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Original poster

What are the best days to work part time?

52 replies

Holymoly321 · 10/01/2006 20:34

I'll be going back to work in September after taking a year's maternity leave. I want to go back part time and wondered if anyone had any opinions on which were the best days to do and why. Originally I thought about working Tues, Weds, Thurs so that I would have a long weekend. But now I'm wondering whether I should split that time up so that I'm not away from DS for three days at a time. What do other mums think?

OP posts:

Yorkiegirl · 10/01/2006 20:38

Message withdrawn

Donbean · 10/01/2006 20:42

Personally i split my days up for that very reason, i dont want to be away from my ds for a big chunk of time.
it really depends on what you do.
Because dh is off every weekiend i work one day of the weekend so that he has a whole day with DS all to himself.
That way i only have to sort out childcare for one day in the week. (i work 20 hours)
I also work shifts so try to just work one afternoon/evening so that MIL only has to have ds from lunch time till tea time when dh gets home from work.

This was by far the most stressful thing for me of the whole "having a baby" scenario and actually it turned out very well indeed. Im just saying that i know how you feel.

hana · 10/01/2006 20:46

i ahve worked fridays for a few years and I wouldn't recommend it

picnikel · 10/01/2006 20:47

I work mon/wed/friday which is great as every day I'm at work I'm looking forward to the next day off with dd. Having said that I'm looking forward to August even more when hopefully I'll go to 2 days a week .

The monday bank holiday thing is a pain, though, if you're paying for childcare. What about tues/wed/fri? then you get the best of both worlds!

Aloha · 10/01/2006 20:48

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, as everyone else who works, works those days and if you work Thursday, Friday your social life will be really limited. I wouldn't personally split the time up, I think it makes it harder all round. You can't relax properly on your non-working days as you have work left from the day before that you are going to do the day after, work will find it even harder to get it's collective head around the fact that you are Not At Work if you were in the day before and will be in the day after and will plague you with calls and emails, and I actually think it is harder for children to be in and out of nursery/childminder and not have the continuity.

Aloha · 10/01/2006 20:50

If you work for an employer, I'd say definitely work Mondays, and then you get bank holidays off.

beansprout · 10/01/2006 20:51

I work Tues, Weds, Thurs so I am either in work mode or full-time mummy mode. Don't get that Monday feeling and every weekend is a long one! If you are working 4 days, Friday is the one to avoid, as that is when all the mummies come out to play!!!

Aloha · 10/01/2006 20:53

Aargh! Its not it's

MrsDoolittle · 10/01/2006 20:54

Hi smiling, I'm going on mat leave in a few weeks and I intend to go back next September. I'm thinking the same thing.
I'm thinking Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at the moment as they are my most 'committed' days at work at the moment.

KBear · 10/01/2006 20:54

I work alternate Wednesdays and every Thursday and Friday and get some of the bank holidays back too. I love it, couldn't bear to work on a Monday, no Sunday night feeling for me! Also everyone at my workplace is happier towards the end of the week - they're all miseries on a Monday morning!!

However, my job share colleague works the other days (obviously!) and she loves the days she works and hates working at the end of the week should we ever swap days.

Tough decision but I wouldn't want to walk alternate days either, I want to do my days and be done for a few days.

beansprout · 10/01/2006 20:57

btw, I originally wanted to split the days and agreed Tues, Weds and Fri with my boss but the childminder suggested that I give ds the continuity of either being with her or being with me. I was off for a year too so ds was the sort of age where these things matter.
It was hard to go back at first but we are all now happy with the arrangements we have. Good luck.

Hulababy · 10/01/2006 20:58

I work Tuesday - Thursday. Means I have a long weekend every weekend. I love it and wehn I moved jobs it was one of the first things I did - make sure I was working the same days there too. Have always worked these days since DD was 20 weeks, and she is now 3y9m. I really didn't want to have breaks in the middle of the week - I wouldn't want to go back after just 1 day off.

Hulababy · 10/01/2006 20:59

Aloha -0 in my job working a mOnday is rubbish. As a PTer we only get half of all bank holidays. My collaegue works Mondays. This means every bank holiday she gets half a day off, and then has to use half a day's annual leave for the rest of it. Like an enforced holiday. And you till have to pay for childcare even though your child can't go.

northerner · 10/01/2006 21:01

Yup I work Tues - Thurs too. For similar reasons, rather get work over and done with. In my job I wouldn't get things done if I was in one day and off the next. It would be a nightmare for my colleagues and my clients.

Hula - are you still TTc? Just that I am now and I have seen your name on a few old threads but nothing recent.

Hulababy · 10/01/2006 21:03

Northerner - we gave up after 18 months. Still not 100% happy about the decision but for now at least it is the right one. DH is definitely happy to just have the one anyway. Made lots of plans as a trio now Good luck - hope you have number 2 baby on its way soon

Hulababy · 10/01/2006 21:03

notasheep · 10/01/2006 21:03

Depends on your job,I work Tues and Thurs,so like others have the long weekend.

Hope it all works out ok for you.

northerner · 10/01/2006 21:06

Oh I see. Hope you don't mind me asking. Sorry it didn't happen in those 18 months, but you have a lovely family to enjoy your plans with.

It's amazing just how difficult it is to get preg isn't it?

Hulababy · 10/01/2006 21:08

It is northerner. For us - well we are happy as we are right now. We are just happy to have DD right now. Good luck!

Hulababy · 10/01/2006 21:08

Oh and really didn't mind you asking. I did post on the TTc thread about it I think. Took a few weeks od decision making.

acnebride · 10/01/2006 21:13

I work a 'long' day on Tues (8.45 to 3.15), Weds am, long Thurs and Fri am. A bit odd and I wouldn't have chosen these hours, that was the childcare that was available. In fact, it's great. Pros include continuity of being there at least part of the time most of the week, also the 'holiday' feeling of leaving at lunchtime on weds and fri, also having the whole of Monday to play, also not having to take leave for long weekends, i can just rush off at fri lunchtime.

cons - mainly that it's a struggle to meet up with the local mum circuit. my antenatal group are all working weird part-time structures so at the mo we can't ever all meet unless it's at the weekend.

dollybird · 10/01/2006 21:24

I do Mon/Tue/Wed which suits me a lot better than Mon/Wed/Fri which I did for a year. I found I couldn't really get in the swing of working like others have said. I'm now usually glad it's the 'weekend' by the end of Weds but glad to be going back on Sunday pm!!

On the bank holiday note, when I worked fridays I didn't have to pay for nursery at Easter when they were closed. I don't have childcare on Mondays - DH is at home!

Original poster

Holymoly321 · 10/01/2006 21:28

Thanks so much everyone. Having read the replies I think I'll go with the Tues - Thurs deal as I know I would be getting calls etc during the 'off' days and I would be spending a lot of that time thinking about what I didn't get done the day before! Plus I wouldn't want to use up precious holiday time taking a Friday off for a long weekend! Thanks again all!

OP posts:

hoxtonchick · 10/01/2006 21:30

when i go back to work after my maternity leave next month, i'll be working mondays & thursdays. works really well for us.

robinpud · 10/01/2006 21:34

If you are thinking long term then lots of schools have their inset days on mons and Fridays so not working those days means you don't have to find childcare.
I work Thurs and Friday.. and have had excellent social life despite what aloha says!!
just like Kbear no sunday night feeling of back to work and no time during week to worry about it. the weekend arrives so fast it is all done and dusted really fast. My ideal would be wed and Thurs but not possible in my line of work!
Good luck

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