Asking at interview about time off

[BarnacleNora]

Is this a total no no?!

For context I've been out of education for a while. I was a teacher, moved into different sectors (think social care related) where annual leave was booked as normal and am now needing to take a bit of a life shift and so am applying for TA/LSA jobs.

However, one thing I really can't quite reconcile with is missing my DC's sports days and school performances. Some schools are great and will let you take a morning or an afternoon to go and see them, recognising that work-life balance is important and hard working staff will work harder if they're allowed to do this once in a blue moon. Other schools it's a firm no, you're there because you're needed and they can't just magic up extra support staff and it's not fair on the other staff and pupils who will be disrupted during the time that you're not there.

The only way I'm going to find out which way their philosophy lies is by asking but I don't want them to be put off me by me posing that question! Im a hard worker, I'm bloody good at this kind of work and I don't take the piss with time off. Realistically we'd be looking at maybe two nativities (if they don't do an evening performance) and maybe a couple of mornings for sports day if they don't have sports day on the same day.

Would you ask or just keep quiet and take a gamble? I wouldn't make this the basis of my entire decision but if it came down to the choice between two schools then it could be a swaying factor

I really wouldn’t ask that at interview. You could try to find people who work at the school to ask before the interview, or chat about the ‘ethos’ of the school or ‘work life balance’ during one of the more informal parts of an interview day, but I can’t think of a way you could ask “can I have time off for sports days?” without putting off the interviewer.

Absolutely do not ask at interview. If it’s really important to you ask when you are offered the job.

Excellent, yes the more I thought about it the more bananas it seemed to me to actually ask at interview! And the more I've looked at the schools the more there's a very clear favourite so I think I'll just have to take a gamble there (got an interview for favourite school so fingers crossed)

In many ways it was actually easier the last couple of years when they weren't letting parents in, they just videoed the performances and I could watch them with grandparents and the DCs themselves, they loved seeing everyone's reactions and there was no fuss about ticket allocation!

Thanks for the reality check!

I realise this is an old post, but I disagree with the previous posters. I would absolutely ask this at interview and have done. I asked and my most recent interview and got the job so it obviously didn't horrify them that I asked. I haven't had to request time off yet though, so we'll see if they keep to their word. It would have been a deal breaker if they wouldn't allow time off for that type of thing so it would have been a waste of my time and theirs to wait until a job offer to bring up the subject.