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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think job-sharing for teachers of kids 8 and under is selfish?

444 replies

blowingBubblesinABreeze · 11/12/2025 11:48

My kid is in Year 2. There are 30 kids in her class. She has teachers who job-share (monday-wed morning, Wednesday afternoon to Friday).
We had a parents meeting and it was very clear to me that the teacher barely knew my child, and was just making up things to say. Other parents said the same.

Do I blame her? Yes and no. No because it is impossible to know 30 kids in a class if you are spending half the time with the kids in the class that a normal teacher does. A full-time teacher with 30 kids in the class already struggles to know all the kids in her class well. (understandably).

Yes because she has chosen to do the job share. (In the case of the teachers in my class, I know that they are both well-off). I know that this is not the case for most teachers. But again I would argue that many teachers that would choose to job share are not on the bread-line.

A teacher should know the kids in their class. That is part of their job. The kids are LITTLE, LITTLE people. They are in school for most of their waking hours. Alot of them really struggle to go into school at a young age. So to be left in the hands of a person who barely knows them is simply not fair on them.

We are prioritising the desires of teachers over the NEEDS of children. Which is where society seems to be headed as a whole. The desires of adults is our focus, neglecting the basic needs of our little people.

OP posts:
FrootyCider · 11/12/2025 12:17

I'm job sharing for the next year while I am recovering from cancer as I need to work but can't manage full time. Sorry. 🤷🏼

It works fine as my school is very supportive and my partner teacher and I have enough time to talk/plan.

It might not be ideal but teachers are human too.

Buscobel · 11/12/2025 12:17

I think I’d be grateful that my children had actual teachers teaching them.

DelectableMe · 11/12/2025 12:18

"I know that they're both well off"
😂😂😂

surreygirly · 11/12/2025 12:18

In mu view job sharing just does not work I wouid not allow it in my company

DelectableMe · 11/12/2025 12:18

Buscobel · 11/12/2025 12:17

I think I’d be grateful that my children had actual teachers teaching them.

Thank you 👍

Maddy70 · 11/12/2025 12:18

So how do you think secondary teachers manage? Sometimes they may only see your child for one lesson a week ?

paristotokyo · 11/12/2025 12:19

My dc had two teachers job sharing and they both knew my child very well and parents evenings weren’t how you described. Maybe she’s just not very good?

DelectableMe · 11/12/2025 12:19

FrootyCider · 11/12/2025 12:17

I'm job sharing for the next year while I am recovering from cancer as I need to work but can't manage full time. Sorry. 🤷🏼

It works fine as my school is very supportive and my partner teacher and I have enough time to talk/plan.

It might not be ideal but teachers are human too.

Edited

I hope the recovery is going well. Teaching is demanding enough.💐

Comtesse · 11/12/2025 12:20

You’re wrong on this. It can be very successful, maybe this pair aren’t doing a great job of it.

Runnersandtoms · 11/12/2025 12:20

I spend 45 minutes a week with 6 different classes and I know the majority of the kids reasonably well. A job share teacher can absolutely know the kids well.

RaraRachael · 11/12/2025 12:21

Would you rather your child had 2 good job share teachers or one rubbish full time teacher?

FullOfMomsense · 11/12/2025 12:21

This is weak ragebait even for mumsnet! Don't fall for it folks, it'll be on the daily faily tomorrow

Nervousb2b · 11/12/2025 12:22

If we lived in a parrellel universe where teachers were paid fairly and didn't have abhorrent work loads (whilst having to put up with goady parents), I'd completely agree as I can see your point.

However, we are not in a parrellel universe - with the current climate regarding teaching, you're fortunate to have two qualified teachers in there to begin with.

I was once a parent on the outside looking in, so I honestly can empathise. However, I then began my career in teaching and until you're in there and can understand what hellish state our comprehensive schools are in, you'll never have any idea of how unreasonable you sound.

The career change I've undertaken has been the most eye opening experience of my life. I don't know how else to get it across to parents that are as unaware as yourself.

ClawsandEffect · 11/12/2025 12:22

RaraRachael · 11/12/2025 12:21

Would you rather your child had 2 good job share teachers or one rubbish full time teacher?

Or one good but exhausted, over worked, stressed, time off sick due to work pressures.

WonderingWanda · 11/12/2025 12:22

I don't think the job share is the issue. 2 days a week is plenty of time to know your students. Secondary teachers like me might only see the kids for a couple of hours a fortnight and we still try know all our students, although it is a lot more challenging because we have so many more of them. I teach 250 students this year.

itsthetea · 11/12/2025 12:22

surreygirly · 11/12/2025 12:18

In mu view job sharing just does not work I wouid not allow it in my company

Don’t tell me all jobs need exactly 40hrs a week to complete ?

one could suggest that different teachers might be an advantage - different skills, spot different things

PurpleThistle7 · 11/12/2025 12:24

My son has one teacher 4 days and one teacher 1 day (it’s the teacher’s first year so she does 80% in the classroom) and it’s totally fine. My kids have had job share teachers several times and there was only an issue once (when my daughter was bring bullied but no one was connecting the two halves of the week to notice how often there were problems). Otherwise it’s been fine. My son actually far prefers having two teachers as he gets bored easily and everyone teaches a bit differently.

