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.

They can not just spring things on you. Speak to your line manager and say you can’t go due to the short notice. Ask if the session is available online, ours are now all recorded or we use National College training which you have a deadline to watch.

I am also taken aback at the number of posters suggesting the OP leave their child with an unknown baby sitter or even a student! Would you do that with your own child? Also - who can hire childcare with less than a week's notice! Do you know the hourly rate for a TA - emergency professional childcare costs will be far more than a TA earns.

In my school they have these twilight sessions to make up for an Inset day that we then all have off
It will be in your contract and these sessions will be in the school calendar
An HLTA job is not worth the money!!

What does your contract say?

Was it you who posted last week saying you wanted to leave this job anyway due to unhappy asked to do too much cover and you had found a maternity leave teaching job to apply for instead?

Did you speak to the head about the cover situation

This is a very odd situation. Twilights don't just appear, as pp have said. They will have been in the school calendar from at least September. They replace insets and the speakers/activity will have been organised.
Is the issue that you thought you didn't have to attend and now you do? You're going to have to speak to the Head about this today.
I also agree about TA jobs, although we have precious few in our school.

@calimali This has surprised me too.
And on just over minimum wage I can barely pay the rent and bills! Combined salary of hubby and I is barely 30k pa!!!
Still not sure what I am expected to do with daughter, especially at such short notice?
I know I need to change jobs ASAP.

Ask your husband to take annual leave. He needs to help.

I think you just need to speak to school about this first one, nobody can answer this for you.

As for the next one why is your daughter’s father not able to book a day off or work flexi? I’m a single parent and rely on a family member for childcare, if they’re not around I ask other family members who can work flexi hours if they can cover any gaps or I have to book a days holiday, feels a bit of a waste to book holidays so I can do pick up at 3:30 when I only work till 5 but that’s what I have to do.

@Maireas The absolute first anybody was told about them was yesterday. SLT have confirmed this.

I think as others have said, you need to check your contract because twilights can be used to add up instead of an INSET which you may have been required to attend.

Also, whether or not you can get childcare isn’t technically the school’s problem. What is important is whether or not you are required to attend the twilight depending on your contract.

I’m not at all saying they’ve been helpful or fair in giving you short notice, but they may be able to technically still ask you to attend. You need to tell them that you don’t have childcare and explore your options. Hopefully they will be reasonable.

@Kittenkitty Hubby works in emergency MH team so needs more than a day or two to take leave, I've asked him.

What is the training? Is it something you could ask to join on zoom from home?

Email the Head now and get an appointment this morning, or speak to their PA about an urgent conversation

@LorlieS but what about the next one?

We only have my mum as family. Hubby's parents two hours away and both mid-eighties.

So what was in the calendar?
When were the insets/twilights planned for?
How odd.

So he's able to cover for the second twilight. I appreciate this week is very short notice and you need to speak to your HT, but there's nothing stopping you from attending second twilight.

@Maireas Guessing it was an oversight? Nothing in calendar, went and checked following the email as I'm pretty efficient!

@Whinge Only if they pay me £20 😆

You need to read your contract to understand your responsibility to attend these in general. (e.g. if they replace INSETs) However, I think you are quite within your rights to say it is too short notice for this first one even if if attendance at them is in your contract.

It's completely normal not to be paid for after school stuff in a school. However, thr short notice is not okay. If you are completely positive that this wasn't mentioned until now, and that you only have 1 weeks' notice, I think it's fine to not attend this one on that basis, although you will likely need to catch up on the learning, expecially if it is safeguarding related. But you will need to attend the next one. I totally understand the childcare issue as I have a 3 year old myself.

Just say no. ' I'm sorry but I don't have childcare after 4pm so can't attend'. They can't force you.

Explain that you are unable to pay for extra childcare as you can't afford it so can only attend work, or training for work, during your contracted hours. They can't pay you a pittance and then expect flexibility,

You’re flapping about on here instead of getting this organised.
First, determine NEED to attend (i.e. compulsory safeguarding training, replacement for an INSET day at end of term etc.). If not, don’t attend.

If you do need to attend, sort cover with your DH NOW and you’re done. It’s really no big issue. Sounds like you just don’t want to do it!

But it’s included in your annual wage - it’s not extra time you have to work, it’s the time you have to work.

i appreciate it’s very difficult - ultimately it is included in your salary.

But it's part of her job and will be in her contract.