AIBU to reduce to three days despite a more intense timetable?

[Worklifebal]

I’m currently doing 4 days and have been offered 3 days from September. Will it make a difference? In terms of my mental health? I’m overwhelmed and cannot cope right now, so hoping it will make a positive change for me. I have kids in primary school so will mean they get to have more sleep for those 2 days during school week too as right now they are in breakfast club at 7:15 four days a week and get picked up at 5:30.

Issue is due to timetable they can offer 3 days but all my lessons will be squeezed into 3 days so 4 days of work into 3 days meaning I’ll have no free periods and there will be lessons back to back. I will also be doing break and lunch duties so will be intense.

You need PPA time too

If you are working 15/15 lessons and have no breaks out of those three days because of break duties and v limited lunch breaks due to lunch duties then a) I would check that your work time is being monitored (you might be going over what unions allow regardless of the fact that you are 0.6) and b) it sounds like a recipe for disaster if you aren’t coping now.

The years I did 3 days off the bat without any frees were horrific.

it’s a compressed timetable so I will be getting paid 4 days

Oh, so they don’t need to give you designated breaks or PPA?

I’d say still say no. Those three days are going to wipe you out. Not having any breather at all during the day will really start to build up by the first half term.

@Northerndoglover how Sbout I say no to the lunch duties? I have to do break but lunch is opted in

Don’t do that. It sounds exhausting and you’ll end up catching up on so much work on your days off that you may as well be in school. Can you afford to drop to 3 days and be paid 3 days? Or will they not do that for you?

You certainly don't have to do the lunch duties.

Teacher here.
So, you will be teaching the same number of hours as if you were working 4 days, but compressed into 3 days. The disadvantage is that you'll have 3 super busy days - no breaks or free periods, and also the same amount of prep and marking. The advantage would be a little more flexibility - you could do some prep and marking on one of your days off while your kids are at school. Only you know you - would you cope with 3 intense days easily, and would you appreciate the flexibility? If the answer is no, you may as well stay as you are.

i can’t afford to just do regular 3 days as pay will be less. I’m in the process of trying to leave DH so need to save. I really feel like I could benefit with not having to deal with work for 2 days. Even on my frees I don’t manage to do much as we don’t have our own classrooms so I have to sit in a busy staff room and don’t get anything done. I get overwhelmed and overstimulated with the noise and conversations during my frees.

Worth a try then I guess? What is the subject, or do they all have intense prep times these days?

I suppose you’d have to see it as working 4 days still but the 4th is from home and you do your admin then? But at least you can do school drop off/pick up and be in the comfort of your own home. I would think your 3 days sound exhausting though- will they be consecutive?

Obviously cut that at least! I don't know why anyone does lunch duties if they don't have to tbh. Also I'm on 0.6 and my understanding is you should only have to do one break duty. When I came back I was doing two per week for a while until eventually I'd had 3 people tell me to query it, and found out I was doing more than I should.

Have you been at the school a while, are there any big changes to the curriculum planned that would take it out of you not having any PPA? What would your working days be and do they coincide with days that have after school meetings? What are your classes like for next year, will you have lots of GCSE marking? What's the marking and feedback policy in the school like? What time does the school day finish and what is the expectation for you end of day (my old school we had another tutor time until 3.25 then had to spend another 20 minute wrangling tutees into detention, usually before and after school meetings planned).

0.6 you get 2 lessons of PPA a week so if you work it out that you wouldn't miss those and could catch up on work after school or after kids in bed then go for it. I came back mid year 0.6 and have spent most of the year working through every break and lunch in between nursery drop offs (and one day to family so longer journey and I have to leave as close to 3pm that day as possible). I suppose that's with the PPA as well, but there were big changes to a couple of year groups, a new exam format to get my head round etc. If no big changes I'd probably go for it and make sure you're not taking on any extra duties or responsibilities

Sounds good and with kids in school you’d be able to do the extra hours while they were in school, without having to get them out early,

don't opt in to lunch duty, mark immediately after school and plan on one day off.

I think it’s a great idea. I do similar (I’m not a teacher but my job is very full on) and I find the three days are manageable. I like that it compartmentalises work and reduces the impact on the rest of my life - and it’s fab for childcare in school holidays because there’s less days to cover. I get no time for absolutely anything else (cleaning/cooking etc) but there’s plenty of catch up time on my days off.

I think it’s worth a try if you can have non-consecutive days, so perhaps Wednesday as a non-working day.

Definitely refuse to do lunch duty!

Presumably if they are paying 4 days, but you are only on school site for 3, the day you are at home is your PPA time.
I would consider how useful this would be. E.g. do you need to get things photocopied? Do you need to check anything with colleagues? Joint planning for example.

I would definitely ditch anything that is optional like lunch duty.

The other issue is staff meetings. Even working part time you would still need to attend a proportion of them and things like parents evenings.

It sounds very full on and I can see you going off sick with stress. While I appreciate you want to leave your husband and need the money I would be cautious about working yourself to the ground (or depending on your career stage ending up on a support plan and being managed out anyway as suddenly you are struggling).

I have a few colleagues who work 4 days in 5. They leave at lunch time 4 days a week and stay all day once per week due to after school meetings, which works out at 0.8. They have PPA still scaled to how much they are in school. They can go home at lunch or choose to stay and finish bits off, knowing they cannot be used for cover. They can also pick up their children 4 out of 5 days. The downside is getting up and out the door all 5 days. Having worked 3 days, the things you miss on the two you don't work is like a relentless catch up mission so I can only imagine how much worse that would be with no PPA.

They telling me I can have Tuesdays and Fridays off. I don’t know if this is ideal

I would do it. Ex teacher and now lecturer in ITE. I work a 4 day compressed week. It suits me even now when DS is at school, and I highly value the non contact day. You have two days where you can be where you want. You could be at school (or not). That’s brilliant flexibility in a job that is otherwise not.

That's what I did this year. It's actually been great.
I had started out having Fridays off, which was ok...but I actually prefer going home at lunchtime and being in 5 days. Luckily, my timetable could be changed around. It works with drop offs and pick ups for my kids as well. (I'm currently going through divorce, doing all the drop offs and pick ups.)
I'm increasing to full time in the coming academic year.