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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask for your school job help! For tomorrow!!

64 replies

GalactatingGoddess · 23/08/2022 16:42

I have a visit to a school tomorrow, to see if I want to apply for a role there (non teaching).
This is a multi- question:

1.) The Head has just confirmed the annual salary and I've just realised it's too low due to being 2 days only part time (more than my salary technically but not enough hours). If I got the post do you think it would be out of order to see if they could offer more hours/an extra day?

2.) What do I need to wear/brush up on.

3.) I currently wfh fully, this would be a good career move in terms of where I'd be wanting in the future (retraining) but id lose the wfh perks. What are the specific perks to school working if I am already term time only!?

OP posts:

ItsSnowJokes · 23/08/2022 16:45

Hate to say it, but probably zero chance of them upping the hours. School budgets are so tight that they employ people on the tightest of hours. You will probably end up doing 3 days work but only getting paid for 2.

Smart clothing but more the casual end of smart. So trousers or skirt and a shirt etc.....

No other perks that I can see! It's all about the term time only working.

FawnFrenchieMum · 23/08/2022 16:46

Was @ItsSnowJokes said basically

POTC · 23/08/2022 16:47

Not going to happen, they'll have had so many applicants they won't be bothered about you dropping out so don't need to be trying to keep you interested. Unless they are advertising more than one of this role and you could cover both.
Depends a bit on what the role is but generally smart, nothing revealing.
If you already work term time only I'm not sure there are any benefits tbh!

FawnFrenchieMum · 23/08/2022 16:47

‘What’ even!

godmum56 · 23/08/2022 16:47

for question 1, is there any chnce you will take the job on the lower hours? If this is the case I'd be saking up front about extra hours. I'd be cross as heck if I interviewed someone who had no intention of taking the job as advertised. For the rest of your questions in deopends on the job.

Whowhatwherewhenwhynow · 23/08/2022 16:50

if you were worth while and they have another role they might considering giving you both. However they wouldn’t simply uo the hours if there is no additional job as they won’t have money for that.
I’d wear smart trousers/skirt and a shirt or blouse.
erm….erm….keeping distance between work life and home life?

Ducksallovertheplace · 23/08/2022 16:55

1 . Highly unlikely
2 . Smart but not formal
3 . Very very few, don’t anticipate much flexibility

Heartrate · 23/08/2022 16:55

I think if that's the hours they've advertised that's the hours they can afford. Highly unlikely to be increased unless it can be combined with another post/vacancy

Just smartish will be fine.

If you already have term time working I'd say there are very few advantages and many disadvantages to working in school. Rarely any opportunity for flexibility to go to sports day, for example

Original poster

GalactatingGoddess · 23/08/2022 17:08

Damn - I feel like I've cocked up here asking to visit the school then. I've clearly been very naive in my understanding of the flexibility schools have with their budget.

I work with a lot of schools and have heard them discussing how staff members have increased their hours or they've created a second post for two jobs of the same. Maybe that only applies to proven staff 😖

I've got to go ahead with the visit tomorrow, the Head already going to be in school and is expecting me in at 8.30am!

Thank you all

OP posts:

Original poster

GalactatingGoddess · 23/08/2022 17:09

@Whowhatwherewhenwhynow Yes that's the main one I could think of plus the career enhancement. I'd be losing so much flexibility I know. DC is still 3 years off school age though so things like sports day aren't an imminent need.

OP posts:

imaginationhasfailedme · 23/08/2022 17:14

I started working in a school 2 days a week, then it went up to 2.5 (agreed salary increase), then 3 then 4. So it could happen. But maybe let them know you'd be open to increasing hours if the opportunity arose.
With regards to benefits, I'd consider the social side of things as a perk (but then I go a bit stir crazy at home all the time)

Petronus · 23/08/2022 17:21

I’ve worked in schools for a while in various non-teaching roles. My only advice is don’t do it. There are no advantages, not in terms of perks, flexibility, pay, nothing. Even the social side isn’t that great because everyone is stressed.

Dellaandthedealer · 23/08/2022 17:23

I started at a school on a temporary contract on 10 hours a week, just retired 25 years later on 30 hours a week over four days.

Appreciate times are different now though, but if they like you and you’re willing to take on other stuff some extra hours might materialise!

