Teachers - No bloody flexibility!! What other job can I do?

[ziopin]

Hi, Sorry to rant! I'm a teacher, and I know that people think we get an easy ride, but it's bloody hard work!

There is no flexibility in this job. Okay, okay we do get the holidays, but we cant have any flexibility about what time we arrive/leave school.

I'm a working Mum - my dd starts school full time come September - I'd love to be able to take her to school or pick her up every now and again.

Am thinking about packing it in, but what other job can I do?

well I guess you could go freelance - tutor at home for example.

The trouble is it's a case of compromising somewhere. Not many jobs will give you school hols off and the chance to pick up and drop off.

Can you drop a couple of days and job share?

Whoa,

Lots of jobs start at 9.00am or even 8.00am and those parents have to use a breakfast club or childminder to do the drop off. Those same parents also have to arrange holiday cover for half-terms, easter/summer/Xmas ect. Think twice before you deecide that teaching insn't flexible.

Could you drop to part time and sign up to do some marking at exam time to pick up some extra income.

Tutor privately from home, then you will be self employed and get none of the advantages of paid holidays, sick pay etc.

But if you tutor from home you are working out-if-school hours when your daughter is home. Don't understand this option.

I've considered going into teaching because of the holidays - my dd is also about to start school and I've got a complete mare over holidays - even if DH and I use all our holidays there is still about a months worth to cover. (Just hope she's never ill!)

The grass is always greener - think hard before you swop jobs!

loler, do none of your local schools run a holiday club thing ?

They do after school club but not holiday club at the moment - nearest one I could find was only from 11 - 2, not a lot of good!

Luckily I have another year to sort something out as just about to go on ML.

a few of my teacher friends do supply, they earn a good hourly rate have very little prep to do..and no marking....obviouskly depends on suppky and demand in your area...have you thought of speaking with a teachng supply agency ??

Know what you mean -I am a TA and end up trying to get appointemnts at 8am or 5pm as I can't go in school time or try to take half a day off for a funeral or get a workman in.

Ask to do 4 days a week? The drop in pay is not that much, you get to do all your prep and housework before the weekend starts, and get to take your DD to school and pick up once a week, and still get all the holidays....

Not an instant solution, but by 2010 all schools will have to offer "Extended School Activities" under a new initiative. They will have to offer clubs/activities/extra sport/parental support between the hours of 8am and 6pm - and holiday club.

This is one of the reasons I came out of teaching. I wasn't looking forward to missing out on concerts, Christma splay, pick ups, etc.

I know work in a prison as a learning and skills advisor, guiding prisoners through their sentences and helping them make plans for their futures. I work PT, doing this 2.5 days a week (I work 8:30 till 4 on Tuesdays; 8:30 till 2:10 Wed.Thurs) with 11 weeks holiday and the benefits of a lecturers grade salary and a teaching pension.

I needed no further training needed to teach in an adult prison - just need a Level 4 qualification, and a teaching certificate of some form. For my IAG job they have now introduced a new qualification that you have to have - a Level 4 qualifivcation in Information, Advice and Guidance. As I am already in the job they are paying for me to do it. New applicants have to have it or be prepared to work towards it, but I think they would be expected to do it in their own time and at their own expense.

TBH it wasn't the day to day pick up, etc that bothered me. It was not being able to attend things like Sports Day and school plays. I just didn't want to miss out. And they are never all on the same day of the week, so even being PT didn't help with that bit.

New job I get to choose when I take my holidays

Be glad you don't have to start work at 7.30am like some people and get home at 8 if you're lucky. Plenty of people have even less flexibility. There is a teacher in our son's class and she drops her child off at the 7.30am breakfast club and he stays in there until 6 after school whilst her husband, a teacher, drops the toddler off at the day nursery and they share pick ups. When I was married my ex husband a teacher was lucky enough to be married to me so I could afford to pay for us to have a nanny.

But you can ask for flexible working, available to all parents with a child under the age of 6.

So you can request a later start in mornings or an early finish or anything you like really. They have to give you a very good reason for turning it down, and if they do, the majority of tribunals about this find in favour of the request.

I teach secondary, and due to timetabling e.g not enough rooms, my deputy head asked if I could take a 6th form class from 3.30 to 4.30 after school. As a result of this, I ccould come in an hour later one morning. I nearly bit his hand off!!!

Also, I never have trouble about school plays etc. Senior Management are pretty good about it. We just try and arrange internal cover within our department, and pay back colleagues at a later date.

However even if we can't manage that they usually let you have the time

fizzbuzz - at both of the secondaries I worked at there was no flexibility on time off for your own children's school events.

But yes, you can apply for flexible working hours - that is how I arranged my working hours at my current job, and there was just no reason why it was not possible here.

Is that possible in a primary?
The teacher arriving at 9.30 say (after their class has started ?)

Not sure tbh, but you could ask and let them worry about it.

Couldn't you, say, come in at 10.30 3 days a week. Surely they could manage that. That would be 4 1/2 hours for someone else to teach (assuming you start at 9.00).

I'm sure your union will help you

Become a computer programmer. Its interesting (mostly), pays about the same as teaching I think, and - you can swan in at 10am, wearing teeshirt and jeans, and sit comatose in front of your computer pretending to work, before departing at 4.
Not every day, obviously, but we all have mental duvet days from time to time.

the downside is that your job may be exported to India if you dont pick your field carefully.

I think it would be absolutely dreadful for the nation's children if primary teachers could get flexible working requests granted. It's a prime case for lawful refusal. YOu need the teacher in there slightly before class and you can't have her or him leaving early. It's not fair on the children.

Can't imagine someone wanting 4 1/2 hours over 3 days though

My understanding is that you can ask for flexible working hours and they in return can ask you to sod off.

DW is a secondary school teacher and would be laughed out of the staff room if she tried this on.

Isn't it a good trade off though. Inflexible during term time for very decent holidays?

I can undrstand you desire to take/pick up dd but there is no ther job I know of which gives you a) the holidays or b)the hours (and I mean flexibility to mark at home etc.
Think very hard-not sure that any grassis greener...