Work issue.

[steviel]

Wondering if someone could help me with this. I am with a union and I am going to consult them too, but just wanted your thoughts.
I work with a team of people all women and we are equal standing except for the teacher who runs the class, with 4 TA's.
The teacher greatly favours 2 of the TA's and gives them all of the better jobs. I work 3 days a week and she makes several references to this, telling me that I am unable to be shown or trained for various jobs as I am "part time". I am increasingly feeling apart from the rest of the team and don't feel part of the team, also my self esteem has taken a nose dive! I work hard, never late, but I am frequently side lined for being "part time".

I would approach it from the point of view of asking for what you want (proactively and positively), rather than what you don't want (which is negative and critical). So if you are ready for more responsibility, can you ask for specific types of jobs or projects that you could take on? Perhaps have a discussion about your career goals and aspirations. You would have to prove that you can do these new assignments on a part-time basis, and be prepared to stand your ground. ("This job can be done within my working hours." "My colleague XYZ will cover me on Fridays, when I'm not in." and so on).

Generally speaking, part-time workers are harder to manage, and some of the jobs might indeed be unsuitable for a part-timer. For example, if you don't work on Friday then naturally you can't be involved in Friday assemblies. Try to acknowledge and understand the other side of the argument, ask probing questions about it, and when it comes to jobs that can be done within your hours, stand your ground, and voice your concerns. "I can do this job, and do it well, within my part-time hours, and I don't understand your reasoning about how my working hours might negatively impact the results. Am I missing something?"