Advancing career whilst working part-time

[Uhu]

I will be returning to work at the end of September for 3 days a week and my twin DSs, who will be 7 months, will attend nursery whilst I am at work. I'm a middle manager who looks after technical projects. Has anyone else returned to work part-time and managed to fulfill a challenging job function which has led to promotion? I sometimes get the distinct impression that once you work part-time, you no longer have a career but just a job. Have you part-timers out there found this to be the case? I appreciate that whilst my DSs are still small that my career progression will slow down but I'm hoping that it does not come to a grinding halt! I spent a number of years studying at university as well as developing my career and I just don't want to see all my hard work amount to nothing.

I was a middle manager (in a school - Acting Head of dept but officially 2nd in dept) when I had dd. When we were negotiating my hours after having her I told the head I didn't want to be 2nd in dept anymore as i thought the dept could do with someone there f/t, esp as a new head of dept was starting soon. But I also said I'd keep some responsibilties on in order to not take too much of a pay cut. To my surprise the head said he'd pay me on my old salary (pro rata) because he wanted to keep me.

I too work 3 days and have actually found it X100 times better than my old full-time life, but I do realise that my head's attitude has allowed me not to have to worry unduly about money. This year I've had a small promotion within the dept which doesn't mean any more money but I will be taking on some new responsibilities, which I'm quite happy to do. After a shaky time last year (mostly to do with the new HoD rather than my hours or status) I feel much better and actually feel very valued.

I do think it depends on your line managers and your company's attitude as to how valued you'll feel. I think flexible family-friendly hours and allowances make for better and happier workers; sadly not everyone can be as supportive as my employers but it can be done!

Good luck

I was always part time in this job (5 years) and was promoted about 3 years ago while pregnant with ds (now 3). However, since then others have been promoted and I haven't - I think more because the next step up would be mostly managerial and I would have loads of people reporting to me (and my firm is not big on p/timers having lots of direct reports). So it is possible to be promoted, but I think you have to expect for a limited time, your career path will be somewhat flatter. I'm now coming out the other end and as part of my negotiations to go up to 4 days a week will be the expectation that I will be promoted (assuming I do my stuff OK)!!!! So possible, but not probable!!!!!

I was promoted while expecting my first, now work 3 days and was told at my last appraisal that I should be pushing for the next promotion. So it does happen. I guess it depends on (a) having a supportive boss, and (b) the next stage up being one that is amenable to not being there all the time. I've (quite happily) become more of a technical specialist and less of a project manager, so I don't act as either a line manager or a client's main point of contact.

It's worked for me, partly because I've gone out of my way to make it work - when required I've swopped days to make a meeting on one of my non-working days, and I've been contactable by phone when I've had people working on fast moving stuff directly for me.

However, I expect things to be slower for me than for a F/T: It takes me longer to get the same hours of experience, and (as I said) I can only really fit and develop in roles that dont require F/T presence.

Best of luck!

Softfroggie, I too am planning to become more of a technical specialist and move away from roles that require project or line management. I'm lucky in that when I was 5 months pregnant, my boss sent me on a technical course to help advance my skills.

I agree with all the comments regarding having a supportive line manager and being flexible yourself. I do accept that working part-time will mean a flatter career progression but as long as it is progressing, I'll be happy .

And I was going to add - the most senior, highly respected woman in my profession in the UK (now in her 50s) worked P/T for roughly the first 15 years of her career. She always said that she progressed just as quickly as she would have F/T, and now has a fabulous reputation (editorial board of technical journals, etc). She's good, which helps no end. That was in the 80s, and I'm sure it's easier now.

I don't think we should ever accept a stagnant career, unless we are truely not progressing ourselves (i.e. we can always show that we are doing our jobs better than we were a year ago). But I did make sure I got to a level I could bear stopping at for a while before I conceived.