AIBU...to look for a new job - everything good except ginormous workload?

[gaffatape]

Hi all

I'm a middle manager in student administration in a university and would welcome some views on this.

Plus points of my job:

• I enjoy the content of my job
• Lovely manager and colleagues
• 4 day week (took me a year to negotiate after Mat L, but got it) and flexibility (i.e. if my kid is sick and I suddenly have to take annual leave, I don't get a hard time)
• Nice working environment
• Been there 6 years and I've got a good reputation
• Happy with the level of my position (don't want to go any higher)

Amazing, right? But - minus points of my job:

• 2 hours commuting/day (64 mile round trip)
• Silly workload that's getting bigger year by year, with more demands from the organisation
• No money to get more staff
• I've never only worked 4 days/week - I do work every weekday evening just to keep vaguely on top of things - have managed not to touch weekends yet though
• So aside from my time with my kid and partner, basically my time is either work/commute/work at home. Can't imagine having a hobby!
• No time to take all my annual leave (in fairness only lost 4.5 days this year)
• Peak busy time is the summer

My kid goes to school September 2019 and I am thinking of leaving around that time to try to get a term time only job in a school (administration side) that is closer to home. I know those jobs are like gold dust so it won't be easy, but I've got (hopefully) fairly closely related experience in student admin. I know the salary will be low, but my current salary's pretty low, and if I can cut commuting costs then the drop could be manageable I think.

Question is, am I mad for thinking of leaving? I'm aware of how lucky I am in so many respects! But I hear about people actually doing things with their evenings... and also I can't see how I'll make the summer holidays work.

Input appreciated - thanks in advance.

Hhmmm tricky, I have a similar job but school manager type role and yes I work my socks off and it's a busy crazy role and often work evenings and a bit at weekends it sounds like probably less than you as I spend that time catching up on emails and usually my work is advising, problem solving and delegating work (I have around 25 staff) - your workload is too heavy IMO and they should be getting another staff member in to help your team

Have a look and see if there's another college or university near you, look on jobs.ac.uk too - is there any hands you could do a secondment where you are or move? Your commute sounds awful though

Could you negotiate at your current place to go term time only or reduce your work load? I suspect the answer is no?

It sounds like you are doing full time work in 4 days.

2 hours commute is not too bad as long as you could stick to working hours only. I think you need to speak to your manager about your work load. They need to employ someone else, you shouldn't need to work outside of your set hours and you should be able to take all your annual leave.

The school job would appeal to me as long as you can afford to get a lower paid job? And will it really just be term time?

Do you work like that all year round or does it ease up in the holidays? That would be the decider for me i think