Increase from 0.6 to 0.8

[porculime]

I have been 0.6 for many years while my children were small, and am thinking about asking to increase to 0.8 now my youngest is going into Year 4. I don't feel like I really have any justification for two days off now, lovely though it is.

I am just so scared of asking and rocking the boat, though! I have always had two full days off, and I'm worried that it I change it, I'll end up with 0.8 split over five days. That would be completely unmanageable, as I have a long commute. And if they do agree to 0.8, and then when the timetable eventually comes out and it's split over 5 days, it'll be too late to change my mind then.

Also, as a part time teacher, I tend to get less exam classes and more smaller sets, which reduces the workload. At 0.8, I wonder if the workload in terms of marking will be much more than a 0.2 increase?

I don't know what to do. I feel like I've reached the point where I should work more, but changing things is a risk! Any advice will be appreciated, please.

Can you enquire what is the range of possible outcomes of your HoD, without actually asking for a change? Has anyone else done something similar you could ask? If by going up to 0.8 you will be given bigger sets then yes, your marking surely must disproportionately increase.

If you are a teacher who is NOT unhappy, and if you can afford to stay at 0.6 I would ask why on earth would you mess with a set up that is working out ok for you?

4 days is basically full time as you will spend you day 'off' planning etc etc. could you tutor / do some supply days if you need the extra cash?

What do you teach? I'd talk to other part timers in your school and see what their deal is.

In my school you'd definitely be expected to do 0.8 over 5 days. It's shit.

It depends so much on your particular school. At ours you categorically wouldn't be expected to work 5 days on 0.8 (unless you wanted to). You would also be able to request (and be given) something between 0.6 and 0.8. You probably wouldn't have much choice about exam classes or not though.

Thank you all for your replies.

I teach a core subject, although I am currently teaching a second subject too, to fit the timetable.

There aren't any other part time people in my department, and there's only a couple in the whole school. One is doing split days, I know that, although that is an option subject. When we get asked about next year's timetable, they always say that they will try to accommodate full days but there is no guarantee - they make a point of saying this every year, which starts a nervous wait until the timetable comes out in June-ish!

Of course, they could change my timetable to split days next year even on 0.6, but I think they are less likely to than if I raise my head by asking for a change in contract to 0.8! The union seem to think that I can argue a change to split days without consultation due to having done full days for so long, but I think this would just cause bad feeling and difficulty.

@PotKettel You make a good point - I'm not unhappy, and I've been teaching for 20 years, so that's saying something. I think that's why I don't want to rock the boat and mess with something that is working fine.

But I can't shake the thought that 0.6 is a luxury, and I should be doing more now the kids are older. Maybe tutoring or supply, like @riseandshine321 suggests, would be good, but tutoring in the evenings would be at exactly the time my dc do still need looking after when they get in from school.

@noblegiraffe Have you done part time split days? I suppose there is the benefit of getting work done in school if you stay in the building, but there's really nowhere to work quietly at my school!

Hi. What about doing Supply 1 day a week? Not necessarily in your current school. Then you can leave 10 mins after children. It won’t pay as well but you’ll have some flexibility. Or catch up tutoring (if it’s still going).

Alternatively, think long-term. Do a course for an alternative job one day a week.

Have you done part time split days?

Yes, one benefit is that it's not so exhausting as I don't have full teaching days. I also try to get the last period of the day 'off' so that I can pick my DC up from school. If your commute is expensive, would you be able to save money on childcare if you had to be in every day but didn't have to pay out for after school/breakfast club every day?

Because my unpaid time is in bits all over the place it means I don't have much time at home to e.g. do cleaning or shopping so you'd probably find chores being pushed into time you'd normally have with your kids.

0.6 may be a luxury in some other jobs but in teaching it's 0.8 - with the extra full day working from home, unpaid! That's the case in primary, I don't know about secondary.

Honestly, think carefully!

You seem very nervous about "rocking the boat"- is there a reason for this? Most schools in the current climate would be glad to have a teacher wanting to increase their days. And you know that if they really didn't have the hours for you, they would just tell you that, and no doubt you/they would deal with it professionally?

At every school I've worked at, it would be totally normal to have a conversation with your HoD and say "I'm thinking about an increase to 0.8, but because of my commute, it would need to be 4 full days. Do you think this would be possible?"

If there's a reason you don't feel you could do that, then I'd suggest there's perhaps some kind of deeper problem here?

I would say don't do it!

I have been working 0.6 fte (3 full days) since dd1 was born and dd2 is starting secondary school in September! But even though I feel like I should be working more, I don't actually want to or touch wood need to (financially speaking).

Could you volunteer at one or both if your children's schools on one or both of your days off?

I fill my 2 days out of school with a mixture of the following things: exercise class, planning lessons, weekly food shopping, volunteering at children's school, online tutoring.

It's definitely enough to keep me busy, whilst also giving me time fo do life admin and get in appointments like hair dresser, dentist etc.

Thank you all for your replies.

@Meredusoleil, I think you're right, and I can see me doing this too. As my DH said, if we really desperately needed the money, I'd have to get on with it despite my fears, but thankfully we don't for now. I wonder if you mind me asking, do you do online tutoring in the evening, or have you been able to find some tutoring during the working day?

I work for a local agency and do evening and weekend mornings. Only on my 4 non-working days though. Can't face a whole day of teaching and then tutoring on top! I definitely feel I have a perfect work/life balance - the best of both worlds really!

It sounds like your reason for considering 0.8 instead of 0.6 is just because you feel you ought to. If you're okay financially, why does it matter? If you've got time on your hands, do something voluntary. It has got harder and harder to get volunteers, because everyone is working as many hours as they can.

Tutoring does almost always end up being when your own kids are around, but if you can get all your school prep and marking done during school hours on your days off, then a small number of evening hours isn't so bad. My then-8-year-old used to sit and read while I tutored for an hour. But again, don't do it out of a sense of guilt that you don't work full time.