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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:

ilovesooty · 19/08/2017 18:49

Yes Boney
As surely as night follows day.

I never taught part time but wonder if you'll feel differently about going up to four from three as opposed to reducing your workload? I certainly wouldn't do it unless I got a guaranteed full day off.

qumquat · 19/08/2017 18:55

I work 4 days in secondary. I definitely do more than 0.8 of the full time job (e.g. I still direct all of the school shows and my timetable is heavier than that of a full time teacher over 4 days (bitter)) but having a 3 day weekend makes a massive difference as I do one day of work then still get two days off. I don't think I ever took a whole two day weekend when I was full time. I'd love to stay 4 days forever but probably won't be able to afford it.

KarateKitten · 19/08/2017 18:58

If you do a 4 day week it is not technically full time. If you do 5 days compressed as 4 then it is.

If you do 4 days a week, get paid for 4 days but do 5 days work, you are a fool.

Cathpot · 19/08/2017 19:18

I'm about to go back down to 0.5 from 0.8 in a bid to get my weekends back. Its a difficult profession to keep inside part time hours, because you can always do more prep/ better marking. I find even at 0.5 to do the job how I want it done takes all the spare hours in the week, but crucially I don't give up weekends. In fact I am part time so that the kids I teach get a cheerful positive teacher who is getting enough sleep and I get to enjoy my job without feeling stressed and burnt out. It's very sad that this is the reason so many of our staff feel they have to be part time and of course I'm lucky our family can sustain the loss of income. If I was on my own I'd have moved careers or gone abroad. In answer to what is expected it seems to vary school to school although in theory they are not supposed to disadvantage you because you are part time. In recent years my school has really sorted out its expectation of part timers and I've had a meeting with HR already about next year. I am expected to do half of the full time after school extras like full staff meetings etc. I don't have to come in for things on my one full day off , and if I sign up for more than the required or come in on my day off (which I will do as there are training courses and parents evenings etc I can't or don't want to miss) they will pay me for those hours. At the moment I am down to do 25 extra hours I don't technically have to over the year and they will pay me for that time. It wasn't like this in the past when it was very unclear of what was expected and the school were getting lots of unpaid work from part timers. Eventually there were so many of us that it became formalised.

sonjadog · 19/08/2017 19:22

My experience is that when working 0.8, teachers end up doing almost a full time job for less pay, so it isn´t worth it. The difference comes in at 0.6. If you can manage on a three day week, do that instead.

JimLahey · 19/08/2017 19:25

Yanbu op. Ignore the fools and their '9 to 3 and the holidays dig'. They wouldn't last a day in teaching. It's a bloody hard job!

mrsfwentworth · 19/08/2017 19:35

I think it really depends on your school, contract and personal approach. I reduced to 0.8 due to a chronic health condition and it has honestly changed my life. I now have a whole day per week to myself which is a luxury beyond imagining. It is a day per week without 1 hr 20 minutes minimum commuting time, 2 hours extra in bed (5.30am get up is standard on a work day), a day to do yoga, walk and go swimming and just a day away from school which is a stressful environment - fluorescent lighting, bells ringing, general noise of teenagers, rushed meals, pressure. I categorically refuse to do any work on my day off but because I have more energy I can go in much earlier to do work on the other days which was not possible before and can work through lunch rather than needing to rest which, combined with 20% less planning and marking, I rarely now work at weekends. Above all, the improvement in my health and stress levels has meant that I (for the most part) love my job again and I am much, much better teacher for it.

BUT If you are not given a whole day off per week then, imo, it is pointless. However, other minor niggles where workload does not reduce as much as expected (e.g. reports, duties ec) are bearable and worth it. Promotion opportunities, e.g. HOY etc, are nigh on impossible to get as a PT member of staff (for some reason my school does not see the benefits of positions of responsibility being job shared which, imo, is a bit discrimintory) is the main downside as obviously the drop in pay/pension but still 100% worth it.

pestov · 19/08/2017 19:37

Maybe consider the extra day not being full? Colleagues are on .86 and .37 in my secondary, and another went to .9 with trapped time as she was training most evenings and weekends - she timetabled into a meeting room and got on with work undisturbed

HiJenny35 · 19/08/2017 19:37

I went down to two days a week working for an academy and was still expected to write the plans and schemes of work for the whole school for my subject, do all reports and ieps etc and I had duty both days at break where as other teachers only do 1 day a week as I was 'off the rest of the week' for me it was exactly the same amount of paperwork as I had full time with only the lessons and my ppa removed. I resigned.

EveningShadows · 19/08/2017 19:45

IME it's getting harder and harder to find p/t primary teaching posts .

HTs don't want them yet where I live we have a massive recruitment crisis - heads are shutting the door on good applicants because we want some w/l balance.

sonlypuppyfat · 19/08/2017 20:11

Those who say teaching is a hard job, I wonder what you are comparing it to

Babbitywabbit · 19/08/2017 20:16

Oh sonly, why not go get a teaching job if you want the easy life?! You pop up on every thread which refers to teaching. Anyone would think you were envious....

woodlands01 · 19/08/2017 20:21

I compare it to:

Working as a draughtsperson in a shipbuilding company
working in London in financial services
Working in IT services including lots of travel
working for myself as an IT consultant

I chose teaching to reduce my travelling time, reduce working away from home and to allow me to have the holidays with my children.
That worked but it is still the hardest job I have ever done. I wonder how many people who comment on teaching as a profession have tried it.

sonlypuppyfat · 19/08/2017 20:30

I find it hard belittling children that's why I wouldn't be a teacher

Original poster

WhatEaglesWear · 19/08/2017 20:32

Thanks for all the replies!
wentworth I also have a chronic health condition so I'm really interested in your views!

Plenty of food for thought here.

The idea of a full day off to spend away from school and stress is amazing.

I am quite disciplined and I definitely would not be the type to do schoo, work on my day off.

OP posts:

ClusterBustering · 19/08/2017 20:38

I found I got more and more squeezed. I eventually ended up at 0.8 with on average 3 days teaching across nursery-6, senco and SMT. Stressful. Even NQT mentor. I'd stayed off as senco and 1 day teaching.

BoneyBackJefferson · 19/08/2017 20:39

Please don't engage the goady fucker.

MakeItRain · 19/08/2017 20:41

I used to work 4 days (teaching) and it was wonderful! I did usually do quite a bit of work on my day off but it meant I got my whole weekend to unwind which was great. I'm back to 5 now but would drop the day in a flash if I could afford to. It definitely makes a huge difference to your stress levels.

Babbitywabbit · 19/08/2017 20:43

you're doing yourself a disservice sonly- you're a bitter angry person with a massive chip on your shoulder who talks out your arse. Why not apply to train?!

Babbitywabbit · 19/08/2017 20:44

(Sorry boney- I'll stop in a minute but couldn't Resist!)

sonlypuppyfat · 19/08/2017 20:52

Train for something I have absolutely no respect for?

Polly85 · 19/08/2017 21:03

@sonlypuppyfat did you have a teacher that you hated, which has made you angry with all teachers? Why else would you have no respect for them? They are educated and work hard for comparatively little money, usually because they want to make a difference in children's lives.

sonlypuppyfat · 19/08/2017 21:19

I had the most miserable time at school. I was a quiet child with teachers that thrived on making you uncomfortable in class

ilovesooty · 19/08/2017 21:20

And you bring that resentment onto every thread discussing teaching. It's tedious.

seven201 · 19/08/2017 21:22

I'm in secondary dropping down to 0.8 from September. I really hope it makes a difference!

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