AIBU to drop to a 4 day week even though my workload won't really decrease

[RedPencilPot]

I'm a primary teacher and I would love to have a day a week at home with my ds. He's 13 months and I returned to work when he was 8 months and it's been tough.

I only really see him at the weekend as the evenings are a write off as he's v sleepy and tired and definitely not himself.

Working a 4 day week in teaching can be tough as I'm sure it is in any job.

I cannot afford to go to three days. Even at four days, I'll really notice the drop in income but I just long for a day with him when he's tiny to go swimming, walk, park, have fun etc!

Should I go for it and know that my workload won't really decrease but at least I'll have a full day at home?

Surely your workload will decrease a bit as you won't physically be teaching all week. However, are your employers likely to let you do 4 days a week, I know the school my children attend don't let any teachers work part-time.

By all means apply for flexible working if you want to, but just a word of warning: IME the requests for 4 days a week can be tricky to accommodate because it can be very hard to employ someone else to cover just one day. Often it's easier to appoint for two.... Is there any way you could manage a 3 day job share with the other person doing 2? It may even be worth extending your mortgage a bit to tide you over til you qualify for some free early years hours... Not ideal I know but if it provides a better balance and works for your employer then why not? At least if you stay in the workplace and go up the ladder, in a few years when your child starts school and childcare costs plummet, you can pay back that extra loan quickly

I work a 4-day week - am 'off' on Fridays and it's bliss. It's the one day I have just me and my DCs (3 and 14 months). Today I did housework in the morning while DCs played then we all went out for a walk in the afternoon, spent time down by the river, enjoyed the sunshine. We often go the park too. I highly recommend it :)

I worked a school hours week for a very short time. I stopped because I was carrying the same workload as the full-timers but being paid 30% less; I did the equivalent of a 3.5 day wee . I increased to full time and used the extra money to fund additional help when I needed it so that weekends weren't all about chasing around doing jobs.

I work a 4 day week, although both of mine are in school.

I love my day off in the week. I do the majority of my cleaning in that 6 hours, meaning very little except the basics gets done for the rest of the week.

It also means that I really get to enjoy the weekends with the dc as there are no jobs to be done.

Do it! I did and am so glad. I am a primary teacher also and yes the work load is not much less at all and it does make a difference to your pay but my day a week with my little one is priceless. It is also great to have a day to break the manic routine of school. My school were happy to allow it as budget wasn't looking too good and it saved them money having a regular cover teacher do my day on an agency basis.

I am a primary school teacher and did it. The one day off with my 2 under 5s is fantastic and makes me able to work the other 4 days relatively guilt free.
Although I still have a ton of marking and planning-it does work out as less work.
I have made sure that I don't have to plan for the week-the other teacher does all planning and marking for her day.

She teaches all the shape,space and measures topics in maths on her one day. She takes reading comprehension in English and science in the afternoon. I don't have to plan, teach, assess or report on science so that is definitely less work.
The English and maths topics can be taught as stand alone lessons in the week so I not have to rely on her having taught something for my lesson the next day. This has been essential in making it work.

Of course you will still have loads of marking but the day off does feel like a reduction in workload.
The pay isn't quite as much as 20%less-have you used TAFKAM's pay calculator on TES to work out your part time pay?

It's great to hear from other primary teachers that it can work.

I think my HT will be happy to accommodate the request.

I would definitely have to tighten my belt though.