Juggling work and appointments

[AMumGoingMad]

I want a job (more than the supply work I'm doing at the moment, I'm a TA). An excellent sounding job has come up very close to home. I would love to go for it. It is 35 hours per week (school hours) term time. The problem I have is 1 SN child and both of my children with medical conditions. Between them I am at a hospital appointment on average once a week (they seem to come like busses though, none for weeks then 4 in 1 week). I try to get as many as possible in holidays and after school anyway but there are still some during school hours. What are my rights over this with regards to employment? Do I not even bother to go for TA jobs that are full time? Or can I go for them and take unpaid leave for appointments? Would you tell them about the appointments at interview (if I got that far)?

Assuming you are in the uk, your employer has to make reasonable adjustments on the basis that the reason you have all the appointments is because of your association with a disabled person. What is reasonable will depend on a variety of things and the actual frequency of appointments in working hours, how long they are, how much time you actually take away and how you can be covered. Do you have to cover all the appointments? Can your partner do any? My dh and I are quite lucky, I work 0.8 of a full time job, and juggle my hours and don't have any fixed working pattern. However I have time sheets and therefore can keep track. Dh also has a flexible working pattern.

You could have a look at this website/contact the helpline to find out about your rights

working families

Similar to Lisads hours.
Realistically, of the departments that you regularly have appointments to, have you contacted them to ask what their last appointment times are?
You might be surprised that many have 4/4.30 as their last apps. That is quite doable with school. If you can get those for all the depts you can, then there will be very few in school hours and school are likely to feel that you are doing your best.

I find it a bit of a nightmare, TBH. I find appointments take up all my holiday entitlement, which means that I don't get to have a "day off" just to have time to myself, like get my hair cut, go shopping, normal day off type things...

Luckily I have a wonderful child minder who is happy to have DD with SN and NT sibling, but childcare is expensive and takes up a lot of my salary, but going out to work part-time helps to keep me sane!

I work in a very similar setting. My boss is brilliant and has always been very supportive. On appointment days I try to work through my dinner hour or stay for an extra half n hour after work! A bit of give and take and work can see that I am trying to work my full hours.

Thank you for all of your replies. My dh has just negotiated with his work that he can work 1 day a week from home to help with the appointments so we could share the work. There is 1 treatment appointment that is a half day every 10 weeks but its predictable. The other appointments aren't as predictable but also not as long. I do already get a lot of appointments out of the school day but some are just not moveable but I do try.

I think I'm going to apply for the job and if I get an interview I'll be honest with them about my situation and that I'm happy to job share and take unpaid leave to enable them to get supply in for any appointments I can't get out of school hours or dh can't cover.