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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think a 4 day week teaching is still basically full time?

100 replies

WhatEaglesWear · 19/08/2017 16:32

Yes I'd have 1 day a week off but every additional duty would be mine?

It wouldn't seem reasonable to ask someone who only taught 1 day a week to do reports or meetings, attend evening school events.

Does anyone teach 4 days and feel the benefit of the day off?

Primary, it that matters.

OP posts:

fiorentina · 19/08/2017 17:07

I think you have to be disciplined to not do nearly fulltime work for 4 days money. No meetings on days you don't work, etc. You have to make it work.

Babbitywabbit · 19/08/2017 17:12

From what I see, even 3 day a week teaching ends up being full time as most people I know are planning, marking, thinking about school on their days off, but without the benefits of a full time salary and pension. . I actually think teaching is one of the worst careers to do part time as it's so open ended. I hear a lot of (female) teachers say they couldn't cope with full time, and it makes me mad on their behalf because they're selling themselves short and schools are getting full time commitment for part time pay.

happypoobum · 19/08/2017 17:12

I agree with PP - three days (0.6) is ideal but with 0.8 you will still be working at least 40 hours, probably more

Siwdmae · 19/08/2017 17:19

4 days a week just means you're frantically catching up, using the day for prep or marking, responding to emails, then when you go back in, it's another catch up day because you've missed out on so much on the day off.

goingmadinthecountry · 19/08/2017 17:19

I do 4 days - have Wednesday off though will occasionally go in if there are interviews/HT out all day which means a day's supply money! I love the flexibility and we have swapped days on the odd occasion if needed. I do Parents' Evenings, job share does a couple of bits on the reports.

Sometimes I do school work on a Wednesday, sometimes I meet friends/do shopping/boring stuff. It suits me.

GetTheGoodLookingGuy · 19/08/2017 17:19

I've worked as a TA in a class with a 4/1 jobshare this year. The teacher who did four days did all the planning (in PPA, with the teachers in the year group), and displays, and parents evenings/meetings. The teacher two did one day did write 1/5 of the reports, though. She also popped in fairly often when the 4 teacher was there, if they needed to catch up, and came along on a couple of trips even though it wasn't her day - I don't know if she got paid, but since she did supply elsewhere in the school at least a few times a month, I suspect it got paid as supply. The teacher who did 4 days is going back to 5 next year, as the school isn't having any part-time teachers (they were the only jobshare in the school last year).

goingmadinthecountry · 19/08/2017 17:22

Oh, and as my PPA is Tuesday pm, I've usually got all marking/planning done before my day off. I tell myself to work smarter, not longer. Quite fancy those 9 -3 hours though...

Viviennemary · 19/08/2017 17:22

This does happen. Meetings and other stuff scheduled for your day off. And you could be given extra as such a person is soooooooo busy as she does five days. Umm she is getting paid for five days.

user9512736123 · 19/08/2017 17:25

Be serious. They do at least 8.45 until 3.15

There are teachers in at the school opposite us from 7am-6pm most days.

cantkeepawayforever · 19/08/2017 17:30

Essentially, 4 days a week in school means that you don't have to work at the weekend - and as a parent you may find that compromise worthwhile.

Full-time, IME every primary teacher who is a parent (ie cannot work indefinitely after school in the week), and many who are not parents, spend at east part of every weekend working - whether it be marking the writing from Friday in depth, tweaking the planning for the following week, doing anything to do with their subject responsibility etc.

5 days a week moves that weekend work firmly into the week and gives you a fully free weekend (except that colleagues who are working may well e-mail you, if you do any form of joint planning etc) and also gives you 1 early finish - so you will be able to fit your 'displaced weekend work' into a 9-3 day.

However, you will also have to factor in handover time - about an hour a week minimum between a 3 days / 2 days jobshare, IME, possibly a little less between a 4/1 - becauise it is common for heads to want an absolutely seamless experience for the children. think also about practicalities of English and Maths books, which if your scjhool is anything like mine, always have to be marked for the next day's lessons but will also need to be available to your jobshare.

1 day jobshare rroles are also notoriously hard to fill with high quality teachers, unless there is an existing e.g. PPA cover teacher who can do a full day in your class and other time in others.

