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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think it’s ok to work 4 days a week if you don’t have kids

100 replies

letsremovethewap · 17/03/2022 22:49

I’m in my 20s, a teacher and don’t have kids, ideally I would like to have a teaching job with 0.8 hours. However people I’ve spoken to say that employers would find it weird that I’m not looking for full time work if I don’t have kids.

OP posts:

SonicBroom · 18/03/2022 06:41

*role you have and role you want (not time)

lizziesiddal79 · 18/03/2022 06:42

I did 0.6 as a teacher before having my daughter. It was a jobshare with someone who wanted 0.4 after having a baby. I used to cycle on my days off. You could look into jobshares.

feelingdizzy · 18/03/2022 06:42

It's great I'm a teacher work 0.8 I have kids but they have left home . If it works for you do it !

Chocomelon · 18/03/2022 06:44

You can do what you like if your employer is okay with it but personally I would question your work ethics and ambition.

Chocomelon · 18/03/2022 06:46

Also depends on your financial position.. If you're living alone I would have thought a FT pay would be attractive. If you have a partner then their views on it would be relevant especially if they are working FT / supporting you.

carefullycourageous · 18/03/2022 06:47

@Chocomelon

You can do what you like if your employer is okay with it but personally I would question your work ethics and ambition.

This attitude is so outdated and frankly, wrong.

People who are creative and like to do other stuff outside of work often make the best employees.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 18/03/2022 06:47

Of course it's fine.

I run my own business and work very part time hours most weeks. I earn plenty enough money, have savings, own a home and pay into a pension.

DH is also self employed and normally works full-time but has the odd period of doing 3-4 day weeks when he fancies.

We don't have children either and have no real intention of having any

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 18/03/2022 06:48

@Chocomelon

You can do what you like if your employer is okay with it but personally I would question your work ethics and ambition.

Life is too short to spend any more of it working than is absolutely necessary

Waxonwaxoff0 · 18/03/2022 06:49

I worked 3 days a week and every other Saturday before I had DS. It was great, probably the most stress free time of my life.

Oblomov22 · 18/03/2022 06:53

Chocomelon :
"I would question your work ethics and ambition."

Waxonwaxoff0 · 18/03/2022 06:54

@Chocomelon

You can do what you like if your employer is okay with it but personally I would question your work ethics and ambition.

I'm not ambitious at work. Does that make me a bad person? Why should anyone "question" that when it's none of their business? My job is the least interesting part of my life. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to climb the ladder.

OutlookStalking · 18/03/2022 06:55

Id ask this again in the staffroom/to teachers.

Many teachers do this to "reduce" their job to fulltime. In secondary .6 may only see you get one day off a fortnight but the reduced teaching hours means you have some time to breathe and prep and less to take home eve/weekends.

.6 and .8 secondary teachers often end up fulltime BUT work less evening/weekends which can be worth it to stay in teaching.

Oblomov22 · 18/03/2022 06:56

Sonic you are wrong, many of the 4 day week trials did reduced hours. Some did compressed aswell.

ImplementingTheDennisSystem · 18/03/2022 06:57

Not weird at all. I'll absolutely be looking to cut my hours in the next couple of years and I don't have kids either.

mogsrus · 18/03/2022 06:59

Why is it weird.? If it all works for you & everything is all good at the end of the month, then I certainly would, no one to please but yourself.

HardbackWriter · 18/03/2022 07:01

@OutlookStalking

Id ask this again in the staffroom/to teachers.

.6 and .8 secondary teachers often end up fulltime BUT work less evening/weekends which can be worth it to stay in teaching.

There have been a few comments like this and I honestly hadn't realised how comparatively lucky DH is - in his (secondary) school if you go to 0.8/0.6/0.4 it means you get one/two/three days a week where you don't teach and have no requirement to go in at all, which makes a huge difference.

converseandjeans · 18/03/2022 07:03

oblomov22

What outlook said. In teaching 0.8 would still probably be around 40 hrs/week in term time. But it makes the workload manageable.

OP you might find you don't get a full day a week off.

Unsureif · 18/03/2022 07:04

Let's face it. 0.8 as a teacher is still full time hours for a regular job! I've worked 0.8 and 0.6 and even at 0.6 I was doing 37-40 hour weeks most weeks.

If you're not worried about finances or pension, do it. You may find you work on your day off as most people do, but at least it frees up some time. I did feel like 0.8 in secondary was full time with someone covering my classes on my day off though- I was still lead teacher for all my groups so had the assessing, marking and most of the planning was the same as full time.

I also went part time before children, but mine was due to partial redundancies. I hated being made redundant (I was only on M3) but it was a blessing in disguise and I've never worked full time in teaching since. At least on paper, I have in hours!

TangoWhiskyAlphaTango · 18/03/2022 07:05

I do 30 hours over 3 days, DC are 17 & 18 so I do not need to work part time for childcare reasons. However I have long learnt that the more I earn the more I spend and as long as i can manage I choose my time over money.

UnsuitableHat · 18/03/2022 07:09

I’m a teacher and do a 4 day week by necessity (only job I could get was on this particular contract and it’s not been increased). I love it and don’t want it to change now as long as I can afford it.

roundtable · 18/03/2022 07:10

I worked with a teacher who worked a 3 day week before having children or she would have left.

I'm currently working full time and counting down the days when I can drop back to 4 days a week. Having that day to catch up on life makes such a difference, especially with a DH who travels a lot.

However, the pay difference when dropping days in teaching is huge due to the limited days you're paid for and I wonder when I get to the point of dropping back to 4 days if I'll worry about the drop in pay. Particularly with all the rising costs at the moment.

So I think what I'm trying to say before I drop off to breakfast club is - if you can afford it -do it!

SpinningTheSeedsOfLove · 18/03/2022 07:16

What did the opening post say?! It appears to have been deleted.

AlexaShutUp · 18/03/2022 07:18

@SpinningTheSeedsOfLove

What did the opening post say?! It appears to have been deleted.

Was beginning to think I was the only one who couldn't see it.

HardbackWriter · 18/03/2022 07:20

However, the pay difference when dropping days in teaching is huge due to the limited days you're paid for

It works the same as anyone else - if you drop a day a week you lose 20% of your pay?

BigSandyBalls2015 · 18/03/2022 07:22

I work 4 days a week and my DCs are adults.
DH works long hours and I do almost everything at home so it works for us.

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