Drachuughtty · 11/12/2025 12:25

My DC had job share teachers in reception, it was great and they both brought different strengths to the class. No issue with learning who the kids were. In contrast some of the other teachers we had who were full time were dreadful.

Pearlstillsinging · 11/12/2025 12:27

Job share teaching can work very well for all concerned but it depends on the personalities and skills of the p/t teachers and the management team. Very often the teachers spend a lot of their time out of school planning together and preparing absolutely fabulous lessons for their class, because they have the time and energy to do so. And it doesn't actually take long for a good teacher to get to know the children in the class. I have no idea why parents think they can dictate how a school arranges its staff and classes but they do seem to.

NoSoapJustUseShowerGel · 11/12/2025 12:28

Yabu. How do you know they’re well off?
Money has nothing to do with it anyway.

Bottom line is it’s probably a choice between part-time teacher or no teacher at all. Many primary teachers are women with children of their own who they want to be around for so wouldn’t want to work full time.

HopelessHannah · 11/12/2025 12:30

DD2 had three teachers job sharing in year one. They were all shit and the first out of the gate after school. However, she had two teachers job sharing in year two and they were both outstanding. It depends on the teachers. One of the year one teachers couldn’t spell and had little idea about grammar and punctuation either. I went in to listen to kids read one afternoon and she was discussing “croccodille’s” and “allergator’s” with one group (both words written on the board, and with apostrophes). I’m afraid I was “that parent” and sent her letter home to the parents to the head teacher with all of the spelling and grammar errors circled in red.

DelectableMe · 11/12/2025 12:32

Pearlstillsinging · 11/12/2025 12:27

Job share teaching can work very well for all concerned but it depends on the personalities and skills of the p/t teachers and the management team. Very often the teachers spend a lot of their time out of school planning together and preparing absolutely fabulous lessons for their class, because they have the time and energy to do so. And it doesn't actually take long for a good teacher to get to know the children in the class. I have no idea why parents think they can dictate how a school arranges its staff and classes but they do seem to.

Yes, I'd really like some people to sit in on any school's Leadership Team meeting. They have no idea. None.

Ewock · 11/12/2025 12:33

Yabu, there are many reasons teachers are part time. I am a part time teacher, have been for 8 years. I am in year 2 this year and know every single one of the 28 chn in my class.
I love my job but for my family part time is better and I would not work full time because parents think I should.

Are you seriously saying people shouldn't work part time I certain jobs? Are there other jobs on your list or are you just against teachers being part time

UnintentionalArcher · 11/12/2025 12:33

blowingBubblesinABreeze · 11/12/2025 11:48

My kid is in Year 2. There are 30 kids in her class. She has teachers who job-share (monday-wed morning, Wednesday afternoon to Friday).
We had a parents meeting and it was very clear to me that the teacher barely knew my child, and was just making up things to say. Other parents said the same.

Do I blame her? Yes and no. No because it is impossible to know 30 kids in a class if you are spending half the time with the kids in the class that a normal teacher does. A full-time teacher with 30 kids in the class already struggles to know all the kids in her class well. (understandably).

Yes because she has chosen to do the job share. (In the case of the teachers in my class, I know that they are both well-off). I know that this is not the case for most teachers. But again I would argue that many teachers that would choose to job share are not on the bread-line.

A teacher should know the kids in their class. That is part of their job. The kids are LITTLE, LITTLE people. They are in school for most of their waking hours. Alot of them really struggle to go into school at a young age. So to be left in the hands of a person who barely knows them is simply not fair on them.

We are prioritising the desires of teachers over the NEEDS of children. Which is where society seems to be headed as a whole. The desires of adults is our focus, neglecting the basic needs of our little people.

I absolutely do not think this is to do with job sharing. Secondary school teachers (of which I am one) teach multiple classes of thirty students and are expected to know them. If I had a class of 30 children for two and a half days a week, I can promise you I would know them all well enough by this point of the school year to discuss them properly at parents’ evening. Perhaps in an absolutely ideal scenario they would have just one main teacher, but there are upsides to having two as well. Basically, this sounds like a teacher issue, not a job share issue.

DelectableMe · 11/12/2025 12:33

HopelessHannah · 11/12/2025 12:30

DD2 had three teachers job sharing in year one. They were all shit and the first out of the gate after school. However, she had two teachers job sharing in year two and they were both outstanding. It depends on the teachers. One of the year one teachers couldn’t spell and had little idea about grammar and punctuation either. I went in to listen to kids read one afternoon and she was discussing “croccodille’s” and “allergator’s” with one group (both words written on the board, and with apostrophes). I’m afraid I was “that parent” and sent her letter home to the parents to the head teacher with all of the spelling and grammar errors circled in red.

I thought you said those errors were on the board? How did you circle them?