Morning all,

Thought I might create a psudoname to ask about this but stuff it I’m not doing anything wrong asking about this on a public forum..

Has anyone on here got pretty far into a career and decided it was too much and gone and ditched a load of responsibility and also gone part time?

I’ve had to have a period of time off work recently and I’m now considering the prospect of taking a 20K pay cut to lose management responsibility and also go down to 3 days per week.

Boat loads less stress and 4 days per week at home. Means me and the Mrs will have to lose 1 of the cars and also holidays will be with a tent in this country…

Anyone done this and not looked back?

Sounds like a great plan to me.
Did something similar in my late 30s, wouldn’t go back to FT now.
Being a bit skint hasn’t really been an issue, just had to tighten the belt a bit.

APF

Did it through necessity as I couldn’t find a full time job, now doing about 3 days a week but highly variable. Good for balance when it’s predictable but not when it’s up and down.

No shame to it at all, if you’re cutting spending to suit and happier with life then do it, you don’t have to live up to the perceived expectations of society! 🙂

I’ve only had a ‘career’ for 5 years (in my 30s) in a very normal job with normal wages, and i compress my hours to do a 4/4.5 day week. I don’t want to ever do 5 days again as I value my time more. Can see myself in the future taking a bit less money for part time hours, and happy to own less crap and live cheaply.

Work on the black cabs for two days a week. Brilliant. No way could I go back to work full time. Luckily the wife is the main breadwinner so I’m able to do it and Liverpool is a good place to do it as it’s a big student city. I’m effectively a house husband and main child carer. Wouldn’t have it any other way. We aren’t rich but we manage. I’d rather have my free time rather than expensive cars, lots of holidays etc. I’m 44 btw

I’ve been there for all of my kids lives, dropped them off at school every morning, picked them up every evening, been off every school holiday and half term. Better than any amount of money as far as I’m concerned.

I’m trained and educated as a Planning Officer but the thought of going back into an office fills me with dread, so I don’t plan on doing it again. Ever, hopefully…

Sounds like a great idea but watch out for any impact on both personal and state pension.

No pension here!! The wife’s pension and the house will be my pension.

Yes. It’s great.

I’ve considered it (quite a lot), but decided to plod on for a few more years and pay off some more of the mortgage first.
Certainly a realistic goal for early 40’s though I think.

One of the things I’m thinking is I could maybe do it for a few years then step back up again to somewhere in-between the two roles if needed.

The prospect of being skint scares me, and with being off more will I want to spend more?

Not at 30, but I’m starting part time work in a couple of months time. I’m 58.

The house is paid for, we don’t owe anyone so why not? Mrs Z only works part tine so what’s good for the goose……. My daughter’s worried about how my reduced income might affect her standard of living though.

I may go back full time if we get on each other’s nerves too much 😀

Its not just the actual time you’re working, its HOW you’re working too.

My attitude is similar to Lodders! I went self-employed (well… set up my own business) when my kids were younger. So I didn’t have anyone telling me when I had to be where. I decided that myself. So I got to drop them off, and pick them up from school, spend time doing stuff with them, instead of being sat behind a desk. I’m sure that its a major factor in the great relationship I have with them now they’re a bit older

It meant getting by on a lot less money, but you soon adjust to that, and realise pretty quickly what your priorities are. You really can’t put a price on the whole quality of life thing. All money does is buy more ‘stuff’. Its just ‘stuff’. What does it matter? I drive an 18 year old car. Who cares? I get to do pretty much what I like, when I like. I know which I rate the highest

I’m presently on about 4 days a week, but I’m freelance, so I dictate when I’m available, and not the other way around. And most of my work is from home.

I’ll be popping to pick the kids up from school in a bit, and I think we’re going skating!

Do it! Its ****ing brilliant!!! 😀

I turn 37 this year and I’m looking to drop to 4 days from September (When MrsMomo goes back to work full time) so that I can have a day at home with my daughter each week. Need to negotiate with work but I might be able to fit my full time hours into 4 days, but not sure I want to spend 4 long days at work yet so might drop a few hours, MrsMomo and I had a look at finances and it works out fairly cost neutral for me to lose half a days pay per week (after tax etc) against paying out for an extra day of nursery fees.

Do it and see how it goes. I dropped 10k in 1997 to do a job I really wanted to do which worked out great and for the best. At the time I rationalised it by asking myself how much I would pay someone to get me the job I really wanted. 10k seemed fair and that was 1997

I didn’t drop any hours in fact the job was harder, but I was much happier. That’s the key here. What would make you happier?

