral role. My ds goes to breakfast club and then after school club. I work 8:30am - 4pm. Term time.
It works really well for us. I love the job. Dh works long hours with a commute so I do most of the childcare

I'm an exams officer in a private school.
So I don't work holidays except August for exam results. I got the job with zero school experience. I worked in the city pre DC.

I've been doing it a long time, my DC are nearly through education. It's worked well as I could always do the school run around my work hours. Plus flexible if DC were sick etc.

It's very formulaic, gets very dull very quickly. You do have a lot of independence though and teaching staff think you are incredible, without knowing exactly what you do.

Can you and your partner stagger hours so you can both help with pick up and drop off?

I have seen Amazon advertise jobs that give parents school term working so they don't work the school holidays. Obviously only useful if Amazon have a warehouse in the area.

I work in a school office. During term time, my child goes to wrap around care at school.
It's rubbish pay (due to being paid term time only) but it does mean I'm around during the holidays and my husband can save his annual leave for our holidays and random school things like harvest festival assemblies that I can't attend.

I do 30 hours over 5 days. Not quite school hours as I have to use breakfast club but pick up from school.

Only thing I don't like is unlike alot of my friends who are part time, I don't get a day to catch up on cleaning, washing, shopping etc. I have to do all that at weekends when I would rather be spending time with my kids.

I think it’s very hard to find a job that fits around being able to do all drop offs and pick ups, that isn’t minimum wage / zero hours.

More likely that you can request flexible hours when you’re already in a job where you’re well thought of and it works for the business needs.

When my children were in nursery, they were in wraparound daycare. Then at primary school, my boss allowed me to work flexi time , so I started later and could do all school drop offs. But I still had to put my children in after school club to be able to pick them up.

Later on, I dropped to four days a week so on Fridays I was around both ends of the day.

Eventually, I went self employed (kids in secondary school) so had complete flexibility to be around for them, but I’d spent years getting to a place of seniority and expertise in my career to make this work.

If you're looking a part-time, I did two jobs. I started off as an MDS at school. A bit later on I got my second job working in a shop, great as I got a couple of evenings and Sunday - so obviously I missed being at home, but luckily DH could work around childcare on those days.