What's the best part-time working pattern?

[Amarach]

Hello,

I'd love to hear about your experiences of part-time working patterns.

I've returned to work (DS is 13 months) and I'm working 3 days a week - Monday, Thursday and Friday.

I picked these days because the childminder I found had these days free. I also thought it would be nice to never have more than 2 days away from DS (especially as sometimes I don't get home in time to see him before bedtime).

However, it does feel a bit as if I have to start the week twice - on Mondays and Thursdays - which is draining.

I now may have the option to change to consecutive days - Weds, Thurs, Fri. In your experience what pattern works best, and why?

Thanks!

I work Tues, Weds, Thurs, I'm a teacher and very lucky to have these days. Its great for me - just right really. On Thursday evening I know I'm off for four days and can really relax.
I don't have experience of working any other pattern - but I would have thought consecutive days is you best bet really.

Thanks Polka, good to hear.

I have to say the idea of four days 'off' ahead of me does sound appealing. But I would hate not to see DS at bedtime three days in a row (which could happen, although not every week).

I've worked various different days since being back at work after DS1 & DS1 and find Monday, Wednesday, Thursday works best for me because:

1. I don't miss out on the bank holiday monday days off
2. most of my friends with children who work are also off on a friday
3. It's only ever 2 consecutive days that I don't see much of DC
4. I can meet up with friends in town for after work drinks on a Thursday evening knowing I'm not working the next day
5. We can go away for long weekends (usually visitig in-laws nothing too glamourous) on a Thursday evening without having to cut into my holiday
6. I never really get that 'oh god a whole week of work' dread and my week goes so fast this way

HTH LCN

Think about your work and what suits that too. Depends what sort of job you do. Sorry to be so dull!

When I had part timers working for me it was easier when they spaced out their days.

eg if you work Mon Tues and Wed and something important comes up on a Wednesday....effectively it gets put on hold for 5 days. That meant people the part-timers were dealing with (their clients) got impatient and tried to circumvent the part-timer. That led to everyone being unhappy.

When part-timers spaced out the days they worked their clients were happy to wait till until they got back. That way the part-timer was more in control.

Lots of useful food for thought, thanks all.

Indaba I think you're right - from my employer's point of view it would be better for me to be there at the beginning and end of the week.

But lechatnoir I hadn't considered the long weekend thing - good call (although I don't get bank holidays off)

I had no idea that more school things happen on a Friday cat64 - one to bear in mind in a few years.

I work Tues Wed and thurs, which ai find really great and as time has gone on and dd2 went to school it still worked well.

i have Mondays to tidy up etc after the weekend and do any jobs in town etc and never get that mondya feeling - it is never the same starting on a tuesday.

I also find that teacher training days are on Mondays and fridays and so never have to take time off for those is grea and usualyl have another dc over to play as their mum has to work - so works well.

I find fridays always used to be good for meeting friends as a lot don't work on a friday, when they are part time

i worked mon,tues,weds for a while but found that every monday i returned to a million emails. plus the issue Indaba mentions, where somebody wants something late on weds and i am not in til next week, that always seemed a very long time to wait. So inevitably i would be called on thursday to sort it.

then i did mon, tues, thurs and that was so much better.

however i did run into problems when we tried to have 2 day offsites or had to go to a european office as the only days i could do consecutively were mon/tues. in the end my boss paid for my weds nursery place so i could be flexible between the 4 days. That worked well but also meant i was more at their beck and call than i would have liked!!

I work mon-fri 9:15 - 2:15 longer if i need to. Its within school hours so I do both school runs everyday :)

I have worked both Weds-Fri, and Tues, Thurs, Fri.

The latter is much better for me, as I am around at both ends of the week, and find it easier to manage ongoing issues.

tue, wed, 1/2 day thursday.
i think a block of days works best for me. i enjoy work ALOT. but when i finish, i know i have fri to prep for the weekend. all weekend then monday aswell. fab.

i used to work mon, tue 1/2 day wed, but this is better.

agree most school things happen ona fri, sometimes a mon. and i get bank hols pro rata'ed so get 4 3/4 days added on anyway. i don't feel i miss out by not working a monday. my boss feels the same and it is best for him, as i work in accounts so, after a bank hol, when we are doing month end, when timing is v v tight, he still gets me for the full 2.5 days. works best for him and me.

I was working Tues, Weds, Thurs and hated it. I'm a teacher too and found that I was spending Mondays planning and Fridays trying to get school out of my head; although that could have been a feature of the role I had.

I also hated not having two consecutive days with just me and DD.

I now have a new job starting in September and will be working Mon afternoon, Tuesday, Wednesday which I hope will suit me better. Fingers crossed!

I have done both and found I liked the atmosphere best working the end of the week - like everyone was winding down for the weekend.

Shhhhhhhhhhhh.... It's sometimes better to have Mondays as one of your days as public hols often fall on a Monday so it MIGHT give you an extra day or two off..............

Tue, wed, Thurs worked well for me. I had this work pattern last year and the long weekends were great. I didn't have work to take home or much planning to do, though, so guess it depends on your job.

My ideal now would be Tue-Fri. I lik to be able to have the odd friday-after-work drink with colleagues (not that it ever happens that often). Mondays are a good day to catch up on house stuff and kid stuff.

I work 9am-3pm Mon-Fri, term-time only. It's brilliant!

I do the school runs and it can be tight sometimes, but I don't have expense or hassle in school holidays.

That particular fact may or may not have influenced my decision, lal

I did half a week, ie Wed pm, Thurs and Fri. and really enjoyed having two full days at home after the weekend. Now do 9.30am-2.300pm school days which works out the same hours over the year. No child care problems and with a half-timers' holiday entitlement broken down into five hour days plenty of leave if the children are ill etc.

And....(a small point!)..what do you think is best for your child/children?

I worry sometimes that my DS gets confused because he doesn't know where he's going to spend the day, so if he was spending consecutive days with his childminder that might be better. On the other hand he might miss me :)

Oblomov how does 2 1/2 days of pro rated bank holidy entitlement work out as 4 3/4 days? I am interested as I am in the same boat as this. Many thanks

goingback, i don't know. but apparently this year 4.75 was worked out based on most of them falling on the mondays and fridays.
would love it if my company had made a mistake, but i fear not because they take proffesional advice , seeing as we are a small company (300 people). but part of one of he biggest groups in the uk.

I think what's best changes as your children get older.

When my DDs were little, I used to work monday, Tuesday and Friday. This was great because I'd do two days, have two days off, work one day, have two days off. So that was fab.

However, now my children are older (one in primary and one at preschool), I find working every day (mornings) work better because I'm always there to pick my children up from school, they can do whatever after school club they want to. Also, now DD2 is at preschool, I mostly work whilst she is at preschool, and so am only away from her 8 hours a week more than I would be anyway (when she is at preschool), and when she starts school next year, I will see as much of her as any SAHM. I also see DD2 for at least 6 of her waking hours every day, so I never have a day when I hardly see her.

This works well for us.