
Sole trader or limited company? Know your options when going self-employed
Choosing to go self-employed can mean more money, better hours, and a flexible work-life...read more
Teaching is often seen as a job that doesn’t lend itself to flexible working. But 10% of male teachers do it and they’ve been explaining why they went part time.
Male teachers that work part time have opened up about the reasons they changed their hours.
Around 10% of male teachers work part time. A quarter of female teachers work reduced hours.
A survey of hundreds of men who teach and work part time found nearly half changed their hours to look after children.
Childcare costs were pinpointed as a driving force behind many men’s decision to address their working hours.
However, interestingly, many men went part time for other reasons. A third cited the stress of the job. They said they’d reduced their hours for their own wellbeing. A further 13% changed their working pattern to pursue life as a ‘slashie’ – someone with more than one role. These figures show that the benefits of flexible working are not confined to working dads.
Teaching is often cited as a profession that doesn’t lend itself to flexible working. However it is possible to do job shares or reduced hours. And it comes with term time working built in.
A number of male teachers spoke to the TES about their experience of working part time. Adrian Bethune, a primary teacher in Hertfordshire, started working three days a week when his wife returned to work (also part-time) following the birth of their first child. “We’re making the most of being together as a family when our children are young,” he says. “We’ve got less money, but we’re much less stressed and happier as a result.”
Other dads reported continued resistance to changing their hours from colleagues and management. One dad claimed some colleagues repeatedly referred to him as ‘Mr Part Time’ after he reduced his hours.
Flexible working is such an important topic to us here at Working Dads that it's essential you know all the basics. We asked Andrew Willshire,... read more
New survey by Working Families and Talking Talent reveals the most flexible and inflexible industries in the UK. read more
Lots of people saw the pandemic as a way to reinvent their working life. Employment solicitor Tom Devlin tells Adam Lanigan what that meant for him... read more
Even as we return to the new normal, our 2021 end-of-year survey results shows our readers still want flexible working front and centre. read more