Co-managing

[Guest]

Has anyone ever successfully had co-managers in their setting?

 

To cut a long story short, I'm having a tough time at home and I'm not coping well with the workload or the feeling of being totally responsible at work. I have asked my (fab) deputy if she wants to swap roles, but she's not completely confident as she's never managed before this role, which she only began in September.

 

Now I'm wondering if we could co-manage, so at least I could share the responsibility and the workload, and she wouldn't feel too out of her depth. I know it would also be hard for me to step back completely from being manager.Then, if things are no better for me in September and I do have to stop working, at least she would have had some experience....

[Guest]

Try it - it works really well with myself and my fab deputy at the term time only pre-school we run!! slightly different in that I started my own business and I now co-manage more than one setting. I stayed on in my original setting and my deputy is acting manager when I'm not there - I still work there 2 full days per week.

 

I am then part of the management team of a large nursery.

 

It's great for me as I see different facets in both places but it does work really very well! Both settings benefit and my deputy feels reassured that she can contact me if and when she needs to, we still have clear roles though and I think that's why it works so well.

 

Good luck with it - feel free to personal message me if I can help in any way too!

[sunnyday]

Definitely give it a try!

 

Sorry to read that you are having a bad time hope things start to get better for you soon x

[Inge]

I did it successfully for many years.. needed to work closely with them but it did mean if someone was ill or off for awhile there was always someone who knew all to cover..

 

We worked it so pay was equal, so I worked 2.5 days at manager and the rest as deputy, she did the same.. had a rota so we ran the sessions equally over the week,and soon got used to letting them run a session and enjoying the children again.. Paperwork was split but I had a few extra hours paid to enable me to be 'in control' and check everything was up to date and complete.. we found someone had to have the responsibility of being the one to oversee it all.

 

Also worked really well in allowing deputy to gain the experience and confidence needed to run a setting, as there was always someone to mentor and help.

 

Have a chat, work out the way it will be split, come to an agreement on hours/ pay and give it a go.

 

Alternative is if money is there you could always work out a way so you could have a day at home to do any additional work needed on a weekday, and have deputy run the session that day.. have done that too..

[zigzag]

Myself and my deputy used to run the setting together in the "good old days" and it worked brilliantly, but of course it does matter who the person is and how you get on!! She then needed to drop some days and responsibilities, until sadly she left a couple of years ago. I now literally do EVERYTHING as my administrator has just left to go back to her bank job full time and my deputy is very young, inexperienced and lacking in confidence. Its very small steps forward to training her up!! I would love someone to share the load with, I feel like a duck at the moment, paddling madly with my feet and going around in circles!!!

[lsp]

Zig zag - I did offer to come down to Cornwall to help!!!

[zigzag]

Zig zag - I did offer to come down to Cornwall to help!!!

How's next week for you then??