Good luck!

Original poster

GalactatingGoddess · 23/08/2022 17:34

It's such a tough call!
I know I'd be losing a lot, and many would give their right arm for my role (TTO, part time, super flexible, wfh 80% of the time and only in office by choice)

I'm really torn!
I thought about going for the role, then asking my current work if I could go part time there but that's just a lot of bother really

OP posts:

ItsSnowJokes · 23/08/2022 18:01

Dellaandthedealer · 23/08/2022 17:23

I started at a school on a temporary contract on 10 hours a week, just retired 25 years later on 30 hours a week over four days.

Appreciate times are different now though, but if they like you and you’re willing to take on other stuff some extra hours might materialise!

Good luck!

But no good if you can't pay your bills in the meantime, it could be years before any extra hours are offered.

Pumperthepumper · 23/08/2022 18:07

I wouldn’t give up on what you’ve got for this new one. The chances of extra hours are really slim (no money) and you’ll have absolutely zero flexibility.

Threelittlelambs · 23/08/2022 18:12

Most people work 8:30 to 4pm on school days
plus of this is office work there’s expected extras for meeting and after school stuff

Pay is usually pro-rata based on full time 37 hours - based on 6.5 hours daily - you would be working 13 hours a week.

Extras can’t be claimed but time off in later maybe considered

Shinyandnew1 · 23/08/2022 18:19

2.)What do I need to wear/brush up on

What is the role-this will depends entirely on this. Office staff or TA?

What are the offered hours and what do you want to do instead?

Shinyandnew1 · 23/08/2022 18:20

What do you want to retrain as?

I don’t think there are any perks if you already work tto.

Houseplantmad · 23/08/2022 18:30

At the school I’m at its very likely you may get more hours. The Principal is very open to employing good people even if she appoints them to a different job to the one they applied for. Her view is she wants good people who’re happy in their work. One colleague upped her pay by extending her day from 4pm to 5.30pm when her child went to uni.
At interview you’ll be asked about safeguarding. You only need to know the basics eg about Keeping Children Safe In Education document from DfE. Basically if a child or staff member disclosed something to you, you would refer it immediately to the DSL and not deal with it yourself.

Good luck. I love working in a school. It’s the most intense role I’ve ever had though and I’m knackered during term time but love the breaks every 6 weeks or so.

Original poster

GalactatingGoddess · 23/08/2022 18:32

To clarify - it's a pastoral and mental health role

I am already qualified as a Social Worker and Youth Worker
Currently retraining to provide mental health support to young people

I am in a TTO post but it isn't student facing, so I feel like I'm losing skills.

The hours are 3 days 21.5 hrs I believe

OP posts:

Original poster

GalactatingGoddess · 23/08/2022 18:33

I know wfh is the golden ideal for a lot of people but ive found it lonely and not very fulfilling. I do thrive on relationships (but also see the huge benefits I've had being at home such as housework, being chilled for nursery drop off etc)

OP posts:

cakewench · 23/08/2022 18:37

Depends on your role really. I do various support staff roles (TA, LSA) which are set hours but I am often being asked if I can do more hours (almost always 1-1 LSA hours). I also know I could increase my hours if I expressed an interest but that's also because they know me now.

Basically, if they are hiring x number of hours, that's what they currently have funding for. If it isn't enough for you right now, you might just be out of luck. But if you can do those hours for a while, there is always a chance more will become available (especially if you let them know you are looking for them). It really depends on the school and their staffing situation.

OutDamnedSpot · 23/08/2022 18:39

1 - I’d think it would be unlikely they could find extra regular work for you, but depending on the school, casual extra work might be available. For example, at our (large, secondary) school, we pay for someone to proof read UCAS statements every October / November, we need exam invigilators at various points during the year, we also need readers/scribes for exams, we sometimes need supply TAs or supply teachers (not always qualified ones)…

When jobs do come up, they are usually advertised internally first so there would be more chance of you getting a full time job once you were ‘in the door’.

2 - wear smart casual. Nothing at all revealing. Brush up on safeguarding practices.

3 - the kids! Never a dull day!

goshy · 23/08/2022 18:45

They wouldn't likely commit to more hours in the interview but you can ask about progression. There's often the opportunity once you have the job to increase hours, move roles.

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