to be fed up with my boss contacting me on my day off

[nothingbyhalves]

I'm a part time teacher, and have 2 days off a week. I'm contacted by my head of department regularly. To deal with issues ranging from booking outside speakers, to double checking what homework I have set. AIBU to think that I am not in work that day and should be left alone? After all I'm not paid for these days!

I would screen my calls.

What about saying "I will deal with that on X day" "I am not working until X, I will attend to that when I am next at work" that sort of thing.

And preempting any calls about homework etc by emailing them homework set etc so they've no need to contact you.

And if all else fails, just being direct, that you work part time and you would prefer to not be contacted on your days off unless it is an emergency.

How does he/she contact you?

If by email you can you set up an 'out of office' type of autoresponse?

If by 'phone, yes screen calls.

When you leave after 2nd day send a roundup email detailing where you are with work, homework set and any issues that you have dealt with and where you are with each - eg complete / needs x follow up /awaiting communication from xyz. They should have less cause to contact you.

And screen calls etc.

Get a separate phone for work calls, only give that number to the school and keep it turned off on your days off.

He or she does it because he or she can. Doesn't mean you have to respond or be available though.

I used to work for an airline. Pilots can only work a set number of days a year. If anyone in the admin team made the mistake of calling a pilot at home, that would count as a day 'worked' for the pilot. Consequently, these mistakes were very few and far between (otherwise there wouldn't have been enough people available to fly).

I guess what I'm trying to say is, if this was a different kind of role, you'd be able to bill for your time. Is this a private or state school? Could you arrange to be paid for an extra couple of hours, if this is what the calls amount to and that would suit you? You might as well see some benefit from this if you're happy to do it! If not, you need to set clear boundaries, e.g. not answering calls. Why does your boss assume you'll be around anyway? You could easily be working half a week at one school and half at another, or in another role for all they know.

Don't be intimidated - you work, you get paid. Simple. It sounds like your boss is taking advantage of your good nature, and be prepared for some fallout in the first instance when you cease to be quite accommodating. He or she should soon get the message though and if not, I'm assuming you're unionised?

Good luck!

I know exactly what you mean, my boss phones me on my days off nearly every week!
He will phone the house then my mobile if i don't answer the house phone and that will continue, him trying each number up to 8 times a day.
I totally ignore him and when i go back into work the next day he will say "i was trying to call you" in a big annoyed voice.
I've told him aim busy on my days off but it makes no difference.
Sorry i don't have any advice other than ignore ignore ignore!

Get an answerphone with caller display. Don't answer unless it's someone you want to talk to!
Is there any reason why your boss would need to call you at home or is he nust being a pain? Could you leave notes or any information he might need while you're gone to try and prevent this happening? Not saying it's your fault - but maybe there's a lack of communication going on?

ignore! my bosses used to do that to me, now i just screen their calls and don't answer the phone. answering the phone just engages you in conversation, so screen your calls and don't answer!

I do screen my calls but then I get answer phone messages saying so an so needs to be done by end of day, mostly trivial stuff that isn't my remit anyways

Ignore the calls regardless of what they say. I volunteer 2 days a week for a charity shop, my manager constantly phones me on my "days off" as she calls them. When i dont reply she says " You never answer the phone" my reply is "No i dont ,thats because i have a life outside of this shop " Its amazing how they cope when you don`t answer the phone.

Ignore messages on phone? If you make yourself available they will continue to take advantage.

I have the same issue and I ignore all phone calls and emails from him and get back to him the next morning when I'm scheduled to be working. Even when he thinks he's being clever by putting the email title as URGENT. Oh please. Sod off I'm back in the bloody morning.

If they leave a message can't you just say you were out all day so couldn't help

YANBU. I get this every single time I have a day off. Mostly it's stuff that can wait.

YANBU. Willing to bet she either doesn't take calls on days off, or doesn't have a life outside of work. I hate it when this happens.

I have the answerphone disabled on my mobile phone. You don't need it and you can see any missed calls and phone back people you want to.

Before you leave before your days off (at least a couple of hours before) arrange a meeting with the culprit and say, "is there anything else you think you might need? Here's the homework set (or whatever). I won't be answering calls on my day off so it would be good to sort things now". Then don't answer your phone. If she does call, when you next go back to work, you can tell her you don't appreciate being phoned on your days off and you won't answer the calls. She'll get the message eventually.

My advice is to answer the call but be somewhere you absolutely can't do what she's asking and you won't be home until nighttime, i.e. no wi-fi, no computer access, dodgy phone signal, none of your notes....perhaps Hadrian's Wall! Once she knows she simply has to ask someone else if the task is to be done that day, see who she asks, and then helpfully suggest she gets that person to do it all future times.

Just put your foot down! Come on!

If your boss is asking you to do things on days when you are not working just say no! What is going to happen? ... you won't lose your job.

More fool.you OP for responding to them!

I don't understand why people are advising you to pretend you missed calls or can't hear them?

Just repeat FIRMLY, I am not working today, I do not work on Thursdays (or whatever), I will deal with it on x day, I will do it when I am at work, etc.

Ensure you hand over clearly or send an email/ message to him at the end of the days you do work so he knows what you have/haven't done because that will be important for him to run the department. If you do this then just tell him clearly that you don't expect to be disturbed on days when you are not paid to work and discuss it with the head if he continues.

I wouldn't call them "days off", but call them days when you are not paid to work. You may have another job on those days.

Isn't teaching a vocation still or am i missing something?