Too many part-timers working in schools

[Titogovi]

That;

a) Only work 8.55-3.15pm, not a minute earlier, not a minute later.

b) Have hissy fits if you ask them do anything 'from home' (their place of worship)

c) Actually, just re-read a) and that really says it all.

Who suffers - the children.

Question: who created their jobs in the first place then? And who decided that "working flexibly" (aka, doing the bare minumum and caring more about taking little Johnny to his sax lesson on the other side of town rather than giving your all to the school your work in..) would work..?

I feel ashamed to be a part-time working mum athe moment.

TAs let the side down, big style.

Am I a bully?

Nah just kidding. I'm a pushover! OP is just out of order

I can't stand part time checkout workers. You know the ones, they watch you unload your trolley onto the conveyor belt. They then slowly but dramaatically glance at their watch and announce that their shift is over and that little Billy at home needs his tea.

Never mind PFB, PTB ( Part Time Bitches ) are the downfall of society.

I am a part-time Mumsnetter. Sometimes I have to leave a thread early and go and look after my children.

Well Iggis you are either here or your aren't. For some of us mumsnetting is a vocation, you are just lettin the team down.

I will try harder

Iggis, I think you need to prove your commitment to MN. Scourge of society, these part timers. What makes you think your children need you anyway? Can't you do that at night-time or something? Ugh, you are letting the side down.

x posts!

Disgraceful, Iggis. Obviously you should put your children outside and hope a passerby feeds them, while you sit in front of the laptop until your eyes go square.

How many times do I have to tell you? Being a mother doesn't take any time at all! Little Johnny can just walk himself to his saxophone, focus that energy on telling off narrow-minded twerps on MN.

Just sis a search on OP and found that someone has advised sending her children to both the primary and secondary schools that I went to. Fortunately for their poor TAs it looks like she's going down the private route. (which is the same route my foot would go if this exchange were taking place in RL, what with my new-found balls and all)

sis should read did. getting a bit tired now, been MN non-stop for about three weeks. Oh god, I think Johnny must still be at his saxophone lesson.... oh well, I'll pick him up tomorrow, unless I'm expected to work all weekend too?

OP, imo you are in need of a shag.

Something something something part time something something something disgrace something something something professional something something something mums something something something bitter

Late to the thread, but that's my summary of the OPs points. Did I miss any?

There are precious few jobs available for intelligent mothers who want to work term-time hours. I don't resent any of them getting jobs as TAs and working only the hours for which they are paid. Of course they need to leave at the designated time in order to care for their own children - they'd be a bit suspect if they didn't. Teachers will have arranged back-up childcare because their hours of employment are longer than the school day.

Tethersend I think you missed the flounce.

That'll be me arriving late and or leaving early like the consummate professional I am.

"I used to be a teacher, and I would be betraying my sense of professionalism and vocation if I went back on par-time hours."

No, you would be betraying children's right to be taught by an open-minded human being who can put forward a clear and well-written argument.

Maybe teachers who arrive late and leave earlier are just better at their job so it doesn't take us them as long?

I think I'm the same kind of teacher as you tethersend. A good one?

I am a TA. Have been for around 13 years now. I am paid from 8:45 to 3:15 ( excluding all breaks and lunchtimes) I actually work from 8:30 to around 5:00 ( including most breaks and around 2/3 of my lunchtimes). I run an after school club for no extra pay. I run a before school club for no extra pay. I attend teachers planning meetings after work for no extra pay, just because I feel it is important to be prepared for my work when I walk in the classroom, rather than have the teacher interrupt her lesson to tell me. When I attend training courses inevitably I have to travel further ( our LEA has a 'central' training facility which is actually not very central!) which takes longer and costs me significantly more in petrol. I do not claim expenses. In the past I have attended training and seminars in the evenings or even at the weekend without any extra pay. If I have homework from my courses, I do it at home, in the evenings. Without any extra pay. if I am out shopping ans spot something that would make a good resource for 'my' children, I buy it and do not claim the money back. I go in to school on days when support staff are not required (or paid) in order to do the admin that is part of my role but which cannot be done when the children are present.

On average, I work at least the equivalent of an extra day per week. All for no extra pay. I do not get paid for school holidays, other than the regulation 4 weeks that every local authority employee gets. I choose not to go on strike when my union calls them, because I do not want the children to suffer, as they would if all support staff were not present. I am not an exception among my colleagues.

I am so glad to know you consider I am letting the side down , big style. I am pleased that you think I am throwing a hissy fit when, occasionally, I say I can't do something else in my own time, because my own family takes priority. But mostly, I am delighted that you have decided teaching is not for you, because you sound as though you would treat your TAs with contempt and personally, I would rather not work for someone like that.

The TAs at my DS's school are nothing like this. DS's class has two and they are hard grafters.

Term time only jobs offering 'school' hours are attarctive to mothers, obviously. So who exactly are you attacking, OP? Other women? Are you jealous?

I am a P/T teacher and have been a P/T TA as well - shoot me now.

FYI, OP, when TAing I did pretty much work to rule (as far as that is possible in education, which as you know OP isn't very). That was more because I was incensed at the pay myself and my TA colleagues received - something of a comedown from a teacher's salary - and felt it was appropriate that if a teacher wanted a display changing urgently, or a parent's hackles smoothing after school etc, she was paid lots for it and I wasn't. That said, I was always professional. Cos I am.

I now work back as a teacher, in a big, tough comp. I am salaried for 16hours p/wk. I am at school from 8.30-2.30 most of the 4 days I work in a week (so that's already 24 hours p/wk; I probably average another 8 hours at home. Flexible working? yes, it suits me and my family. Letting the side down? Get Real.