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Original poster

Part time teaching- thoughts?

33 replies

lilyflower1803 · 02/03/2025 07:37

Hi

New teacher here, have a very young family and took on a roll in September for full time. Half way through and off with WRS due to stress, anxiety and exhaustion. Obviously have no work/life balance. Want to go part time to three days, can anyone share their experiences on this if done the same? How is it for work/life balance?

Thank you

OP posts:
Lo0opy · 02/03/2025 07:38

I did this when I had two under two and it was so much easier.

violetcuriosity · 02/03/2025 07:39

I've done various full time and part time stints depending on where I'm up to with pregnancy/returning from Mat leave. I find it much more manageable but have found that you need to have an existing relationship with the school before going part time x

Oooeee · 02/03/2025 07:39

I'm 4 days and dropping down to 3 days next year as it's still too much. Eventually I'm going to leave. Teaching is not family friendly.

Original poster
lilyflower1803 · 02/03/2025 07:45

Lo0opy · 02/03/2025 07:38

I did this when I had two under two and it was so much easier.

This is good to know, I only have one currently but would like to expand our family at some point,

OP posts:
TooManyCupsAndMugs · 02/03/2025 07:46

I dropped from full time to 3 days and it has been life changing! I can cope with what goes on in school as I know I've have a day to myself coming up. I don't have very young children (they're all at school) but I have had time to finish another qualification, exercise and keep on top of housework. Just remember DO NOT work on your days off (you're not getting paid for them)!

Original poster
lilyflower1803 · 02/03/2025 07:47

Oooeee · 02/03/2025 07:39

I'm 4 days and dropping down to 3 days next year as it's still too much. Eventually I'm going to leave. Teaching is not family friendly.

Yes, starting to realise this too. 4 days I've heard is just full time crammed into four days with 20 % less pay!

OP posts:
Philandbill · 02/03/2025 07:48

I was part time for about 14 years. Life was easier as I got my weekend back; I worked through my two week days at home. Some years were better than others. If the other two days were taken by a permanent member of staff it was better, if they were supply then the non class stuff fell to me - parents' evening, bigger chunk of reports etc. It's also decimated my pension. Initially I paid in AVCs but with the pay freeze and cost of living rising I couldn't afford to keep making them.
I'm glad I had that time as I could collect children from school and go to school events on those days. However education is in such a state now that if I had my time again - despite loving the school I currently work full time at - I'd leave teaching altogether.

Philandbill · 02/03/2025 07:50

TooManyCupsAndMugs · 02/03/2025 07:46

I dropped from full time to 3 days and it has been life changing! I can cope with what goes on in school as I know I've have a day to myself coming up. I don't have very young children (they're all at school) but I have had time to finish another qualification, exercise and keep on top of housework. Just remember DO NOT work on your days off (you're not getting paid for them)!

In principle I agree with the "don't work on your day off" but that's not the reality, in the same way that many full time teachers work at weekends and for hours in the evenings.

WonderingWanda · 02/03/2025 07:53

I did pt while my kids were in primary. Having recently gone back to ft I can tell you that those two days off made life so much more manageable. The downside for me was that I felt pressured to keep up at work, no one reduces the emails or the cpd expectations on you and my department often tried to share work equally not pro rata. I had to become very good at saying no and fighting my corner as I was on half their salaries as many of them had tlrs as well.

When mine were pre school age I even had a cleaner because I wanted to enjoy time with them. Once they were at school it was great, they could have friends over. We had lots of weekends away because I had time for the washing and packing etc. It was lovely.

Still not sure what madness propelled me to go back ft to be honest. My workload is insane, I spend my whole time rushing around and forgetting things.

TooManyCupsAndMugs · 02/03/2025 07:57

Philandbill · 02/03/2025 07:50

In principle I agree with the "don't work on your day off" but that's not the reality, in the same way that many full time teachers work at weekends and for hours in the evenings.

Edited
Show quote history

I work on Sunday afternoons and stay after school to get sorted for my next day in. I have a colleague who is off on Monday and works then to get their Sunday back which I get. But if you drop 40% of your salary to work 5 days a week anyway, you're worse off. You have to be VERY strict with yourself and organised but it is doable. I leave my laptop at school on my mid week day off so I can't work

Phineyj · 02/03/2025 08:28

This has worked for me for many years (fortunately I teach a popular but mostly 6th form only subject so that plays to my advantage as schools often don't have a full time timetable to offer).

I realised quite quickly that there was no way to keep on top of essay marking without at least one day "off" during the week (I'm not prepared to work every weekend).

Top tips:

You need VERY strong boundaries. Write emails on your days off if you must but use the schedule send function in Outlook. My colleagues get emails from me at 7am on my next work day. Makes me look v efficient.

Put the days you work on your email footer.

Never, ever, step foot in the building on non work days (unless they pay you, in full, with no fuss or grumbling).

Get a grip on your financials. What fraction of FT will minimise your income tax? There are calculators on Money Supermarket etc you can use. Don't forget PT will reduce your pension as well as your pay.

Practice a cheerful response to people who express jealousy (and they will). You're saving the school money.

2025mustbebetter · 02/03/2025 08:30

I have been teaching for 22 years. This is the first year I've worked full time in 18 years. (Eldest dd id 18!)

