Part-timers: are you sidelined in your school?

[noblegiraffe]

Prompted by a couple of things. A comment on a thread a few weeks ago about how teachers in shortage subjects are lucky because they are more likely to be offered the ‘advantage’ of part time working, and the surprise greeted by my dismissal of whether being part time is actually a positive. Secondly, the recent thread by a teacher who will be returning part time after maternity and has been told that any promotions she had in mind would now be on hold as she was presumably prioritising her family.

So, is being part time the kiss of death for your career? Do you have to put up with a crap timetable? Do you get sent on courses and are you allowed to apply for promotion?

For me: completely sidelined, not allowed to apply for promotion and a patchwork timetable with lots of trapped time.
Obviously it has meant more time with my children and a job that’s actually doable, but it is frustrating now my children are at school to see far less experienced teachers being promoted over me and fellow part timers. It seems like such a waste of experience and talent.

What’s your school like?

Yes completely. It was the start of the end of my career really.

I returned after maternity leave to teach four different subjects, three of which were outside my specialism. My areas of responsibility also changed to include things no one else wanted to do.

Worse than that really was feeling second class and little digs from colleagues pointing out I wasn’t in on certain days and how inconvenient that was, whilst forgetting I was on 40% less salary.

I don't get that at all. So odd. Our depute is 3 days a week.

Don't forget you miss out on all the fun times aswell - like the school trips or forest school because you dip in and out

Ah Apple, I only have to attend INSET days pro rata, which is fine, but if INSET days on your day off were paid, then that would mean that teachers on the same contract as me who have days off on which INSET fell would be paid more than me to attend the same amount of INSET.
So if I’m 0.6 and have to attend 3 INSET but have no days off, then I would be paid less than someone else on 0.6 who has Mondays off who attends 3 INSETs if they’re on Mondays.

I don’t know if that actually happens anywhere though.

Ah I see what you mean noble I’m pretty sure that at my friends school they are not paid extra for an inset day that is not on their normal day if it is part of their allocation. But I may be wrong.

I seem to have won my argument with the DH re not working 1 day a week unpaid. In that he’s accepted ‘my point’, I’m not getting the promotion though mind. And let’s also forget that the negotiations have taken place via email over the BH weekend of HT.

Mixed experience here. I have held onto my TLR (just) but was asked surely I want to 'relenquish' it come September as it might all be a bit much? (ie: with children and everything) ...errr, no, not really.
Also, 'job-share' has amounted to a botch job of people covering the second part of the week. Total mess. When asked who was the named person, responsible for the class the second half of the week I was told 'no-one'. I have since demanded-and got- more PPA.

I think it works both ways.
There are numerous cases where pt staff are asked to work an unreasonable pattern of hours, work above required contract and often given timetables at that last minute with no consultation. However, equally there are times when pt staff are unreasonable in their demands and want hours to suit them and when this does not happen they complain and unreasonably assume it is their right to I convince the children and staff at a school. My point is that it really depends upon the specific circumstance

These stories are awful. A timetabler who gives you a mess of a week like you describe is either lazy, or incompetent, or both.

I’m very lucky - I’m a lead practitioner on 0.6 and have never felt sidelined for being part-time. I’ve only ever done three full days. The only person I know who is PT but doesn’t do full days does so at her request - she is 0.8 and in every day, but her directed time starts later.

I do think that there are some roles which don’t suit PT - I was previously head of faculty for a large team with several trainees and NQTs and it wouldn’t have been fair on my team only to be there three days a week. Some SLT portfolios are more suited to PT than others, I think. You have to be there every day for behaviour and pastoral responsibilities, for example.

Re inset - I thought that it wasn't pro-rata and that if they want you to go in on a day when you weren't teaching, they have to offer you payment or TOIL. You are paid to work so many days, and if your teaching days do not fall on inset days, that just means you have taught more than other staff who have attended inset on their days.

Also, as PP have pointd out, people are PT for different reasons - what if you worked in several schools on different days? You wouldn't be available for inset on a different day then.

My dc are long grown up and I work PT until I can get my state pension - but that doesn't mean that I do not have other commitments (aged parents) on the days I am not in school.

I also know at least 2 people who do not have dc or other dependents who have gone to 0.8 just to get some attempt at a work/life balance.

