Anyone else love their job and want to be full time?

[Squirrel17]

I'm a HOD in a secondary school and I love my job. I went back to work full time at 6 months after my first baby and was seen as odd by many. I've recently discovered that I am pregnant again and I want to do similar maternity leave. I struggle to find people who have small children and actually choose to work full time and doing so seems to be a society no no. I feel like inam supposed to say I do it because I have to etc. but I genuinely know I'm not cut out for the stay at home mum role. Anyone else?

Am a HoF in an independent school and went back part time initially after having DS and then went full time when he was 3. Couldn't do part time again now-I hate feeling like I'm doing both things badly! In term time I literally have no life, but in the holidays I hardly do any work at all due to the nature of my role.

Not a teacher but was told I'd struggle to return to work after my second child. Not only did I return but I soon took on a new job that involved weekly overnight stay every week, worked full time, loved it and still do.

I went back to work full time when my lb was 9 months. New school, new role, new key stage/year group.
I'm pregnant again and plan to go back full time again. But to the same school this time!
My sil (also a teacher) went back full time to a new key stage/year group when her lg was 7 months old.
Do what is right for you and your family!
We couldn't afford the mortgage if I didn't go back full time!

I'm a FT HOD and have 2 dcs aged 6 and 3. It was very common in my last school, not so much in my new one, seems like everyone had dc then goes pt as a default....

I've always worked ft and feel pt would be the worst of both worlds- all domestic drudgery with poorer pay and prospects.

If I had another dc, or different circumstances I might feel differently. But for now I feel it is manageable. I manage my workload well.

It helps that my DH is pt, does all school runs and cooking, I have a short ish commute and parents on hand in the rare event of sickness.....

I went back full time when dd2 was 6 months old. I was constantly asked if I wouldn't rather be part time, but I like being in school all week. I would have enjoyed spending time with the baby, but doing all the housework on my "days off" would have annoyed me massively.

Dd2 is now 7, and I'm very glad I kept on full time.

I'm planning to be back at work full time when DD is 12 weeks old. I'm self employed, which focuses the mind a bit in terms of when to go back, but I would choose to work f/t whether employed or self employed.

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated! I've literally just been given a temporary one year promoted post to associate leadership as well which makes the timing even worse because I'll have to go at Easter. My husband does the nursery drop off and pick up and my in-laws are on hand in case of sickness etc I think if I was part time of probably still work loads of hours but without the pay! We are both teachers so both off in the holidays which is good I just feel like I constantly have to justify myself already and with 2 children it will be even worse ☹

I am a teacher (not HoD though) in a secondary and have worked full time since my little boy was 9 months old. I love my job and the mental stimulation it gives and felt part time would make me feel out of the loop when things like meetings fell on my day off. Also, the timetables of part time staff seem to and up with a lot of split classes which personally, I don't like.

I've found it works just fine! I'm lucky that my school is only 30 mins away and my husband's work is quite flexible so he can share pick ups /drop offs.

My son is 3 now and in the pre school room at his nursery and he has thrived there - lives it and has loads of friends so it's been nice for him too.

Don't feel bad - you should do what is best for you!

Thabks for the reply, my school is around 30mins from home too and my husband's school is 15mins away which is really handy as he doesn't leave the house until nearly 8 most days.

I had lunch with some friends yesterday, we all qualified at the same time. One has two kids, gone part time doing a specialist role, able to arrive at school 5 minutes before she starts and leave dead on 3pm. One has no kids and is a deputy head, and then me who has one kid and is HoF, so sort of between middle management and SLT. All of us could see pros and cons for each choice for each person but agreed we'd made the best choices for the times in our lives. You do what you do. I grit my teeth and think of the money and the fact I have a nice car and a cleaner wouldn't have either of those things if I were part time.

I find doing my job is fine with one because my husband dies he drop off and pick up and leaves the house a lot later than me, I'm just worried about how I'll do it with two. Also not looking forward to telling work because I've just has a promotion to ALT and 2 terms in I'm going to be off again!

I find doing my job is fine with one because my husband dies he drop off and pick up and leaves the house a lot later than me, I'm just worried about how I'll do it with two. Also not looking forward to telling work because I've just has a promotion to ALT and 2 terms in I'm going to be off again!

I stayed 3 days a week while my three children were pre school but stepped back up to full time when my youngest turned 4 and have never regretted it. It enabled me to work my way up and now that my kids are adults, I've stacked up a lot of years on my pension. Obviously took a bit of a hit with the few years of part time but I had my babies close together to minimise the number of years I wasn't full time.

Quite a few of my colleagues (like me, women now in their 50s) never returned to full time teaching post-children and are now looking at seriously depleted pensions. Some of them also regret not having had the opportunity for more responsibility e.g. Head of dept or head of year. What I find really bad is that they all seem to work way over their hours so don't really seem to benefit ... it's a full time job on part time pay. I hear a lot of (female) teachers say they can only cope with the job by working part time- its scandalous really

So although I was part time longer than you, I think you're making a sensible decision which will work well for you. Don't listen to any nay Sayers... I still get some part time colleagues telling me they can't understand how i cope. IME it's actually much easier in many ways to be in work all week, rather than trying to pick up the pieces all the time. It's about working smart rather than feeling obliged to take part time pay and then end up working all hours anyway

But babbity don't the full timers work over too?

Thanks Babbitty, to go part time I'd have to step down from my HOD role and I'd probably end up with a very similar number of classes to what I have now over 3 days I'd also have less Yr 11 classes so no summer gain time either, in the final half term I can usually be home for 4pm. My daughter is in nursery 8-4 3 days a week plus 2 mornings so she isn't in every day all day and were both off in the holidays so she does get family tome with both of us. I do work a lot of hours but I start early and I am home for 5.30pm most nights to give her tea, I then work once she is down for the night. I feel that if I went part time I would resent taking a step down and my part time staff often tell me it's just as hard as full time sometimes because in teaching you can always do more I clouding on your days off. The pension point is a really good one as well so tha ks for raising that. I just find it so hard when people really think I'm selfish and odd for working full time and wanting to, on maternity leave at baby groups people never understood why I was only taking 6 months or thought it odd we were doing shared maternity over the 9/10 no the we had off between us and then when I went back to work people i knew assumed I was only doing part time. I just feel with 2 people will judge me even more, someone said to me they could never bring themselves to pay someone else to bring up their children 😔

Thanks for the headsup on your agency, a job share isn't something I would consider as a HOD as it just means less pay and less autonomy over my department. 4 days would probably be agreed if i asked for it but I'd only spend the 5th day checking and sending emails anyway! I'm happy to work full time if it works out it's just other people's views on it that I find hard!

Yesterday 20:09 StealthPolarBear

But babbity don't the full timers work over too?

All teachers work 'over' in that the job is open ended and salaried, but I think it's easier as a full timer to have an 'off button.'
Honestly I see so many women in teaching who say they can only cope by working part time and then you see they're spending their 'days off' doing prep or marking or at least thinking about the job. Then being paid less and having a decimated pension for their trouble. Worst of all worlds