One option that can be surprisingly successful is 5 mornings / 3 afternoons - so 0.85ish, in a normal school timetable. It avoids handover issues with English & Maths, and means that if you are disciplined you get 2 3 pm finishes and still avoid weekend work - it works best if you live close or can stay in school to work, though.

goingmadinthecountry · 19/08/2017 17:31

The joys of a small school - it's easy to arrange meetings etc to suit the people involved. This year my job share and I will get PPA together for planning etc once a fortnight. Very civilised.

I do have to be really organised with marking so I don't have to take it home as there's a meeting after school one night and I have a club one night, and it's definitely seen as a cause of concern if you haven't left the building by 4 on a Friday.

IAmCrazyMostOfTheTime · 19/08/2017 17:31

Full time teaching nearly finished me off. My DH works away mon to fri so I was in charge of all household tasks, school runs and working every evening at home and weekends. I was ignoring my daughter in the week due to work commitments and then doing the same to DH at weekends. The constant worry of planning and marking was always on my mind and I had no work-life balance at all. I'm glad to say I was lucky enough to drop to 2 days a week last academic year and it's been such a relief. If I'd carried on FT I don't know what would have happened.

I know lots of other professions are stressful but in teaching a lot of it is brought home and carried on at evening the and weekends. I'd imagine that 4 days a week while being useful is still almost as stressful as FT as you'd still have lots of classes to plan and mark for. You'd also be there for almost every meeting etc so it wouldn't feel like you're gaining much time.

cantkeepawayforever · 19/08/2017 17:31

Sorry, should proofread - 3rd paragraph should obviously say '4 days a week moves..'

rosy71 · 19/08/2017 17:31

I taught 4 days a week for several years & it was much easier than full-time. I had Wednesdays off which broke the week up nicely & meant I only ever taught 2 consecutive days. I taught all the Maths, English, Reading, Science & Topic & the other teacher did Art, Music, ICT, RE on her day. She also wrote those sections of the reports. I had PPA on a Friday which meant I could plan ahead & stopped working at weekends. Full-time is much harder!

orlantina · 19/08/2017 17:33

The teachers I know who do 4 days a week feel they just have enough time to do the job effectively - and have some time at the weekends and school holidays.

Those who do 5 days a week are knackered and don't have time to be effective - especially with the ridiculous paperwork expectations.

cantkeepawayforever · 19/08/2017 17:35

rosy, I have never taught in a school where not teaching Maths and English on one day a week would be considered acceptable. Where i work, jobshares teach the Maths and English seamlessly, handing books to and fro as necessary - it is required to be exactly as it would be in a full timer's classroom.

PurpleDaisies · 19/08/2017 17:36

That's my experience too cantkeepaway. Every day has maths and English.

AndNowItIsSeven · 19/08/2017 17:37

Polly Angel was being sarcastic.

rosy71 · 19/08/2017 17:47

rosy, I have never taught in a school where not teaching Maths and English on one day a week would be considered acceptable

We just did double Maths one day & double English another. I job shared with the Headteacher (small school) & she was fine with that.

MaybeAFool · 19/08/2017 18:03

I'm a physics teacher and my colleague (also physics) has just switched to 4 days. She teaches Monday to Thursday and then has Friday off. However, she literally comes into school on Fridays and sits in the prep room and does all of her marking/planning etc. Our science block is separate to the main school so no one bothers her (as the faculty understand she's not really there)
She usually does around 7 hours on a Friday but obviously if she needs to be elsewhere then she has all the options
She absolutely loves it as she has her weekends back (mainly) and says the loss of salary is worth it.
We don't have after school meetings or events on a Friday, so she never misses any of those.
Secondary school, though.
And very high pressured faculty.

calmanban · 19/08/2017 18:08

I've decided never to work anymore than 0.6 in any one school ever again. I May do supply the other two days...i have come to realise that saying no and having a work life balance is simply too important.

cantkeepawayforever · 19/08/2017 18:09

I think 4 days in a secondary is more possible than in a primary, with 'ownership' of a single class being the norm in primary.

Forflipssake2 · 19/08/2017 18:10

Stay on 3 days a week and get supply if you want extra money. This gives you more flexibility and less stress.

BoneyBackJefferson · 19/08/2017 18:14

sonly is just being her usual goady self on any thread about teaching.

sonlypuppyfat · 19/08/2017 18:18

There's seems to be a lot of forward planning for doctors and dentists, do people really need to go to either every week.

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