To ask if you’d reduce or change your working hours for school pick ups?

[standaloneinthecity]

I’m a teacher, three days a week.

Two children, one nearly four (starts school September 25) and one fourteen months old.

This year has been really hard and I appreciate we are only a few weeks into it. My younger child’s sleep is poor which means my sleep is poor, I’m often going to work after only a few hours broken sleep which is affecting my performance, and I’m finding it really tough,

The school we like most for our older child doesn’t have the best wraparound. It only starts at 8 and ends at 415. If I continued with my current hours they couldn’t attend that school. I could reduce my hours further and work for two days a week but spread across three.

I have a private source of income and I worked full time until I had my first child four years ago.

What would you do?

I would be more concerned about the future and what if your circumstances change. You might need to work more in the future. Find somewhere with wrap round.

I can work more but it’s true. I’d have to stay part time. But then I have no real desire to go full time.

Being managed out can happen very easily unfortunately. All it takes is a bad learning walk or observation (not even a genuinely bad one, just one they say is bad.)

If he earns significantly more, it’s the obvious solution for the family. We had the same predicament when DC were younger and I was frontline NHS - ultimately his FT salary was well over double mine. Flexible working and compressed hours would have stalled his career progression and had a much bigger impact on us as a family than mine.

Fortunately I moved into private sector, the gap between salaries has reduced and we have access to good wraparound for the days we do need it but if we were in the same boat as 5 years back, I would take the hit again in the interest of the whole family

That’s the same dilemma we have @prescribingmum and I have to admit I just don’t have any inclination at all to pursue a career at this stage anyway.

So being part time is neither here nor there in that sense. It the government are to be believed (!) my younger child will get thirty hours from
next September so that will reduce outgoings.

And in fairness to DH no. He isn’t expecting me to curtail my career. If I wanted to pursue a career I’d work full time and we’d have to choose a different school. But I really don’t want to.

I'm not sure if this helps but I'm a full time teacher. My DC are primary age - their wraparound is mostly done by DH who drops them every morning (he works from home) and then pick ups are split between me, DH, my parents.

I negotiated that I have one PPA period per week at the end of the day which means I finish in time to pick up DC from school once a week. It doesn't affect my hours or salary as I effectively take that PPA period at home.

Do you have a partner? Sounds like it is all on you?

Sorry, just read your updates.

I agree it is very easy to be managed out!
Ultimately you don't want to send your child to a different school though so on balance, I'd say just reduce hours for now.

Maybe TA or cover is an option in future? TA hours are shorter as you know. Cover for an agency you could pick your days.

It would barely be worth working for a TA salary to be honest. I would want to go full time when both are secondary age as we will probably do the state primary private secondary route so I need to keep options open.

Yes. If you can afford to do it without much or any lifestyle changes. I've just changed to school hours recently. I was doing 3 full days before now doing 4 short days. I do all drop offs and pick ups everyday.

No one knows what the future holds just do what is best for your family now.

I would - I do. I work until 2 then go back to work at 5:30. Don’t work Fridays as that’s when loads of insets, assemblies, theme days are. At least just for the primary years that’s what I’m doing (I’ll have at least one at primary school for 13 years so a long term plan for me 😄).

This is exactly how I felt when they were younger and in the depths of exhaustion and sleep deprivation. I made decisions for the present moment and decided that if the PT did not work for whatever reason, I would deal with the situation as it arose. I was happy to be the one doing the lions share of childcare and school runs.

Things changed when Covid happened and they have worked out. If his salary is sufficient to support while you make decisions, I would just go for it. Had it not worked out, we would have had to make cuts for the period I did not work but I know something would have come up eventually. Personally, I feel life is too short not to take the risk when they are young (but fully appreciate we have the financial security for me to make that choice).

Sil sends DNs to the primary where she works. All the teachers’ kids just play in class until they can go home. Is that an option?

I don’t teach primary but even if I did that not something I’d ever do to be honest. It’s far too stifling for both parties (just my view!)