To basically demand super-flexible working hours

[Flatbrokefornow]

I am very privileged in that I don’t have to work to pay the bills (although only just, and not for much longer at the rate things are increasing!), but less privileged in that I’m widowed with no family close by. I’m completely on my own.

Now my DD is in secondary school, I’d like to think about going back to work, to fund a few treats and get my pension and DD’s education fund back on track, and also for my own fulfilment.

BUT, I won’t consider working school holidays. I know people do, and all power to them, but it won’t work for us, yet. (My DD has been diagnosed with anxiety, is being assessed for ADHD and has also lost her father. She’s got enough to cope with) We’ve tried holiday clubs in the past, and the effects on her anxiety are just not worth it for our family. She’s just 11, and while she (probably) won’t set fire to the house, and I’m happy to leave her for short periods occasionally, I can’t really just expect her to stay home alone all day everyday. There really isn’t anyone I can ask. Lone parenting makes forming friendships difficult, I’m an only child and my parents live abroad. I have lovely neighbours, who will do the odd favour, but that’s not exactly a solid plan going forward.

is it a non starter? I was thinking of retraining, but given the restrictions I can work, I’m not sure it’s worth bothering. Who’s going to want to employ me? Especially if any of the interview panel are blokes who never even think about childcare (and it’s common, let’s face it) and just think I’m either coddling her, or a spoilt princess that wants holidays off. I have considered working in a school, but in all honestly I don’t think I could spend all day managing children’s behaviour and then come home and manage DD (who can be very rigid and oppositional) with the level of patience I’d need and enough energy to hold boundaries with her. I don’t think that would be fair on her, or sustainable for me.

I’m currently looking at careers with flex time, working from home, or short term/part time contracts. I wouldn’t mind buying extra leave, or taking a pay cut, but my family will come first and I would leave a position which didn’t allow or follow through on me not working school holidays (in the main. The odd day will probably be doable) without hesitation. Is this even possible? How can I phrase it so that my boundaries are clear, but not sound entitled? How can I reassure an employer that I’ll do my damndest for them in my working hours, but that’s all of the time they are buying from me, and it’s not about money for me. Are my only options very casual, or leaving a job every July?

Look at the civil service, they can often offer term time contracts.

Hi OP

I noticed you mentioned you previously worked in health care. I wonder if you'd be open to community care?

My sister in law does this while at uni. She is essentially bank with a private health care company (visits to elderly people, helping them wash and dress, making food etc). She is a student and has to do placements through the year which means for weeks at a time she isn't available to work. So she works lots when not om placement then not at all while on placement.

Perhaps that could work for your situation?

School sounds like a plan .. not all roles involve working with children.
prehaps flexi carer. I work for care provider we have lots of staff who work flexi, do t work holidays etc. you could do this for a agency.
what about for the next few years Uni or education of some kind until daughter is a little older. You could even do voluntary to add to CV.

I haven’t RTFT but read a few very negative responses so wanted to give you my experience OP - I’m an project manager at a local authority on a term time only contract - my job is nothing to do with schools or education. There are organisations prepared to give term time only contracts, and loads of organisations trying to work out new ways they can offer flexibility (for example, I have a friend who is a solicitor, when she quit because childcare was becoming too difficult the law firm offered her a new contract as a consultant rather than an employee, so she chooses how many hours she wants to do a week and bills for those hours, and just chooses to do no hours over the school holidays).

Your literacy looks good. Have you considered a WFH freelance copywriting role. Only take on projects when you want.

Lol. By your title I thought you wanted more than term time working. It's doable. Look at non school public sector jobs too.. due to larger workforces they tend to be able to acc

Not sure where you live, but there are all sorts of term time only jobs in London, if you have a look through them all you might find something that would work, then you could search similar in your area

uk.indeed.com/Term-Time-Only-jobs-in-London?vjk=1d8835175f9a1456

@Flatbrokefornow I'm sorry if it has been mentioned before but I saw that you have made things from scratch I presume that you meant clothing wise. Have you considered taking this skill and making it into something you could do to earn a living? Perhaps seamstressing so that you could fit it around your child. Going self employed isn't for everyone but it could potentially work for you and then you can set your own hours etc? It was the first thing that popped into my head when you mentioned making things from scratch but if you are good at sewing then maybe you could expand to making curtains, blinds, blankets etc or if you are good at baking you could perhaps set up a small cake shop or something like that. Take what you already know and turn it into something that you can make money from so to speak?

