Part time job vacancy but it's spread over 5 half days.

[twominds2]

I am currently on supply for the local council as a nursery practitioner. Have had at least a day work most weeks since i went on it 18mths ago but really want some sort of stability. I am looking for part time.

A job has come up in a school nursery 10mins drive away which salary wise would be ideal, more than the minimum we need for mortgage etc.

The only issue is, its 3 afternoons and 2 mornings a week. (So 5 half days) It's fixed term for a year.

I'm unsure whether to apply with it being 5 half days. Would have preferred 2 full days really.

Would be grateful for anyones opinions/experiences. TIA.

Apply and ask at interview if there is any movement on it?

Do you need to arrange childcare?
If not, then take it - it gives you stability, a regular income and how wonderful to have such a short commute.
If you are good, then once you are known to the school, you are right on tap to apply for better hours as and when they come up.

Even if you do need to arrange childcare, it's still got to be worth thinking about. It's pretty hard to find the 'ideal' job, and this ticks a lot of boxes.

Yeah would need childcare for the 3 afternoons as I wouldn't finish until after my children finish school as the school nurseries are open beyond the end of the school day and then i'd have Non class contact time.

Gran/grandpa would be able to be at home for them coming back from school and DH has flexibility in his work so could go in early those days, so he can finish early which would mean gran/grandpa might only be need for half an hour those 3 days. The 2 mornings i'd be home by lunch so no childcare for those 2 days.

I just keep thinking, what if something comes up that is same number of hours but full days. It's all what ifs anyway as I interview dreadfully.

I would go for the interview - if they offer you the job, you don't have to take it if you decide the hours aren't workable

Sounds like the only possible problem is resolved then.

This is pretty common in schools-lots of part time TA jobs are five days, mornings only. It's a pain.

If it's a place you'd really like to work you could take it, find childcare and then try and swap hours around in the future?

Have worked 5 mornings before and remember that I never ever left before 1pm and was too tired to do anything by the time I got home other than sort out tea and have a quick tidy around. Never really seemed to get chance take ds anywhere. If you work afternoons sometimes you just spend your morning waiting to go to work and never seem to get as much as you want to so done. Having said that, if your job is 10mins away and your dc are in full time school, it maybe different as ds was only 3 yo at the time I was working this pattern.

Travel time/fuel is good so I'd go for it. Once you're in...

Depend on how much you need a job. You could take it and try it out until something more suitable comes along. I do agree though that the job will eat into your free time much more. Like a PP says if you work mornings you would need to be v disciplined to get away on time. I have done it but it is hard as you literally have to be prepared to walk out on the bell. That is going to be v difficult with young children who might need help tidying up, going for lunch etc etc. I used to end up rushing home for a quick shop, tidy up before I then had to rush out to pick up kids. I felt like I was working full time for part time money really. it might be worth putting in an application stating your availability ie two full days and seeing what happens. If they don't get any good candidates they might need to think again about the hours.

Almost all the TA jobs in my school are part time, spread over 5 days. Every class has a TA for the morning only. The only roles that are not like this are those wh are assigned as a 1:1 TA for a named child, or in the nursery where part time can mean whole days, job shared with someone else.

If you want to get into a TA role within a school then I think you need to accept that this is they way most of the roles work.