Working At Home..

[Guest]

Can I be nosey and ask how many hours of work you put in at home, and how many are paid?

 

We are only a small setting (7 children) and I am paid for 1 hours planning. As we have only 2 staff I can not do any paper work durring session and the committee will only pay us for the hours we are open.

 

So I get paid for 12 hours 15 mins a week (inc planning time). Since I started I have actually worked 13 hours in setting and approx 4 hours at home - so 17 hours a week!

 

I know I am just getting started so maybe I am slow at the paper work and still finding my way - but I can't carry on working nearly 5 hours a week for free!! So before I dissuss this will the committee I wondered how other settings work...

 

Thanks

 

Edited to say- that a committee member commented how untidy the room was looking, I mentioned that I am only paid till the children leave and as much as I love the job I can't stay late everyday to tidy up so we do what we can before the children go!! and to be honest I would love to stay an extra 15 -30 mins to tidy up and clean the resources ect but I have childcare to pay for too!... Sorry in a moaning mood today! ;-)

[Guest]

Hi

 

I know how you feel! Until September I worked in a pre-school with 80 kids and 14 staff! I got paid for 4 hours a week paperwork (at home, because I couldnt do it in sessions) but the reality was that I put in at least double that every week, it took over my evenings and weekends! Hence moving to a different job!!!

 

Most pre-schools just dont have the money to pay for the actual hours worked! The paperwork side of things has increased so much in recent years though and it can become quite demoralising if your efforts arnt rewarded or acknowledged. 1 hour doesnt seem enough to me, so talk to the Chair!

[Cait]

I think I probably put in at least as many hours at home as I do at preschool - possibly more as I work through the holidays too. I don't actually get paid for these hours, but have a larger 'per hour' rate than the rest of the staff to compensate a bit. It all helps anyway.

 

I really don't think they could afford to pay me the full hours I work, even at NMW!

 

SO, annoying when parents ask if I had a nice summer holiday! URGH!!!!

[Sue R]

I think this goes with the territory!

 

As a pre-school leader I worked 16 hours (job share) in the setting, but about doubled that by the time I left, at home. Now I am in a Day Nursery, it's the same story. I am part time, so I work 20 hours rather than 40, but spend many hours at home, researching, planning, preparing etc...

 

Trouble is, we are dedicated, and though being paid for all this extra would be wonderful, the bottom line is - we want to give the children the best we can, so we do it for love!

 

Or am I just weird?

[Guest Wolfie]

Or am I just weird?

 

No, you're like me...."normal"!

[Guest]

I'm just considering the income/expenditure;

7 children= income and

2 staff+ rent + resources + Insurance + registration costs etc etc = expenditure.

I would be very surprised if there is any more money for non contact time.

 

When I had my preschool my staff working at a 1-8 ratio were able to do the planning during the session. This was especially easier as we prepared for EYFS, because the planning came from reflection of the days activities/interests shown/ identified needs. The only non contact time was for sorting achievement files ( 1 hour paid) and staff meetings (1 hour paid).

 

The planning book literally started with blank sheets, obs notes were written into page 1 next to each childs name, ie interests, concept identified etc, then a follow-up or consolidating or same concept but different contex activity plan was written in page 2, the next days planning sheet. In other words the planning was written in response to the children. The obs notes were written as they happened, or as soon after, the plan for next activity again straight away if the staff had an idea in mind, or at the end of the day when we could look at the 'groups' collective interests / needs.

 

I hope this makes sense, what it did do was enable planning to be responsive, to be written before the end of session so everyone knew what was happening the following day and most importantly not in the staffs own time. I know this worked because my daughter was one of my staff (lives away from home) and she rarely did work at home, if she did it was through choice and not necessity.

