Part time work - which days are best?

[crumpetsolo]

Sounds like a bit of a silly question (sorry!) but a friend was saying that you should at all costs avoid working Mondays. She said that as a part-timer, your entitlement to Bank Holidays was pro-rated. So, as they mostly fall on a Monday, you would be forced to use holiday to make up the full 8 days ie. if you're entitled to 4 bank holidays, you'd have to use a further 4 days from your regular holiday entitlement. Is this correct? Any other thoughts on working 4 days a week. Which is the best day off?

No, not correct although some companies may work like that. I work Mon-Weds and have bank hols off the same as everyone else does. It's not taken out of my annual leave. Actually I'm beginning to think Tues-Thurs may be better but I'm stuck with what I asked for now

Sorry, I just saw you asked about 4 days; I only work three hence completely ignoring your question . I would say Mon-Thurs without hesitation. There's something very self indulgent and nice about not working on a Friday

if neither you or your partner are teachers make sure you could have a long weekend.

i used to do 4 days a week - not mondays which was so lovely and got bh pro rated as well as having them off. it was ace.

I work Mon - Weds and I have to take a bank holiday mondays as part of my leave. It's really annoying.

I think that Weds - Friday are better. If you work in an office, Fridays are generally more relaxed, people are looking forward to the weekend etc. MOndays are pretty hectic.

I work Tues-Thurs, and I LOVE it. I get a long weekend every weekend. I don't get my bank holiday entitlement like everyone else, but since I'm not working those days it doesn't matter too much. On Mondays, I get a day after weekend to get everything straight and on Fridays is a day before weekend to relax and run errands before the shops are hectic at weekends I then get to enjoy my weekends. I would recommend 3 days to everyone if they could afford it. I don't think that when you take them makes a difference but I would say though that taking 3 days altogether is better so you're not stopping and starting, it gets it all over in one go. There's not a better feeling than on Thursday night saying "see you next Tuesday". All the best.

Thanks everyone - I would love to do three days but think I am stuck with four. Boo

Ambi that's why I like the idea of those days. No hectic Sunday night rush to get ready the next day. But I have a job share so no can do. Pity though.

If you have Mondays off then when you go back on Tuesdays you have the whole week ahead of you and you might as well have done five days

I work part time Mon-Thur. Everyone else gets X holidays + Y bank holidays. I get X+Y times 4/5, if that makes sense, and then yes, bank holidays come out of my days off. A bit annoying, but more annoying is the fact that I get some different bank holidays from my kids but have to take them off anyway!

Ambi - I work Tues, Weds and Thurs too - but I don't miss out on Bank Holidays. At My company, I am entitled to 60% of all the Bank hols in total, so I get about four or five extra days to take per year (works out as more than a week extra off for me - yay!!!). You say: "but since I'm not working those days it doesn't matter too much" but don't you see that you are losing out? You might have a colleague on same hours and same pay, for instance, who happened to work Mon Tues and Weds and s/he would get all the Monday Bank hols - meaning s/he'd get more time off than you. That's not fair!!!

im going back 3 days - tues to thurs. Bank hols are done pro rate where i work so i knew if i worked a monday then id have to use some of my leave - this way, i get long weekends every week and i can use my pro-rata bank holiday entitlement to increase my annual leave......
also - we work flexi time and everyone used to want to finish early on a friday so there was always arguements about who was staying till 5:30 - this way i never have to stay till 5:30 on a friday.......!!!!

It really depends what your company does about Bank Holidays. If they pro-rata them, you're probably better off not working Mondays. If, on the otherhand, they don't, (like Ambi's for instance), its better working Mondays, as you will get ALL of the Mondays off that way

Tues-Thurs were my favoruite.

When I worked in schools it was just a case that if a BH fell ont he day you worked, you got the day off; if it was on a non work day, you didn';t get extra.

When I was working on a lecture's contract, with no term times, and my own holiday allowance, it worked different. I was entitled to .5 (I worked .5 contract) of all BH, so 4 days IIRR. These were simply added to my holiday allowance. If a BH landed on my work day then I used a holiday day to cover it. If a BH fell on a non work day it didn't affect me at all.

Definitely avoid Fridays. Most mums / friends avoid Fridays which means you get to hang out with pals and kids and also you get to escape on bank hol weekends early and still get a 4 day break.

And when you go back into the next week you only work 3 days.

Result.

I used to work mid-week and my work did not pro-rata bank holidays so I never got any of them.

I do Weds - Fri and have found that childcare is easier to get at the end of the week.

I work Tues, Thur Fri, and it's great. I love being at home on a Monday to get tidied up and have peace after the weekend. On Thursday I think 'oh well it's Friday tomorrow!' - yes Fridays are more relaxed.

But also I too get pro rata bank hols.
I used to get 5.6 weeks hol (full time equivelent) and everyone else got 5.6 plus 8 bank hols). but now I get 7.2 weeks hol, as does everyone, and that includes the bank hol. So the full timers have to book the bank hols off with their increased allowance.

I only have to do that on easter mon, and if xmas and new year fall on it, so i am much better off! I get more or less 7 weeks hol, plus the odd couple of xmas banks if they fall on bad days for me! And you obviously don't go in on the monday anyway. Brilliant!

OP- how career driven are you? If you have ambitions to progress, think carefully about what days will be best for the business you work in. If that is relevant and applicable to your area (not all have good and bad days to be off) that probably means not working the quietest day which, although not best for you necessarily, preserves your career and limits the affect on colleagues.

Also, think about availability of childcare on the days you work. Fridays and Mondays are popular days off, but this can mean that nursery places, childminder spots and nanny shares are easier to get on those days.

Other people have covered bank holidays.

There isn't really a busy or bad day to have off in my area. Reading your responses will probably go for Tuesday - Friday and have Mondays off. Had a good meeting today and hopefully I'll be able to do 4 days 9-4 so I can pick up DS a bit early from nursery. MIght not make any difference to him but will assuage my conscience for having him in nursery for 4 days a week.

Sorry, don't mean to sound like a stalker, but didn't I just see you saying you were a tax lawyer on another thread? Aren't Fridays the most likely completion day for deals, and therefore the most likely day to get interupted? I'd have thought that was a bad day to have off- or are you a different sort of firm/lawyer.

I think Tues-Friday works well if you're in law. Mondays tend to be when the clients are getting their heads round what to ask you!

Personal tax, not corporate tax so no.

Ahhh, personal tax. I see I see. Could you negotiate something lovely to do with dropping your hours down in August then? I worked in personal tax for a very little while and all the rich clients jetted off to lovely places and we twiddled our thumbs! I wish I could negotiate short summer hours, but sadly all sorts of weird summer crisis situations seem to crop up in HR!

Ooh, interesting idea. You're right, late summer does tend to be quiet. Maybe I could jet off to lovely places too

Think of me when you're sunning yourself!