Going from p/t to f/t teaching. Wondering about taking the plunge...

[Oovavu]

Have worked part time since dd1 6 years ago. Have mostly worked 3 days p/w but did go down to 2 days p/w just after dd2. Am now doing 4 days p/w and coping OK, but live near to the school so a big element of potential stress (travelling) has been taken out.

Am considering f/t and perhaps promotion in near future though, poss somewhere I'd have to travel to. Is it the point of no-return though, going f/t? I want the responsibility of promotion (Hd of Dept) but I still very much enjoy my day off with dd2.

How do full-timers cope with small dcs? (or dcs generally I guess!)

Agree hercules1. Dh got a promotion in his job last year and works longer hours as a consequence. I'm often 'single parent' in the week and he misses their bath and bedtime which he traditionally does when he's here. He's worked a fair few Saturdays recently too. Which I know won't sound like much of a hardship to those parents who do this day in day out without much help (and I take my hat off to you) but I'm finding it physically and mentally exhausting, with work being a rollercoaster most days (really good elements mixed with horrible ones) then straight into f/t mum when I leave the school gates.

Weekends are becoming more reclusive, just so we can recharge our batteries. I'm still not dressed yet today!

(and it turns out my article has been published this week -so that's good news! )

Shame hercules that you feel you have to drop the leadership role. How would it be financially if you dropped a day rather than the TLR? Would your head consider this? One of our LT is part-time.

IME there can be downsides to a member of LT being part time. TBH, most people who are looking for LT jobs are full time, that's a fact of life.

I would rather do full time and drop the lmt bit tbh. It would be difficult to do it part time as I'd spend the first day back picking up the shit from my day off.

True. The part-timer I mentioned above is forever catching her tail, tbh; often in on her day off. She's very good at her job though and it seems a real shame that her career should be compromised because she wants to balance work and family. At least the head is giving her the chance to do it I spose even if it ends up being a complete PITA.

Fiona Phillips is right then... you can't have it all (both at this fact of life and also that I am driven to refer to ex-GMTV presenters to illustrate to my argument)

Yes cat I agree. The main reason I went up to 4 days this year was that I live so close to work and it's so convenient, it really wasn't any more considerable hassle. I have one day a week that I finish on the bell and I can pick both dds up at the school gates which is great.

I think I've been kidding myself that 4 days at my present job would be the same as 4 days elsewhere but I haven't really thought about all the fannying around involved with dropping the dcs off, picking them up, after-school activities, etc.

We would probably need to get a cleaner which would definitely help, but I don't think it would make life 'easy' enough to warrant extra hours at work.