Two days a week?

[sunhatandshade]

DS starts school in September. Wraparound only starts at 8, and I have to be at work for 830. I also have a younger child who is at nursery (the nursery isn’t particularly near to DS’s school.)

I am considering asking to work two days a week. If one of my working days is a Friday, DH can take DS in the morning (he usually wfh on Fridays.) Then for one day it is a faff as I’d have to drive to nursery with DD and drop her for 730, drive back to school and drop DS, then onto work myself (which is close to DDs nursery.)

It is a pain but I think doable for one day a week.

I am wondering how others found it. I’m worried about being out of touch and not knowing what’s going on?

Why ask for a 2 day week and not a later start time?
( Your job only looses 2.5 h rather than + 20 h )

Because of the nature of my job. I teach so I can’t really wander in ten minutes into first period!

I'd look into getting a local childminder. I drop DS off at 7.30 and the childminder takes her to school (also gives her breakfast). I then pick her up at around 5pm

There aren’t any childminders who work with DS’s school, I’ve already checked.

I used to work two days a week - 9am until 3pm. It was great, felt like I didn’t even work. I didn’t feel “behind” but I did sometimes feel like I wasn’t part of the “office family”.

Can you also explan why your DH cant adjust his work hours either?

Usual answer I suspect: he earns too much.

If I drop a day we lose around £400 a month (but also save on childcare,) if DH drops a day it would be at least double that.

How close is DD's nursery to work? Would you have time to drop her after DS and then get to work? It's not like she's going to miss her first lesson and get a bad mark if she's late to nursery! Or would you literally not have time to do the drop off and get to work?

I wouldn’t have time - so it’s a bit of to-ing and fro-ing but doable for one or two days a week, I think.

Ive always worked 3 days a week, but when mine were little I did work 2 days for a few months.
I worked the 2 days consecutively and hated it as I really struggled keeping in touch with what was going on in the workplace. Every week when I went in it was like coming back from annual leave and having to catch up with what had happened when I was off!
I found 3 days absolutely fine

Think you've answered your own question - it's a pain, but it's the only option and it's doable

I chose a school based on availability of childminders to enable me to work full time ….

but sounds like you don’t have much choice but to work 2 days

I just really liked the school.

We live in quite a rural, farming sort of community where most of the schools are small village ones with mixed year groups. If I was to send the children to a bigger school where there would probably be childminders I’d have to send them somewhere I wasn’t keen on, which doesn’t sit well with me.