As a parent, what would you honestly think if your child's primary teacher said they were going job share?

[Caz10]

I always thought I was going back FT but now it looks like PT may be an option...due to various things like long term sick, NQTs etc our school staff has been a bit unstable for a few years - I feel guilty in adding to that and I got the impression it wasn't popular with the parents when it was announced I was pg. I know it shouldn't be my concern, but it is a worry to me...if your child's teacher changed to a job-share set up, what would you honestly think?

I would think that as long as my child was being taught effectively by the job sharers - & that there was adequate communication between the 2 of them- well that's fine!

I wouldn't mind,honest.
My SIL does a jobshare and she is a primary teacher too. She knows her job share really well and she goes round to her house to plan. Also they cover for each other so they can take termtime holidays sometimes.

DD1 has a friend and her teacher(s) job share. It has caused numerous problems. I have to be honest and say that I was told it was happening to me/mine, I'd be really pissed off.

Works OK for my DD (mixed yr 3 and 4 class) - she has one teacher on a Monday and Tuesday, and another one on the Wednesday - Friday.

I do kind of think its cake and eat it. I don't mean anything personally to you but I do think that, in primary school it should be all or nothing.

also knowing how hard it is working full time I know working part time makes me a lot happier so I would be glad to think both teachers were more fresh maybe than a full time teacher (no offence to any FT-ers but I know it is a hard slog doing Mon - Fri)

i wouldnt mind, not at all.
Teachers are entitled as much as any one to job share.
Think perhaps parents were not happy about your pregnancy BECAUSE they dont want to loose you because you are so brill.

Message withdrawn

DSs reception teachers job shared and it worked brilliantly. The TA was FT so there was continuity and the communication between the teachers was brilliant. It wouldn't bother me at all.

I wouldn't mind at all. two minds, two different sets of abilities, two teachers not shattered and frazzled, more variety for the kids, the possibility of different specialist knowledge.

why should it be all or nothing? not understanding the logic in that frump, can you explain please. (genuinely interested...not picking)

My DD's friend has no consistency, feels like one hand doesn't know what the other is doing, mum struggles to get proper answers to her questions, sometimes only sees one teacher at parent night, her DD prefers one to the other, the list goes on and on and on ............

Thanks all

frumpygrumpy what are the nature of the problems?

posieflump - I think I might be fresher/better only doing it 3 days or whatever too...better that than an exhausted FT teacher who may end up resenting it? I love my job and would hate to hate it IYSWIM

I remember one of my best years at school were when I had job sharers. They were both very different teachers, but very effective.
As long as both partners were effective teachers it wouldn't bother me at all.

dc have teachers who have done a job share for thirteen years now.
they are thebest in th eschool

my dd1 is in year 4 and her teachers job-share.i dont have a problem with it from an education viewpoint-it doesnt seem to make a difference-but dd has told me about snide comments the teachers sometimes make about each other.

'better that than an exhausted FT teacher who may end up resenting it?'
exactly!
you sound fab at any rate, like you really care about your job, otherwise you wouldn't even have asked us. Go for it!

donbean, I feel that some kids truly benefit from consistency. Break that and the whole trust/confidence cycle is broken. Would you share your mum? At primary age (esp early years), I don't think its fair.

oh crossed posts sorry

frumpygrumpy would you say there was a "weak link" (sorry can't think of a better expression) - ie one half of the job share a better teacher than the other? Might the same probs not arise if your friends DD just had (sorry) a crap teacher? Or do you think it is soley because it's a job share?

(also just curious, not picking)

I don't think the parents had any right to be pissed off about you getting p/g! Blimey.

I'd be devastated if ds's teacher went part-time but only because she's so fantastic I'd quite happily invite her home to live with us and tell us ALL what to do.

Actually, as long as the teachers in question worked very closely together, and dealt with all the handover stuff so it worked as smoothly as possible, I wouldn't mind. A bad jobshare would be a 'mare, though.

but frumpy it's not the same as having the same mum!!!
teachers may leave anyway. The favourite dinner lady might too. It's all part and parcel of school life imo

My dd had 2 part-time teachers in yr1. Both very experienced, it was fine (it started out as 3 which caused complaints)

As long as the parents know who is doing which hours or days I'm sure it will be fine

My DS (Y4) has job share teachers, which actuallly works extreamly well.

At the moment on off the teachers is off long term sick, and fortunately, teh other teacher has been able to cover, providing amazing stability for the class.

Also, I think the teachers tend to get less worn out, and are able to come to work with more enegry and enthusiam.

one of mine has had 2 lots of jobsharers in their time at primary school. We found it quite positive actually. 2 adults' opinion/styles on one child. Worked v well for us.

In some cases, it might work, if the two teachers are exceptionally good at dovetailing. Otherwise, it seems to me to be one job where it just shouldn't be. Secondary school yes. Primary no.