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Original poster

Term time only work

18 replies

Thomasandhisshuntingtrucks · 27/03/2017 18:43

Hi everyone

I have been recently offered a job that is "term time only" (I didn't really understand this) but it's 21 to 25 grand pro rata which equates to 15 grand on the lowest scale. Which is crap!! Why would anyone accept this? But the job is ace so are there ways to get through this? so far I've thought about getting a second job in a supermarket or something.

Can you shed any light?

Ps I have two kids so I need to earn more than that for nursery fees etc

OP posts:
IveBecomeSoNumb · 27/03/2017 18:44

Don't accept a term time only job. Look for one that is full time at that pay scale. Hth

WafflingVersatile · 27/03/2017 18:46

What's the job? If this is education then it's standard. Teachers are only paid for term time work. It's just since the 80s that pay was spread over the year.

Original poster
Thomasandhisshuntingtrucks · 27/03/2017 18:49

It is in education... but I thought the perk was being paid for holidays!! I don't know of any full time permanent education jobs being like this. Term time jobs are new to me

OP posts:
bigchris · 27/03/2017 18:51

Leave it for school mums who don't have nursery fees and get a full time job?

IveBecomeSoNumb · 27/03/2017 18:52

Pay is pro rata. So only get paid for the hours you work divided out over the year.

AndKnowItsSeven · 27/03/2017 18:53

But teachers don't get paid for the holidays either op.

DoItTooJulia · 27/03/2017 18:54

You're paid during the holidays, not for them.

It's either a second job to top up or get a different full time job altogether.

tissuesosoft · 27/03/2017 18:56

With term time only jobs you get about 30 days holiday pro rated (sp??) into the annual salary which is then divided by 12 equal monthly payments. My job full time term time only is £28k but pro rata it is £20,500

xyzandabc · 27/03/2017 19:05

The perk is once your children are at school, you won't need to pay for childcare in the holidays. Or indeed find childcare which can be tricky if it's only holiday care you need.

Have you factored in holiday pay? Even though you work term time only you still accrue holiday pay, it's just that when you take it has to be during the school holidays.

Eg, i work term time only plus 2 weeks during the holidays as per my contract. So that's 39 weeks plus 2. I them get 5.4 weeks holiday added on (or something like that). So actually I'm paid for nearly 47 weeks a year, that's then averaged over 12 months so my pay packet is the same each month. And I now have no childcare costs.

flowery · 27/03/2017 21:40

"Why would anyone accept this?"

Because it's term time only and they can have school holidays off, enabling them to spend lots of time with their children and save a small fortune in childcare.

If those things aren't important to you I advise you to look for full time work.

StealthPolarBear · 27/03/2017 21:43

One of the perks of teaching must be that if you leave at rhe end of July and get a non teaching job immediately you get two pay slips in august :) must almost be worth it!

ShelaghTurner · 27/03/2017 21:45

Not a teacher but applying for school jobs. I'm desperate for a term time only one!

Thirtyrock39 · 27/03/2017 21:50

Teachers I think do get paid for the holidays??? As in the advertised salary for teaching is ar is says it's not pro rata? Whereas my term time non teaching job isn't the amount advertised as it's pro rata so I get paid for 39 + 5 annual leave weeks spread out over the year . That's not how it works for teaching

Thirtyrock39 · 27/03/2017 21:51

Benefits not having to sort out childcare on holidays- downside no flexibility to take any leave apart from in school holidays (means missing any school hours activities such as school plays etc)

CotswoldStrife · 27/03/2017 21:52

Term time only means that you are working (and being paid for) in term time only which will be around 38 weeks of a possible 52 (because schools have around 38 weeks of pupil contact) which is around 73 per cent of full time (which would match your salary calculations).

Why would anyone accept this? Because as a previous poster has already said, you don't need childcare for the other 14 weeks of the year! When they are school age, that's almost a quarter of the year.

StealthPolarBear · 27/03/2017 21:52

They don't thirty. They get paid in the holidays but not for the holidays. So if you left a teaching job at the end of the summer term and walked straight into another job you'd get two full pay packets in august.

Original poster
Thomasandhisshuntingtrucks · 28/03/2017 03:43

Thanks everyone for your answers. This has shed some light on term time only. Which is honestly new to me and I've worked in education for a long time. Just a different sector.

I understand the perks of not paying for childcare during the summer.... it's just on the lowest scale 15 grand is not worth paying for childcare the rest of the time. So I'll need to weigh it up.

OP posts:
remoaniac · 28/03/2017 09:49

Assuming you are not a lone parent, only half the childcare costs should be weighed up against your salary - the other half should be your DP/DH's.

That may make a difference as to whether you think it's worth taking the job or not - and you will be both be better off when the kids are at school.

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