Teachers - is the work/life balance possible?!

[reastie]

Have just this week returned from maternity leave and have to admit struggling to keep up with everything. I'm working 2 days a week but over 3 days, so theoretically I should be fine . I've always been the type of teacher to be quite organised and efficient and likes having everything thought through and planned - I'm not the sort of person who can wing it and succeed sadly.

When I'm working it's a rush to get to work on time and get dd ready etc, then I have to rush home to collect DD as am relying on family to look after her who have lives want me to be as quick as possible so they can go out etc. I've been going into work at least half an hour early and staying an average of an hour later this week (plus going in last week for the morning). I've spent in the last 2 days over 3 hours working from home.

This isn't just me getting up to date, this is me prepping/marking/doing paperwork etc and I'm making a big effort to be more laissez faire in attitude now as I know I can't be as fastidious as I used to be. Based on when I used to work (part time) pre DD I would stay in maybe 3 - 4 hours in school a week more than needed to do this type of thing and a morning a week on my day off.

I think I just forgot when returning how much out of the class room stuff I do and now I have no idea when I can do it with DD and if I'm ever going to have a life with DD as I'll either be thinking about when I can try and work when I'm with DD or at work or working at home. Feeling quite weepy as I want to try and make this working mum malarkey work for us.

Is this a common problem for teachers returning? Are there obvious corners I should be cutting or things I should or could be doing to make things easier?

I went back to full time secondary teaching two weeks ago and have been surprised by how well it has gone. I think there are a lot of factors that help me though. I leave at 7.30 and am generally home by 4.15,by commute is only 15 mins though on nursery days I have to add an extra 10 for drop off pick up. Ds is in nursery 2 days, gps for 2 and with dh for 1. My dh is incredible and takes care of most of the shopping and cooking. My department are all incredibly supportive, we all share resources which helps. I am in my 5 th year so have a stack of resources already done which makes planning easier. I use every spare minute at school to mark, all through lunch time. I have up my tlr and am not teachingy usual a level classes this year, although I am mentoring a student this term which could be quite onerous depending on whether she is good or not. The rest of my work is done after ds has gone to bed. Some night I have done 2 hrs, others none. I also co sleep which I think has helped me to cope- I feel less guilty about being away for ds during the day as I am with him all night.

All of these things together mean I think I have quite a good balance so far, but the most important is having a supportive dh and great colleagues. This could all unravel when illness, ofsted, meetings, car service etc comes along!

multi good on you for things going well. My position to you is slightly different though in that I am the only one in my subject area - so no one to share resources etc. I do already work through lunch and break and I'm just a bit of a perfectionist and if I get through by winging it I find it I lose all enjoyment of teaching. I'm aso quite anxious and a worrier and I can't just switch off. Before DD I used to work 3/4 days a week as I found ft teaching too much for me - I feel like if I can't do the job IMO really well I shouldn't do it. You're lucky having a really good dh - mine is generally great but I do all the shopping (god bless ocado ) , all the cooking and 3/4 cleaning.

buck I need to speak to my union so I know exactly what I should and shouldn't have to do I feel. The thing that's really hard is DD often doesn't get to bed/sleep until maybe 8 - 8:30. I'm so exhausted that I'm in bed by 9 (currently writing this from bed) so the half hour I have quiet is the only adult time with dh I get (not necessarily adult in the naughty meaning - just time together which is really important to us )

I'm following this thread with interest - DC1 is due in August, and I'm seriously debating going back to work at all. We'd have to pay nursery fees all week, and its an hours driving each day, so when we've totalled up nursery costs, petrol, cars etc, I wonder how much it would actually be worth.

I'm currently in an AST-style role, and before I got pregnant was in school every day from 7.30am until at least 6pm. I am thorough and diligent, but don't try to create extra work for myself, just to get it all done in school. Now I'm exhausted by 6pm every night, and am having to work much more at the weekend. I've done at least 8 hours this weekend, planning and marking, and will spend all my frees and most lunch times working, and at least 3 hours after school supporting A Level and GCSE students.

I just think that if I went back after the baby is born, I'd really struggle to keep up, and I have seen other teachers go through the horrible process of being 'Satisfactory,' and having to be mentored and constantly observed even though they are perfectly competent. I've been teaching for 8 years, and this is the worst I've ever known it. I work in an academy, and it is a ridiculously stressful environment.

I also think (and this is evidenced in the above thread) that if you work part time, you always work more, and spend your days off doing things for school.

I was thinking about doing home tutoring and exam marking (which I do anyway) to supplement our income. Did anyone else do this in their time at home?

I think it gets easier as the DC get older. I went back on a 0.8 contract when DD2 was 8 months old and then back up to FT the following September. Then, due to re-organisation, I was redeployed from middle to primary school last September, still FT. We put DD2 in pre-school for 2 days a week (from the age of 2.8yo) and she is with the CM for the other three full days. DD1 started FT school last September too.

We rely HEAVILY on our (fab) CM. We pay for her services from 7.30am to 5.30pm each day but she is very flexible and I often pick up early and she will keep DDs late if pre-arranged for parents evenings and things if DP cannot get back from work (long commute to mainland) in time.

I am in work by 7.45am each morning which gives me an hour to set up for the day. I generally aim to leave by 4.30pm each day - and 3.30pm on Friday with a wing and a prayer and a bag packed full of marking!

I have a very supportive DP and we also make a point of my not working when we are together as a family. He will do bathtime in a minute and that will give me time to mark half a set of books! I will then do bedtime (we alternate evenings) and we will then have a couple of hours of together time. He will head to bed around 10.00pm and I will spend a couple of hours marking - I do this most evenings in the week and, luckily, do not suffer from not having too much sleep. DP is up at 5am and will prepare lunches etc before leaving for work just after 6am. I could get up with him to do work but HATE early mornings so prefer our current set up.

Once DD2 is in school we plan on using breakfast club/ after school club or getting au pair - and hope things will get even 'easier'

Not sure it is ever easy but we do have a lovely time each holiday - even though we don;t have the money to actually have a holiday very often as we pay HUGE amounts in childcare bills!