Part time teaching is always better. Be very clear about the fact though that you will work at some point when you are off. You need very clear boundaries around protecting your unpaid time and be clear with yourself about what is acceptable "work" on an unpaid day. For example I would use it to mark mock exams to help me keep on track. I would not use it for any other marking. I would do some schemes if work if I was feeling enthusiastic about content but that's only because I enjoy doing that. Obviously when my children were young I did not do any of that until the evening which is a pretty normal time to work as a teacher. I'm glad I was pt when my children were young. I can't imagine how much I'd have missed otherwise.

God it's a shit job isn't it?!

In all honestly over the years I've been very precious about my non work days and sometimes don't even do housework!

In my opinion it's the best way to be a successful teacher. That downtime and switch off is so hard to find.

I have worked a variety of days from 2-4 days a week. 2 days a week is not enough, I missed to many briefings and meetings. It was right for my mental health at the time but not right for my career. 4 days feels like full time but with a cleaner/tidier house and life. 3 days is the sweet spot!!

Having said that now I am on UPR3 a one day drop in working hours is a significant amount of money! Ngl I'm struggling keeping on top of life atm and have a lot of mum guilt. teenagers need less one to one but omg it's intense when they do!

I'll be clear I am only full time due to finances, the minute I could afford it I'd be requesting a 4 day week!

2025mustbebetter · 02/03/2025 08:32

There is a school in my area with a 2 week timetable and one day a for ight teachers have a day off. It's timetables that way. Unsurprisingly they have a high staff retention rate!

Phineyj · 02/03/2025 08:38

I prioritise using some of my day "off" to keep up to date with developments in my subject. You can't pour from an empty well and all that.

Teaching in this country is indeed, shit!

sakura06 · 02/03/2025 08:46

When my children were young, I did 0.6 which worked well. I'm now 0.8. I do work on about 75% of my 'days off' but it means the weekend is completely free which was never the case when I was full time.

Cavalierchaos · 02/03/2025 10:01

I'm on 0.5 and it's not been as wonderful as I thought it would be. Head expects me to have a 15-30 minute meeting with the other teacher during my PPA time (there's nothing we say that couldn't be put in an email), also expects me to attend cpd and inset days on my days off with no extra pay.

The other teacher doesn't pull her weight much and is disorganised and messy.

On the other hand, the reduction in planning has been amazing and not working on a Monday is a dream.

Phineyj · 02/03/2025 11:22

That is awful @Cavalierchaos - have you spoken to your union?

MrsHamlet · 02/03/2025 11:34

Cavalierchaos · 02/03/2025 10:01

I'm on 0.5 and it's not been as wonderful as I thought it would be. Head expects me to have a 15-30 minute meeting with the other teacher during my PPA time (there's nothing we say that couldn't be put in an email), also expects me to attend cpd and inset days on my days off with no extra pay.

The other teacher doesn't pull her weight much and is disorganised and messy.

On the other hand, the reduction in planning has been amazing and not working on a Monday is a dream.

If you are employed under STPCD, your head can expect those things all they like, but they cannot oblige you to do them

MumofSpud · 02/03/2025 17:04

I dropped to 3 days and I am not entirely sure it worked (in fact it didn't as I left!)

The amount of cover I had to organise - it would have been easier just to be there physically!
Sharing classes - I would never be given any info about what point they reached up to which meant I would have to plan 2 or 3 lessons instead of just one
My 3 days were back to back teaching - no PPA - and I had break duties and pre and post school meetings so essentially I was 'on' face to face with students / colleagues 08:00-4:30pm with no breaks

I worked M/T/W and whilst having a chunk of x 4 days off a week, it meant that I did miss alot of what was going on. (Although if parents evening was scheduled for a day off I had to come in - no extra pay)

Phineyj · 02/03/2025 18:40

That is awful @MumofSpud.

That actually sounds like employment tribunal territory!

Notellinganyone · 02/03/2025 18:52

lilyflower1803 · 02/03/2025 07:47

Yes, starting to realise this too. 4 days I've heard is just full time crammed into four days with 20 % less pay!

Show quote history

That shouldn’t be the case unless you’re opting for crunched hours. Part time should include free periods in proportion to your reduced timetable which, in turn, should be a percentage of a full timetable. It’s percentages rather than days m so 0.8 etc There's another thread currently running where the OP is job sharing with a TA so is doing planning and marking for the other two days she’s not there.

Covidwoes · 02/03/2025 19:52

I've been PT since DD (now 6) was born. I have a Y3 class this year, and I find 0.6 manageable (just about!). I have DD2 (not long turned 4) with me on my days off, but still manage to do some cooking, cleaning etc on those days. There is absolutely no way I could do FT. We have no family support, so both DDs would be out of the house 8-6 every day minimum, and I just don't want that at their age. Plus, I'd be working at weekends! 3 days is much easier. Do it if you can OP. Unfortunately teaching FT with children isn't the family friendly role people think it is.

2025mustbebetter · 02/03/2025 19:57

As always this kind of discussion shows how awful some schools are! I have always been allocated pro rata PPA and I have never had to plan for anyone else. I think there is a clear difference between primary and secondary in this regard where primary have a class and therefore the class needs the rest of the week sorted and in secondary it's timetables around when people are in. If I share a class I just say "this is where we're up to" and they pick up where I left off.

RaraRachael · 02/03/2025 20:11

It depends. If you end up in a bad jobshars with a useless partner it can be awful.
Some schools expect you to do stuff on your days ofc so I think you need to set clear boundaries from the start.

BCBird · 02/03/2025 20:21

Dropped one day a few years ago. Used that day to work so I could get my weekend back. Had to go back to full time the following year as school needed me. Was not my choice