To say no! Twilight sessions (unpaid)

[LorlieS]

Can't sleep I'm so stressed!!
I'm working as a HLTA - paid hours 8.30 until 3.30.
Just picked up an email sent today telling me I need to attend two twilight sessions from after school until 6pm. Needless to say these will not be paid for and the first one is this week!
AIBU to say no?
Oh, and I also have a 3 yo and her childcare only runs until 4.30.

It's what happens in other schools.

Out TAs were either given other training days off (if the subject wasn't strongly relevant to TAs) or paid extra.

But I've never heard of a twilight training being organised with such late notice. I believe you, but it's absolutely appalling.
I would simply say that it's impossible for you to get childcare at such short notice, for either date. For an they know your DH might not have any holiday left.

I’m guessing they are doing twilights so that you aggregate enough hours to not have to do that last in July so you can break up the Friday instead. Check if that’s the case…

Yes. But often in the body of the contract it can say something about the work being more flexible than that.

It’s a bloody joke. And the job of a TA sounds quite difficult and responsible. If it was men doing it: it would be paid better.

they are taking the piss paying min wage but expecting you to basically be a teacher

For how many days? 190? 195? This is the crux of your original issue.

With that short notice they’ve got no choice but to accept you can’t make it. As you say with more notice your husband can take time off. But such short notice it’s not happening. Not much they can say with such short notice

People are absolutely fucking ridiculous on here, telling you to hire some stranger to mind your dc or telling you to make mum friends, when you aren't at dc school to make them!

Personally I'd just decline and say no childcare. Lack of planning on their part doesn't constitute an emergency on yours, as the saying goes.

For minimum wage, some employers take the piss. Even if inset is on your contract, that means inset during your actual working hours, not random times tacked on at the last minute!

Just say no can do and ask to do it during the day. This is their problem to solve, not yours. Not either that level of notice.

I also think you need a conversation with your union. If you are spending more time covering supply than doing the job you were hired for, you need to start kicking back.

I have read the whole thread and I still don't understand why the teenage children can't mind their little sister.

I didn't say a stranger if you read my post properly thank you

If you have no childcare then you can’t go, it’s quite simple really. Explain this to your manager. It’s either that or she goes with you 😂😂 it’s outside of your normal working hours anyway. I don’t think they have a leg to stand on personally.

Then you haven't read the whole thread. Older kids live with their dad and he won't swap contact days.

Wrong thread?

@bonkersplonkers there are people telling the op to get a sitter or ask a mum friend or see if school can organise childcare. She doesn't know these people

Apologies - wrong thread, will get this removed. Thanks.

If you have to attend something without being paid then if that brings your hourly rate to below the minimum wage when you divide by actual hours worked it’s illegal anyway.

Doesn't a 16yo have any autonomy over his contact with his mother and half sibling? I would have thought they could decide for themselves when they visited, thus be able to provide a couple of hours care for the 3yo. Sorry if that's not the case.

Ask if you can bring your DD. Make her a packed tea and a quiet activity.

Yes me, I suggested asking on Facebook if anyone knew a babysitter. How the heck else does anyone find one, surely through friends!

Presumably when you accepted this job you agreed to attend training sessions related to school issues and like most TAs/teachers they are usually unpaid

But people on Facebook are strangers to the OP and to the child. Sorry, but it's absolutely batshit crazy to ask some random on fb to mind your child! She doesn't do pick up where her dc is during the day - she doesn't have a mum network. That's true for lots of workers.
If OP had a local friend, willing to help her, I expect she would have explored that avenue already.

Other mums might be willing to help out someone they know who is in a fix but they aren't likely to want to be backup childcare for a woman they don't know.

Fair enough if you are friends with people you don't know well, but I'm not.

Maybe I should have said text everyone you know well to see if they have any suggestions. This would be the same to me as asking my FB friends list. I'll butt out now as I've just stirred up a hornets nest and although trying to help OP hadn't appreciated it

Have you talked to your Line Manager about this? That would be my first step.