to think that term time, office hours work is not really 'full time'?

[GuybrushThreepwoodMightyPirate]

I'm not saying it's exactly part time, but if you work in the school office from 9-5 or similar (no evenings, no weekends, no taking your work home with you, no overtime) then AIBU to say that this isn't the same as a full time job? 13 weeks of holiday a year!

Before I get flamed I am not remotely saying that teaching isn't full time. I am a teacher so I know how it rules your evenings, weekends and 'holidays' with planning, marking, meetings, extra curricular etc.

I only ask as I had to bite my tongue when talking to a colleague in the school office recently who moaned about her tiring full time job. I'm not after a bun fight about who has the hardest job with the longest hours and fewest holidays, just clarification on this niche situation.

Yabu. She works office hours, so probably until 5.30 while your teaching hours finish at 3.30. Yes, I know you do work at home etc but the difference in pay between the two of you will be vast and I imagine the work load she has is high despite the pay. As a pp said her pay will be pro-rata to take account of the holiday so even less pay than the stated salary - unlike you.

So it seems IABU. Fair enough.

It does piss me off though that you can't even mention teaching on MN without getting a bunch of unrelated, projected moaning about hours/pay/how teachers are always moaning about their job. I wasn't moaning about my job, just asking if the comparison was a fair one. Nor did I say that my colleague had an easy job or is overpaid, just that she doesn't do it for the 47(ish) weeks per year that most office workers do.

I'm a teacher in a large primary school, I am amazed at the amount of work ,hassle and dealing with (difficult) parents thrown at the office staff.
I know the pay is crap too. I think as teachers we are very aware of the whole well you only work 9-3.30 thing! So we should be particularly careful not to use that for others.

9-5 is "full time". Anything significantly longer than that is "long hours". And I agree that the fact that you have long holidays doesn't necessarily make you any less tired by November.

OTOH I do think that some people with 9-5 jobs don't really realise how long the hours are that other people are working.

It's full time with more holidays than the average office worker, which she won't get paid for all of anyway.

The thing that is unreasonable is employers who expect their employees to work over their contracted, paid for hours as part of the job without extra pay. Workload should be manageable within no more than 40 hours. It is not the fault of your school secretary that teachers are expected to do some of their work in their own time.

Without knowing her or the ins and outs if her particular job, it's not really possible for us to answer your question.

Well, in term time it is Full Time. She just gets above average holidays - although I suspect, as the office is closed, she is actually only paid for the weeks she is there - but her salary is paid over the full 12 months. You know, like teachers and TAs are.

OP - yes, yes, yes - YANBU.

My sister is in the enviable position of having this type of job in a lovely school, and still complains that she is restricted in when she can take holidays in that she cannot take it as certain peak times of the school year...

And she has flexitime

The only time my childrens school office closes is Christmas.

Fwiw I agree with you.

However - YABVU not to predict that your OP will DEFINITELY start a bun fight, no matter how much you justify yourself. That's life mumsnet.

Strike out fail..

As a teacher you must be sick of people making comments about holidays, maybe she is too and is having a moan with you.

Who cares? You do your job she does her job. Leave her alone and people leave teachers alone. Why do people feel the need to snip and snipe at other people? Because you work harder? Apply that energy to your planning and marking and have this weekend off. Seriously stupid thread.

School admin staff are hardly raking it in. Many full time office jobs have less holidays, but often have better pay - some office workers may even be on a par with a teacher's salary (but without the holidays, of course )

Problem is, I see the opposite on MN - you can't so much as remotely suggest a teacher is anything but overworked, haggard, dedicated and hard working.

They aren't I wasn't

So because the woman isnt breaking rocks 24/7 she isnt allowed to find her job tiring meh stop being an arse op and leave the woman alone.

YABU of course its full time. Plus I used to work in a school and we would still work some of the holidays. Admin doesn't stop because the kids aren't there. Lots of jobs you don't take home with you.

My teacher friend who probably works hard termtime has been galivantin g here there and everywhere this easter holiday and will probably do some planning the night before she starts back.

Yabu. In term time it is certainly a full time job, and very tiring I'm sure. If she was complaining about her job mid way through the six week summer break then you would not be u...

Why compare roles though, I don't get it? She may get more holidays than you. A banker may get more pay. A travel writer may get more time abroad. Different choices surely?

I work in an FE college in a specialist support role. Although I teach (basic skills) I do very little marking and all planning is done in work time. My 13 week's holiday are essentially my own. I would hate to feel that I have to justify this to people, or that anyone but me and my family actually cares!! If its any consolation I make £13 k a year. Term time work tends not to be that well paid, so you may be more stressed but are also better off!! not sure who wins though

As someone who works bloody hard bloody hard in a school office, including some days during the school holidays, I'd be immensely pissed off if I thought my colleagues had so little respect for what I do, so YABVU.

If you find teaching such a chore that you have a chip on your shoulder about how 'easy' your colleagues have it perhaps you retrain in another role, but I don't suppose you'd fancy giving up your 13 holiday a year either?

I'm a TA in the SEN department of a school. I work 8.45 til 4pm with ½ hour for lunch and consider myself working full time. I would be a bit if I thought one of the teachers I support thought of me as a part timer. The folk in our school office work bloody hard and actually shield some of the teachers from a load of shit sometimes.

If she's tired, she's tired - even people who don't work at all are allowed to be knackered at the end of the day!

She is probably on a term time only contract which means she doesn't get paid for the 'holidays'. That's how it works in our school.
During term time though, she does work full time and like any job, that is tiring.

YANBU. I don't think the two jobs are comparable, and I say that as someone with experience of office work in education.

YABU