I've worked PT since having dd2 nearly 20 years ago.
I've had various promotions, and I've moved schools twice.
I am Primary, which I think takes out the timetabling difficulties.
I've always made myself available for Parents Evenings and I've generally done so for staff meetings, as, I think it benefits me (that will depend on your meetings though ).
I've had HTs who are prepared to pay me for an INSET day is on a NWD, or to go on a course if not a working day for me, or we keep track over the year and swap a day if I prefer.
TImetabling is a lot easier fo me though as for a lot of that time I've been a SENCo so a class doesn't have to be covered if I'm not standing there.

You are paid to work so many days

Not in teaching, you are paid a percentage of a full-time contract. I’m in school every day, but I am not paid for every hour of that day. If I teach P1, 3 and 5, I’m not paid for P2 and P4.

If that was a Monday and another part time teacher didn’t work Mondays, then they could ask to be paid for that INSET day because they’ve come in on their day off. There’s no provision for me to ask to be paid for P2 and P4 on the same day, even though I wouldn’t be paid to work those hours of my normal timetable.

Slightly different perspective here as I'm a full time member of SLT on mat leave and my DH is a secondary school teacher. He is going part time in Sept to look after our two DSs.

He'll be working 3 days a week but won't be able to find out what those days are til late June. Luckily my Mum is covering the 3 days childcare for us so can be flexible otherwise we would have no hope of getting a nursery or childminder sorted at such short notice. Really inconsiderate.

Also when he requested part time working his HT said "but what is your wife doing?" 😡

Not in teaching, you are paid a percentage of a full-time contract

You are unfortunate if your PT hours are spread across a lot of days - they are really messing you up if they are including a lot of trapped time.

It's the best. I work 0.6 mon-wed. I'm not responsible for any planning marking or assessment on my days off. I'm in a private prep school who pay way over normal pay scales and still get 18 weeks paid holiday.

Yes, I was at my old school. I was 2nd of a core secondary department and then when I went down to three days I stagnanted without so much as the opportunity to move up the pay scale. Miserable.

Have moved schools now and they are much more progressive, colleagues have TLRs on part time contracts and I’ve just taken on some more responsibility- very minor, but that’s all I want at the moment, however it’s a good use of my valuable experience and talents which were being ignored at my old school.

I was part time last year. It was decided by me and supported by school that it would just be for one year and I'd be back to full time this academic year. I worked 0.8. Last May the opportunity came up to do a second in department role temporary as maternity cover. I had experience of doing the same role the previous year (again temporary maternity cover). I asked if I could apply and was told no, whilst the head said I did a great job the previous year as I was now part time I could not apply. Even though I was only going to be part time for the next 8 weeks or so, and back to full time for the majority of the role. The role went to a much less experienced member of staff.

Also during my part time year I got informed of an observation on the Monday (my day off) for Tuesday period 1. I only happened to see it because I was emailing a student some A level help. I complained as it's like informing someone on a Sunday they have an observation Mon p1. I was told, 'yes they should probably look at changing that'. Also when asked if I could be paid to go to an inset (on my day off) about the changes to A level I was told no.

I'm back at full time now, and wouldn't change the one year of part time, the opportunity to spend a day a week with my DS before he started school was brilliant. But I do have a lot of empathy for part time staff at my school.

I feel very fortunate reading these comments.

I was initially sidelined for any TLR as I was .8
A new head came along and I applied for promotion and got it.
I remained .8 too.

I have a respected TLR role in school and am the only one who teaches my subject too.
Out deputy head works hard to keep people to full days in and full days off, it works better for the timetable.
SLT appreciate that PTs have a lot to offer. I essentially do 5 days in 4 thanks to the responsibility I have but that's my choice.
I'm Vocal around school and don't hide in the shadows, I am a professional and equal to FT staff.
If there was ever any wind of me being sidelined for anything because of my contracted time I would be the first to make a noise.

I've been 0.8 since September, working 9 days out of 10 on our two week timetable. I would prefer 2 full days off, but I have early finish most days which means less childcare for school-age DC.

I kept TLR. I am going on a residential trip in September related to my TLR, and don't think I will get overtime for doing an extra day. It is my choice to go (I didn't do any this year as I didn't want to leave baby DD) and one of my favourite parts of the job, but I think there is an expectation I will go.

About 1/3 of my department are part time. One only works with us 1 day/week as she has another role in the school, and I think she may feel a little bit out of the loop and maybe doesn't fit in socially, although we try to make her feel welcome.