if you negotiated reduced hours when returning from mat leave is it disingenuous - 3 years later - to use your "free" time for a different job?

[thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat]

just wondering. 3 years ago we agreed a "temporary" reduction in my working hours - to 3 days a week. this has never been questioned since. now the girls are at school I would like to explore working one other day a week in a different job. what would you think if you were my boss?

Think it depends on your contract - that is, whether the terms of your employment say you can't work elsewhere without approval (mine say this, for reasons to do with conflicts of interest). If your contract doesn't restrict you, then I'd say you're completely free to use the time you're not there any way you like.

And may I say that disingenuous is one of my very favourite words.

it depends on your role - my company would not be pleased, but I squeeze 5 days in to 3 ( or thats what I tell them!)
would it be doing something very different, and would it impact on your existing job - and do you have to tell them?

I agree, slavishly, with Bink.

am thinking of doing same (mainly for geographical reasons), shan't be telling my current employer if it happens... They wouldn't be happy, think that would go for the majority of employers,

I work with someone who does this - she works 2 and a half days with us and then works 1 day at a school (totally different job). Her second job began as volunteer work, but has progressed to a paid position and she is considering changing careers entirely. She is totally open about it and no one has had any issue with the situation as far as I know.
(Also helps that where we work is strapped for cash at the moment so if she had asked for more paid hours she would have been refused - would your employer want you to work more hours for them if you became available for more 'working' hours? )

it's only an idea, and it is only in its infancy and might not come off etc etc. what I'd like to explore is teaching about what I do on the 3 days I do my proper job. It's not uncommon for people in my line to do a bit of ad hoc work like this, and I would only get hourly-paid work, rather than a job, iyswim. The positive spin is that it benefits the organisation (I get to spend time preparing what I teach, ie studying, and putting myself about a bit can only reflect well on the organization I work for). but the negative spin, is that there are probably lots of others who'd like to do this but can't cos they work 5 days, or squeeze in a v small amount by using leave. On the other hand I do know that I'm pretty highly valued and I have never been put under pressure to up my hours - I feel a bit like it's my market iyswim.

It depends on your contract of employment. Many of them have specific clauses prohibiting you from doing other work (particularly in a related field) while employed by a company. If the contract has nothing specific then I can see no legal reason why not.

It's not really the legality that I'm worried about - that has a straight yes or no answer - (I think - though havn't checked - there's no legal bar - iirc my contract prevents me from doing work where there would be a conflict of interests - which wouldn;t be the case) it's more the way in which it would go down - if you were my boss would you think I was taking the piss a bit?

If I were your boss and you discussed it with me first, then given what you want to do, and if I hadn't been trying to persuade you to do more hours for me, I would probably be very supportive.

If you did it behind my back I'd be very disappointed and have concerns about your commitment to your main job.

If you are being put under pressure to up your hours, what about offering to work 4 days a week and being quite open about what you are hoping to do on the fifth day - putting forward the benefits to the organisation that you outline here? I don't think anyone could be pissed off with that.

I think you've hit the nail on the head there mazzy. the other "spin" I can put on it - is that it would be term-time only work - my boss has kids himself so I know he would be able to see that there's a difference between taking on a few hours teaching in term time, and going 4 or 5 days a week on a regular basis.