If those jobs existed many Mum's would doing them, but they don't! Unless you worked in a school or as something from home, you've got more chance of finding unicorn in your garden

Lots of big corporates support what you are asking to do, so I'd stick to applying for jobs with them.

My ex-colleagues did this type of flexible working before the term flexible working was conceived!!! what they did in return was answer urgent calls/emails. You can also ask them to flatten your salary over 12m so you get paid when you're off work.

Good luck, the more of us who ask for this the more it will become the norm and people like me whose kids are now grown up can pick up when you can't. In all honesty in many organisations, the summer months are quieter anyway.

Good luck.

Don't know if this has already been said but maybe look at becoming a clerk to Her Majesty's Judges. It's largely secretarial work (don't know what type of work you're after) but they have 12 weeks off a year in line with school holidays as the Judiciary also take vacation at this time!

Hi there,

i think your best approach is to look for term-time roles (these are not necessarily limited to only schools).

Plenty of employers are embracing the shift towards a more flexible working culture (which is not simply about people working from home).

There is a site called FindYourFlex which is for employees who offer truly flexible roles.

I don’t see it as “demanding” I think you just need to upfront from the start about what you can commit to and take it from there.

I am a receptionist in a high school. I love my job! Enough interaction with the kids to teach me alot about teenagers which is very useful but not too much that I can't face my own when I get home. No worry for school holidays. Plenty of school jobs in the office with no interaction with the kids at all.
I thought I would hate it but I absolutely love it! And so busy all the time the day flys by!

Support worker, health care assistant, nursing assistant working on the bank you can choose your hours and days, not bad money and you will get holiday pay also. Could easily fit into what you are looking for?

I think your only options would be self-employed or a job in a school of some sort. However even self employed if you went down that route depending what it was it wouldn't be great instance to tell your customers you can't work the school holidays. Other option would be agency temp work but that wouldn't be guaranteed work.

Zero hours contracts in warehousing?

Totally get you wanting to work term time only. So apply for term time only jobs.

You can't expect a regular employer to sanction two weeks off over Xmas, two over Easter, 6-7 over the big summer period plus other weeks throughout the year and expect the rest of your team to just pick up your slack.

Office receptionist. Dinner lady. School cook. Could you free land in school and offer a service ie music or PE?

Schools are great places to work if you require all of the school holidays off work.
However, working in a school is far from flexible : no flexible hours at all, and absolutely no days, or even half days off, in term time.😕

There are jobs in schools that are not teaching for example finance / admin . Same in universities .

Hi, I think you need to freelance, fivrr-type gig work (but not fivrr, they’re shite) build up some clients, PA type stuff?. Not sure how much you’d have to do to make it work tax wise, income may be up and down to start with but you’d have that luxury. I do some proofreading and editing that I charge by the hour, and can complete when I like in the day.

I don't agree with the lone/single parent theory. There lots of trauma and family dysfunction that comes with raising children single handedly or one parent not being consistently involved that type of thing. It causes significant disruption to a child's life.

Loosing a parent must be terrible. I think it's even worse when your parent is alive and you don't see them as a child or your parent is in and out.

You can demand whatever you want. Whether you'll get it is another matter. All depends if you do something that is specialised and niche. If so and not many other people can do it then you have a chance. If you are ten a penny then an employer will go with the ones that give them the best flexibility but the other way around. You could join an NHS bank? They do admin and clinical roles and are often crying out for admin roles. Bank means you cam pick and chose when you work. That might be an option. Or go to am agency and do short term roles.

So I work term time only doing school finance, choose my own hours within the business need but I work 30 hours a week TTO. I started as an office admin working in the school office, eventually learnt some
finance and now I get paid relatively okay for a very flexible job that I Love x

To be honest there is more trauma and family disfunction associated with growing up with a parent who beats the other and the children at random, with those who have affairs, involve themselves on toxic behaviours or parents who hate the guts of each other, it is just that not much research is done in the subject.

I think single parents deserve a badge of honour, contrary to popular belief, most are courageous divorced women who had the guts to put their children first and leave.

Why don’t you start your own business that allows you to work from home? I’m a psychotherapist and while the training was looooong, I now work for myself from home, only do a few hours a day and when my kids are at home on school holidays (7 and 11), they can entertain themselves while I work.

Maybe there is something you could make and sell or just sell some sort of service. If you have the advantage of not needing to cover all your expenses immediately, you’re in the perfect position to work for yourself!