Hi,
I currently work 19 hours for the NHS and do Wednesday AM and full days Thursday's and Friday's.
Anyway, I have got a new job. Well same job, still with the NHS, but in my home town so it will save me time and money. The hours are slightly more at 23 (was 26 but I talked them into reducing them slightly).
They have told me that they want me in work all day Tuesday's and Wednesday's and they are happy for me to choose how I do the other 8 hrs left. I had asked to do Thursday and Friday mornings 830-1230. I am now starting to wonder if I should do 3 FULL days rather than work over 4 days. I love having my 2 days off. I could take 1/2 hr less for lunch one day to work 23 hrs over 3 days.
I think Tues-Weds-Thurs would be the days I would go for simply because I would get to keep the pro rata bank hols and use them when it suited me. And, if I did do a 2-3 shift (what we do on bank hols) I would get a full lieu day so building up my hols so I could be off more in the school hols.
I have a 6 year old and a little one who will be 2 next month BTW. I pay a childminder to look after both when needed.
I worry, if I work over 4 days, I won't be there often enough to take my youngest to nursery school and I will miss out on all that side of motherhood. Plus my eldest would have to go to breakfast club 4 days a week. Then in school hols I would only have 1 day a week off instead of 2.
The only advantage of working over 4 days and finishing at 1230 on 2 of them is that I can collect my eldest from school 3 days a week and the little one from the childminder early.
My husband works shifts and often does early shifts so is finished not long after lunch so he can do school runs a lot (another reason why I am swaying towards doing 3 days)!
what do you lot do? What do you think would work best for me?
Sorry for waffling!!