Having surgery during term time or holidays?

[Axelposie]

At some point in the next 18 months I am going to have to have an operation - the recovery (depending on how the operation goes) will be between 3 and 6 weeks. Would you opt to have the surgery during the holidays or during term time or overlapping both? The operation is medical rather than cosmetic.
Obviously I want to keep disruption and cost to the school as small as possible (I work part time) but also don't want to miss all my holidays recovering from this operation.

Anyone got any opinions/experience?

Can you change your operation date?

Def go for term time if you have the choice. I'm on teacher's pay & conditions though not currently class based.

I've got to have a major op at the end of July with a 6-8 week min recovery time. I'm most peed off about losing virtually all my holiday and have no intention of rushing back any earlier than I should.

In any other job you would be able to cancel your leave and take it when you're recovered.

Definitely term time. I had the same situation and the consultant asked me when I'd prefer. I had worked continually for nearly 20 years, with very little time off, so thought I was due some time off.

Definitely term time. When we've had teachers with operations, we try to time it so that they have op + recovery in term time leading up to a holiday. Then they have the holiday straight after to help ensure that they are fully rested and relaxed before the next term begins.

when i had my gallbladder a few years back, it was during half term but that's only because i had private health insurance but i was signed off for 3 -4 weeks, i was originally due to have the operation during one of the 2 weeks school holidays but was having lots of problems with gall stones escaping and getting stuck so ended up having the operation sooner but could still choose the dates

How did you go about asking or telling your headteacher? I've been given the date through for my shoulder operation for a week on Saturday. I have been off for 2 weeks with a calf injury, I go back to work this week and now it looks like I'll be off again for 4-6 weeks. I'm not sure what to say or what the response I'll get will be, can the head say no?