Help! Advice needed re interview & part time hours.

[FrayedKnot]

Have been looking for a part time job for a while now and the whole process is driving me insane.

Have got an interview next week for a job which is exactly the sort of thing I am looking for, good pay. The job advert didn;t specify the hours (just said "part time"), but now I have the paperwork through it states 30.

I don't want or need to work 30 hours a week, and had set 25 as my maximum, would prefer 18.5.

Every time I go to an interview, DH has to take holiday, as need someone to look after DS. This is awkward for him and a waste of his holiday.

The question is, shall I (a) turn down the interview (b) ring them and discuss hours before going (c) go to the interview and discuss there.

It is a maternity cover contract and knowing the nature of the work too, I am very doubtful as to whether they will consider reducing the hours.

I had hoped it was already a job share and would therefore be less hours, but I imagine it is actually someone doing the equivalent of their old 37 hour job in 4 days.

I have already been to 2 interviews recently which didn;t work out and there is a limit to how often DH can keep taking time off work at short notice.

30 hours sounds like f/t to me!
I'd call them and ask if they would consider job sharing - otherwise I wouldn't waste my time!
Explain that you can't do moer than say - 20 hours and can they get extra cover for the rest of the time. You may end up kanckering yourself to do a f/t job in p/t hours!

That's really hard. In these circs I personally wd discuss in advance i think - normally i would say wait til you get there. Wd be interested to see what the consensus is from others.

It depends. How good are you and how confident are you that you'll get an offer? If the answer is very then I'd go, get an offer and then try to negotiate the hours down, it's easier to negotiate once they want you. I think in the interview you could do your best to get it and negotiate if you get offered. Also, what will you do for childcare if you get it? (just that you don't seem to have anyone other than dh atm so you'll need to think about it). Also, consider whether the hours you want are realistic (don't know what area you work in) - will you find someone who will want you for 18.5 in your line of work?

WWW that's what I think I ought to do..but given the time / inconvenience of going to the interview just for them to reject the hours I want - puts me off.

No backup for childcare - have recently moved away from all friends and relatives. DS would go to nursery while I work - part of the reason why I want to limit my hours, as I don't need to do that many, and feel bad enough about abandoning him to nursery as it is. I know he will be fine, and enjoy it, but it doesn;t need to be for 4 full days.

I can see why this particular job would be difficult to do in less than 5 days unless it was jobshared. That is not necessarily true of all types of work I could apply for, but it is of this particular one.

I feel sorry for the poor person going on mat leave who I think is probably doing her old job in 4 days!

Anyway to make things worse I am also signing on (I think this was a big mistake) as I am entitled to contributions based JSA - but it means it is difficult for me to reject certain jobs iyswim.

God I don;t know why I got into this in the first place!