Termtime working

[LIZS]

Hope to receive offer of a termtime contract which is defined as 39 weeks pa roughly around LEA terms. However am already being invited to regional meetings set up for during summer holiday time - can I legitimately refuse to go along or should I make arrangements around them (one I think I am booked to be away for anyway although the final date of that meeting is still tbc)

and perhaps I should add it is on a day of the week I would n't nromally work either.

Are you being invited or told to go? Also has it been made clear that your contract is for term-times only? Or is it a bit vague?

Depends what your contract says, there's no legal definition of term time working. You'll need to wait until you get the contract and see what it says about your working days and whether there's anything about a requirement for occasional days outside the term time period.

Contract is referred to as "Termtime" , essentially 3*13 weeks but I haven't actually seen it and the t and c's yet. There is an implied expectation of attendance in the invitation email.

I think you're going to have to wait and look at the details of the contract LIZS. If they are expecting you to attend occasional days outside term time they should put something specific in it.

If there is nothing mentioned that would cover it, I would say you could reasonably refuse. Do you want to refuse though? I mean would you actually find it useful to go, but are just concerned about whether you have to?

How firm is the offer? I mean is it just paperwork on it's way or is it not done and dusted yet? If it's on it's way but just taking a while and you need to know about making arrangements could you not ask?

Yes I'm really only concerned about whether I have to, it would be useful to go. That particular date isn't impossible (if inconvenient in terms of timing and location) but at least have had 2 months' notice to put arrangements in place. The promise of the contract was verbal and waiting for the HR person to come back from holiday to send the paperwork. My short term contract expires this week, so this should then take over, but am now off until Monday anyway.

Update is that I received the offer letter at end of May but still no formal contract(chased yesterday). The offer letter had no effective date of appointment on it so when I get paid later this week should it be on previous terms(contract expired end May) or new ? Is the old contract assumed to continue until the new one begins and could that be retrospective?

Do the new terms and conditions differ hugely from the old ones then?

It is perfectly possible and normal for a written contract to appear after it's started. Not brilliant practice obviously, but perfectly legal.

With regard to the terms you are working on now, you should speak to your boss if no date was agreed for when this new contract would start, and agree it immediately. He/she may be working on the assumption that a new contract will start on the expiration of the old one, or may be working on the assumption that it will start at some later date and an extension to the old one is currently in place. You really need to have a discussion and agree this between you, and if anyone in payroll needs to know anything different, they obviously need to be informed.

Not hugely but now salary for 39 weeks is paid evenly across 12 months so a fairly significant drop. It also means working an hour less per week which so far I haven't even managed .

Hi LIZS you may find that your contract includes inset days ( which you should attend as part of on going training) and your school may be providing a creche for employees children, so maybe you could put your kids in creche for this time. Ensure your boss is aware of any days when you cant attend. And also find out if you can claim payment for extra time worked. Hope this helps

Cheers , slightly complicated cos not a actually working in a school or college ! The meeting is more of a social by the sounds of it and at a yet to be disclosed location , so possibly rather tricky childcare wise (PIL's on stand by but even so )I doubt I'd get paid over and above. Hopefully something in writing will turn up tomorrow.

Eventually received contract which is as vague as expected . I queried my official start date, as a (small) pay rise is effective in August for those with over 6 months' service and am told it started in September last year. Trying to clarify how many weeks "holiday" I'm entitled to between June 1st and end of March - I reckon 11 weeks by taking 2/10 of 13 but haven't had official confirmation yet.

Have said will do this one meeting, asked about any other odd days required over the holidays - no response so far . Think I am going to assume I can therefore take 7 weeks off this summer (apart for the one day) but that may leave me only 4-ish to cover Christmas and 2 half terms.

LIZS - not sure if in the t&c's there is a clause that refers to an additional number of days to be worked in addition to the 19 weeks?
I used to manage a sales team of term time contracts, and there was provision of approx 10 days to worked at any time to attend meetings/conferences/training etc..

nope no mention . The contract is essentially a standard one with a bit about working 39 weeks out of 52 (3*13 weeks terms )inserted . If I ask my line manager she just says to work it out and let her know.

Oh well, in that case then, I would guess that you are not obliged to work any other days other than in term time - except if you want to!

Lizs your employer's approach to contracts sounds similar my my employer's! Good luck.