Feasibility of part-time working

Slosh · 20. Jan 2015, 14:47

I had a chat with my head who will consider my dropping down to three days a week but not four which I asked for as I knew that would be affordable.
As a first step I asked for a salary assessment which I recieved it today. I did the sums and after paying the mortgage, council tax etc I would have £34 a month left before paying for food, petrol etc.

Ho hum, so unless I strike it lucky with PIP, and that's not likely I'll have to struggle on.

dreamdaisy · 20. Jan 2015, 15:07

Oh my word, that is tough. ((( ))) Oh dear, Slosh (mind you, with adjusted punctuation that could read 'Oh, dear Slosh') Both apply. Mr DD has just come in so I have to chef. I hope to be of more use tomorrow but doubt it. ((( ))) DD

LignumVitae · 20. Jan 2015, 17:13

Oh Slosh, that is rubbish. What bad news and luck. Is there anyway your head might review the four days a week? Even if you could just drop half a day and maybe spread that over five days so you were doing five shorter days. It might help whilst not having too great a financial impact. Lots of (((((()))))) for now and I shall keep thinking and see if I can come up with anything useful

Starburst · 20. Jan 2015, 17:26

Hmm quite a dilemma, Slosh. Is there any negotiation on working a 4 day week? I believe you have a right to appeal this decision, so it might be some you wish to press ahead with but I'm aware that appealing is not suitable for everyone for various reasons.

When did you apply for PIP? I know there is a back log and I know that many people get an initial "no" but win on their appeal. It isn't easy and it isn't fair though. What about working tax credits? I used to claim due to the disability component but it was some time ago and I'm not sure if/how it's changed.

I suppose another question to ponder is what do you really want? Is there any support that would enable you to work 4 days week, if that is what you definitely want?

Best of luck. We are here as a sounding board.

stickywicket · 21. Jan 2015, 08:15

Oh dear! I have no suggestions. ((()))

theresak · 21. Jan 2015, 09:38

So sorry you`re in this situation, Slosh - I hope your head might be willing to renegotiate so you can have a satisfactory conclusion.

Megrose489 · 21. Jan 2015, 10:21

Not good news, Slosh. I don't have any experience of this, but just want to wish you well. Does your head know that three days a week wouldn't be financially viable for you? It might be worth having another chat with him/her now that you've had your salary assessment. Maybe he can up with another option which would suit both you and the school. I do hope so.

Take care ((()))

Meg

Numptydumpty · 22. Jan 2015, 04:09

That's a toughie Slosh! Have you looked into the possibility of claiming ESA to help cover the short fall? I don't know much about these things, but surely after working and paying your stamp for however many years, there's some sort of provision for times like this, or am I being naive? :oops:
Numpty

villier · 22. Jan 2015, 07:40

I am with Numpty on this Slosh I think there may be a chance that you would get ESA, keeping fingers crossed that you get something sorted out soon xx

Slosh · 22. Jan 2015, 15:09

Thank you all for your replies, I'm sorry not to reply earlier but not only did I have an after school meeting yesterday, but due to traffic chaos my 20 minutes drive home took just over three and a half hours! So not good.

In terms of the three/four day a week thing it is complicated and woukd be much more straightforward if I was a class teacher. Unfortunately my job description is much more complex and includes several areas which are statutory requirements including child protection and special educational needs and disabilities and so if I were to go part-time my job description would need to be reviewed and this would have wider implications to make sure these things were covered effectively. The other issue is that one part-time senior colleague is retiring this year, and my infant colleague who has the same role as me is currently on maternity leave so we don't yet know if she will return and is she will request part-time working. There are also a number of concerns around her performance and attendance as well so I would not consider a job share with her as I would end up doing the lions share of the work! The teacher currently covering her is lovely, knows a lot about Autism and complex needs but less about the overall role and so also needs support from me!

I have a mid year review in February /March, and my head may well ask to see me before then. In the meantime I will keep going and wait to see if the PIP and ATOS gods look kindly on me!

Thanks for the esa suggestion. I looked at this but wouldn't be eligible.

dreamdaisy · 23. Jan 2015, 03:40

It's odd, isn't it? We are forced physically to slow down due to the ghastly demands of our various conditions and in response other parts of our lives appear to speed up. They don't as such, but boy do we feel the pressures which are so subtly exerted.