 

Are there ways you can look at combining the planning work into the session, there will be times where the children are playing independently and you have a few minutes to jot down some reflective notes or plans for the following days activities and resources and possible learning intentions. I think as this becomes routine it will also become quicker, to write ideas down 'in the moment' rather than later at home in a different environment does help, also you have a colleague to bounce ideas off. I remember the blank sheet at home, the isolated feeling, the distractions, and the mind set away from work, ie the 'preschool context', not to mention being tired after a days work and resenting the intrusion of work into family life. I found this much harder than 'doing the planning on the spot, at work'.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Peggy

[Smiles]

I think this is a general problem in preschools. I used to be able to complete papaerwork in session times when I was supernumerary but due to staff shortage I can no longer do this at present. We have fifteen minutes each way to set up and put away -in a church hall. The church has a cleaner who cleans - well not sure if you can call it this once a week. I start at nine - arrive anytime from eight fifteen - wash the floors and clean the kitchen - church has other users and cant be sure it is left clean. I finish at 1.30 supposedly most days are then until two thirty maybe longer . Last Monday I worked from eight thirty until four then had a briefy on filling out SEF form at six thirty which went on until eight thirty - I have claimed these hours and am waiting to see if I will get paid. What annoys me most is that when I arrive at nine my official starting time I get comments that I am late! And on the rare occasion I am five minutes late I get comments that my pay will be amended accordingly!

I WISH somene could tell me what the answer is. I ahve three weeks off this christmas but know that I shall spend some of that time filling out my SEF , unpdating policies etc and PAY well we wont mention that.

Sorry for the moan!

 

smiles

[HappyMaz]

No, you're like me...."normal"!

Depends on your definition of 'normal' I guess!

 

This is the perennial problem of working in pre-school - not enough money to pay for all the work staff do. I can't think of any other industry that relies on the goodwill of staff to run. We all know it shouldn't be this way but it inevitably is.

 

If a member of staff was telling me that she was regularly working five hours a week extra outside of her contracted hours I would look at whether this work was really necessary (or whether it was necessary for her to do it) and whether the load could be shared. You say you're committee run - is there a possibility that they can take on some of this work? As Peggy says, the economics of your group makes it sound as if there is little extra money to spare to be able to afford to pay you for the extra hours you do.

 

It sounds as if you're feeling a bit undervalued too darlinbud - perhaps your committee member who complained about the room being untidy might like to spend the day with you doing what you do and see how she feels about it then. Comments like hers are made off the cuff and unthinkingly but they can be extremely disheartening when everyone is working so hard - especially when they aren't being paid for all the work they do!

 

Are you keeping a detailed work diary to show what you are doing and how long it takes you? This will help provide your committee with clear evidence of how much work there is to do!

 

Good luck!

 

Maz

[Guest]

Im a manager and i work 40 hours in nursery per week and on average i work 12 hours at home

I think its part of the job

[HappyMaz]

Im a manager and i work 40 hours in nursery per week and on average i work 12 hours at home

I think its part of the job

Maybe there's a correlation here between the hourly rate and the amount of work practitioners do unpaid. If one is on a fairly decent hourly rate then perhaps one views 'overtime' a little differently than someone is earning minimum wage and are expected to do the same? Or perhaps the reverse is true: who knows?

 

I hate to think how much unpaid work I do (but I do know that my income has halved since I took the nursery over!). Doing something wrong, obviously!

[Guest]

I dont feel i am compensated for the work i do at home and as far as nursery managers hourly rates go mine is relatively low.

I choose to do a lot of admin work in my own time simply because the work load is so heavy and i want to spend as much time as i can with the staff team and the children.

I guess i will always work like this because its not about the money or the time, but more about the love i have for where i work and the responsibility i feel towards it.

[Guest]

thanks everyone - kind of glad i'm not alone... was starting to think maybe I was been a mug doing all this work for no extra!! but it has to be done and to be honest I love my job so shouldn't moan!

 

Peggy, some great ideas in your reply and planning with the staff and children durring the session is something I am keen to try.....

We are very lucky in that we have almost no overheads at our setting - no rent, no bills, just insurance (which isn't alot) and staff wages, we very rarely buy resources as the school we are attached to are very generous! We also have fund raising events twice a year bringing in approx £1500 so although it's not a bottomless pocket they aren't doing too badly!

 

xx