Any teachers / WOHPs with similarly inflexible jobs?

[LapsedTwentysomething]

So I always thought of my job as a family friendly one, what with holidays at more or less the same time as the DCs. However what I hadn't thought about was my inability to see my DS start school (Sept 2016), to attend sports days and special events or to do any part of the school run, even breakfast club.

I'm moving from a particularly inflexible school to one that I hope will allow a little give and take, but there are no guarantees.

I do feel guilty and sad for not being able to be involved at all in my DCs' school lives. Is anyone else in the same boat?

Trust me you are in the better job. It's so hard for everyone to get time off for sports days assembly's etc at least you've not got child care for school holidays to try and manage too. The odd morning or afternoon is nothing compared to missing out on school holidays.

Hey Lapsed, I might be venturing into zombie thread territory here but I'm in the same boat! I've been back from maternity for a term and really worrying about establishing a work/life balance come September.

We're due an inspection this year so I know it's going to be crazy and I'm trying to get as much done as possible during nap times over the holidays (schemes of work, area team development plans, new specifications nonsense...) so that I can have as much home time as possible.

My plan is to come home as early as possible and then work when DD is in bed a few nights a week. And I'm making a marking timetable for myself and mamsticking to it!

You'll be there also schoolhols
Just because you don't work in school doesn't mean you have flex- one of the biggest misconceptions
So you might miss some stuff but will be there for 12 weeks a year (appreciate you might have workers todo then too) whereas many ft workers then use holiday clubs on top of missing rest

what makes you think that other jobs are more flexible. I can't just take time off at the drop of a hat and actually need to save my leave for using during the school holidays. I get 6 weeks a year which will need to be used strategically across the holidays leaving even less time for taking an odd morning here or there in term time.

Do you mind me asking what is more flexible about your new school? The only schools I know to have flexibility to allow parents to watch assemblies etc is when people get a job at their own children's school.

It's obviously entirely dependent on the head - I've worked for heads who allowed this and others who it would've been pointless to ask. I always tried to make sure that someone from the family was there to watch/report back.

My DC are late teens now and don't seem bothered that I missed many key school events. As PP have said at least you will be there in school holidays.

Oh, to work in a school!!

I'm a team leader, team of 8 women. 7 of which have school aged children. They each have 6 weeks annual leave and all want to strategically book the school holiday! There's 13 weeks of school holidays and only 2 can be off at a time. To make it fair I allow theew weeks to be booked by each in the holidays, then share out the remaining out the remaining two on a rotational basis. You would think I was the devil because of this!

It does, however, mean they have more available time for ad hoc things like sports day, assembly etc.

A bit of both.

80% of my job is flexible and as long as I get the work done, I can manage my own time. The other 20% is absolutely non-negotiable. It usually works well as I know my schedule 6 months in advance and I'm partially respondible for scheduling that 20%. But this year, the school changed two key events and I couldn't attend, despite planning my work schedule around them 6 months earlier.