Right, here's a thought (and remember my work history as I type this!) How feasible would it be to take medical retirement (I assume some form of money would be payable) and then set up your own consultancy business? You know a very great deal (and would no doubt continue to keep yourself well-informed) and would be more than able to guide families and pupils through the occasional tortuous procedures that are part-and-parcel of your current work. You can still work but it would be on your terms - which believe me, is an utter luxury (says she who is doing one lesson per week and cannot believe how rusty she is!) DD

Slosh · 23. Jan 2015, 13:07

An interesting idea DD but scary! I was actually thinking about you and your tuition the other day,( I hope it's going well by the way) and just wondering how if I went down to three days a week, how much I could earn if I supplemented my income by doing some tutoring or even supporting schools with dyslexia assessment /training. In terms of consultancy work though school budgets are increasingly tight. One big issue is I still have 8 years on my mortgage and thanks to my first husband have effectively what is a two person mortgage.

Hetic week, came back from a tricky CP conference, and walked straight into a whole load of problems and upsets, dealt with them, calmed down staff etc, planned for ne t week and then got a request from my head that I take on a small teaching commitment. Only two hours but then planning etc would double it. Result....a bit of a meltdown!
My lovely colleagues calmed me down, reassured me and then sent me home!

I will respond on Monday. Think perhaps I need to be honest with how working affects me, I do tend to put a positive spin on things. Just feel so upset that just when I felt I had made progress, had stepped up, and was getting positive feedback from other members of staff I get this.

Sorry I've just realised this has become a rant! The worst thing is I love my job, the school and the people I work with, well most of them at least.

dreamdaisy · 23. Jan 2015, 14:41

I admit that I was doubtful about posting my suggestion, because I clearly recall how scary my first 'official' week of self-employment was, but I admit my aim was to set an unexpected train of thought in motion.

I am sure that there is a role for you somewhere, under whoever's aegis, because your knowledge and skills should not be lost thanks to a body that doesn't behave as it should. I didn't find my niche until I did what I did but there must be a way that you can use your knowledge and experience and if that involves creating your own role then so be it. You have the advantage in that you are currently working within the system - I told all my parents that I wasn't and therefore my reports might fall upon stony ground, and many did: mind you that didn't stop the schools taking credit for my pupils' progress ( which was aided and abetted by me and their parents).

Think on't. You know much and there must be ways in which you can employ your knowledge to help those to whom you respond. DD

PS I am scarily rusty, and fretting about it, but my girl is already happier in her new school so that encourages me to do better. I am working my way through The Word Wasp (bought by her parents and 'taught' by a teaching assistant who, apparently, cried a great deal during her three sessions back in April 2014) and have an inner debate about the chosen colours for the vowel sounds. Hmmmmm.

dibdab · 23. Jan 2015, 14:43

Hi Slosh, I hope you get some good down time over the weekend, I remember the seemingly (to those who made them) "modest" requests to take on more when I was struggling to keep my head above water, and like you going into meltdown....embarrassing at the time, but maybe in the long term a really sure indication to those around us that we are struggling to keep our head above the water that threatens to engulf us.
I really do hope that you find some way of reducing your hours, it was the move that enabled me to keep teaching for another 2 years until I reached the magic 55 that enabled me to take early retirement on a much reduced pension. DD's suggestion is an interesting one, you have a speciality that is needed by so many parents, and maybe it's a glimmer of light.........
I was wondering whether you were a member of any of the teaching unions and had you asked them for advice about reducing hours, often they can give you some valuable information to support your discussions with your head teacher. I'm sure you have skills and experience that the head values, and with some extra information maybe he /she will be open to considering more creative ways of keeping that experience within the school setting.

Deb x

Ladybrown · 24. Jan 2015, 04:45

Hi Slosh
What an awful situation. As Deb says, I'd consider union support - I've found them really helpful. There is also a huge demand for tutoring students with dyslexia. I teach in FE and so many of our students have this kind of support at home so it might be an area to consider if you can't get a better solution from the head. With your background you could easily support students with a range of difficultlies
Best of luck
Fay

Slosh · 25. Jan 2015, 14:48

Thanks to you all for your suggestions and sorry for not replying sooner but I was wiped out by Friday and spent most of yesterday in bed.

I have contacted my union, they actually suggested looking at 3 days rather than 4 as they felt the danger with 4 was that there was a tendency to try and fit in 5 days of work. I have the right to request part-time working but my employer does not have to agree.

I hadn't realised how much I could potentially charge for offering dyslexia tutoring, and as well as there being a primary school at the end of my road I have contacts with a number of other schools in my area. However I would like the reassurance that my basic salary covers the basis before exploring tutoring as a top up! I will focus on getting my PIP assessment out of the way, and what possible savings I can make before taking any firm decisions, and everything also depends on what my colleague on maternity leave decides to do.

In view of the teaching request I am going to ask my head tomorrow for a meeting to discuss this, and go through the additional things I am doing this year that are not in my job description, ultimately my sickness record since returning to work is excellent and I have no problem if he wants to refer me to Occupational health again. Much as I don't want to I think I will have to come clean about how I struggle at times.

I will keep you updated.

dreamdaisy · 26. Jan 2015, 03:46

As with your doctors you have to be honest with your Head otherwise the only person that ends up being 'harmed' is you - what's the point of that?

Given your geographical location I reckon you could indeed charge handsomely for your tuition but the ability to pay falls upon the parents - it's a long-term cost to families and that has to be borne in mind. I hope your Head will consider the three-day option because, to lose your knowledge and experience would be a short-sighted move for the school but of course he has other matters to consider and other staff needs to juggle. Your priority has to be you - not him, the pupils, other staff members etc., your focus has to be on your needs and how you can achieve your best within the current set-up. I suppose that working from home for the one or two days a week you are not in school is not an option? DD

stickywicket · 26. Jan 2015, 08:27

Once again, no suggestions but I do hope all turns out for the best, one way or another.

Slosh · 26. Jan 2015, 14:57

Well, sent an email reply saying I didn't have the capacity to take on the teaching commitment but I was happy to discuss this with him.
We met after school, it was after another meeting about admin support which made me feel a bit useless in terms of needing support for things like minute taking and stuffing envelopes, not my heads fault but the office manager wanted to know why I couldn't do my own envelopes (we were talking times when I would be sending out 40 odd letters at a time) and I always feel a bit useless when I have to ask for help with things like this.

After that I talked through the reasons for not feeling able to take on tne teaching commitment and gave him another possible way of resolving the problem. I explained all the extra things I was doing and I was honest enough to say how hard I found Thursday and Friday and how frustrating I find it. I just about held it together but it wasn't easy!

When I got home I sent him another email, updating him in terms of the three day a werk option, going into a little more detail in terms of Thursday and Friday and finished by saying I quite understood if he wanted to refer me back to Occupational health.

I also, finally, got through to the counselling service my GP referred me to and have my telephone assessment booked for tomorrow.

stickywicket · 27. Jan 2015, 04:42

Well done, Slosh! That can't have been easy but very necessary. I hope today's assessment goes well.

LignumVitae · 27. Jan 2015, 04:49

Good luck today Slosh and well done for being so open and honest, never fun but sometimes necessary. I hope you have time to consider your options, it is important to keep looking for options.

Starburst · 27. Jan 2015, 14:30

Slosh wrote:

I have contacted my union, they actually suggested looking at 3 days rather than 4 as they felt the danger with 4 was that there was a tendency to try and fit in 5 days of work.

I've had a few people suggest that this is the case to me, hence my decision to not drop down my days if I can avoid it.

The tutoring sounds like a feasible option.

You did so well by being open and honest. I know it's not easy, particularly when it comes to talking about work.

Take it easy.

Slosh · 27. Jan 2015, 15:30

Well my head was out today so no update there but it's clear he has accepted that I can't take on the group.

I had my phone assessment, the woman I spoke to was very helpful and understanding and said she could quite understand why I needed counselling. She felt I would benefit from both counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy and we agreed that counselling would be best first and then the CBT as it would be too much to do both together. She is going to discuss it with her supervisor before deciding on a plan as my case is not straightforward (now where have I heard that before?) and may need a more specialist agency. I will hear back within 2 weeks and in the meantime she is going to email me some stuff. She was pleased when I mentioned I was doing the Mindfulness meditation thing, and I was pleased when I found out the scheme I'm following is the one they reccomend .
Thanks again for your support and I will keep you updated.

stickywicket · 28. Jan 2015, 04:55

It seems like a matter of 'so far, so good', doesn't it? I hope it continues that way.

Slosh · 28. Jan 2015, 13:56

Had an encouraging reply to the email I sent my head "I am confident we can find a way to work through this".

Just waiting to hear back from the counselling service and from the OT regarding appointments, hopefully I won't have to wait too long before I hear something.
Feeling tired now after another marathon physio session, 90 minutes this time! Apparently I am the kind of person he likes working with because I am determined and willing to work hard and he has the flexibility to give patients like me more time! Next appointment will be with him and with the physio so I can be reassessed.

Glad I was open with my head as I feel less pressured and anxious.

dibdab · 28. Jan 2015, 14:43

Sounds like there's a lot of positive stuff happening for you.....so pleased for you. It takes courage to be open about your vulnerabilities, but it looks to be paying off. Hope the progress keeps it's momentum.

Deb xx

Feasibility of part-time working

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