I’m 43 and been on a 75% contract for 5 years now, and haven’t looked back. I’m typing this from the village coffee shop, planning my new kitchen, about to take the dog out for a long walk.

If you are Management grade, I’m guessing you are a higher rate taxpayer. If so, a 25% pay cut equates to about 17% less in your pocket.

Went freelance, which amounted to the same thing. No security, unpredictable workload and income, but I’ll do whatever I can not to go back into regular full-time work.

It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while, although not done anything about it yet. I’m trying to guess what my employers would think – I don’t want to come across as being lazy or workshy or unmotivated. It’s not as if I feel over-worked or stressed at the moment, I’d just prefer to have three days off a week instead of two.

I suppose there’s an argument to made along the lines of improved productivity and employee satisfaction coming from reduced hours? From an employers point of view I would see an empty desk/computer/phone one day a week that is still costing overheads, reduced capacity in the team and only a relatively small saving in the wage bill.

I work four days a week and I’m 35. My dad died 2 years ago at 63 and it made me think life is very short so enjoy it.

If that for you is more time off and less money , great, if it’s work lots and have loads of cash and possessions, thats cool too.

Five employees each four days and you can reduce the office space/equipment levels accordingly.

It’s on my plan… 36 now, 10 years tops doing full time left in the locker. Plan is to work my bits off until 45 and have paid the mortgage off. Then kick back and possibly downsize the house.

No kids, small mortgage and few fixed outgoings make this a very realistic prospect.

I dropped to 4 days a week about 14 years ago and I have never once regretted it.

I’m 16 months into a 2-yr temporary reduced hours contract working 92% of FT over 4 days. Well, I actually work more than FT hours unpaid but if I was proper FT then I’d probably be working a LOT more. The one day off helps greatly towards childcare – no financial penalty for us as salary reduction more than offsets what an extra day of childcare would cost us.

But can’t put price on that extra time away from work: kids or no kids, more time to do what YOU want is well worth it IMO.

At the 2-yr mark I’ve to go back to FT hours or make my reduced hours change permanent. No-brainer for me at the moment. Once the kids are both at nursery/school then that’s ‘free’ time for biking household chores.

Edit: currently 38!

This is genuinely fascinating to me.

I have never really given part-time working any consideration before – mainly because all the jobs I’ve ever had have been very full time. And the influence of my family and my inlaws has always been about full time work.

Aged 40, Im not sure the things I want to achieve next in my career would accommodate a “non-conventional” approach to time spent working, so I’ll continue with the usual format.

Something to think about….

Im not sure the things I want to achieve next in my career would accommodate a “non-conventional” approach to time spent working,

That’s your issue right there, if you’re looking to achieve in a career I’m pretty sure part time working won’t be the right approach. I couldn’t care less about my career, all I want to achieve in life is having a happy family and a stress free life. My wife and kids give me far more happiness and contentment than any career or amount of money would do. If I died tomorrow, I’ll be glad I spent all the time I could with this closest to me. And I’m pretty sure they’d feel the same. I guess it just comes down to what makes you happy.

I did when our son was born. Intended to go back FT when he went to school… But we decided that the cost to family happiness wasnt worth it.

I would say it’s one of my best life decisions for me and for my family. If you are in the position that the true essentials (house/bills/food) are covered the take the financial hit. Spending will always rise to dispose of your income so be proactive and trade money for time.

Crack on and good luck!

Edit. I was 32 when i went PT. Prior to that of been career gung-ho (fast track schemes etc) but i realised that it wasn’t making me happy (although i did enjoy it the work-life balance was poor and the? stress was high).

Not wanting to edit again, am currently 60% equivalent. Don’t be surprised if you actually do 80% (in the same way that FT employees often so unpaid overtime in many professions).

Thanks for the input guys. Much appreciated to read some different perspectives.

I did at 23 as the boss was being a knob about staffing. After 6 years of working summers, it was nice to have the days to do what normal people do.
Admittedly, not a regular job, 7 days/100 hours to 4 days/60 hours for 5 months of the year.

Now I just do something enjoyable, FT, with no expectations of extra hours.

A friend is in his mid 30s, and went down to 3 days a week. The other days he mostly practises banjo and is now in a bluegrass band.

I do 3 full days and 2 half days a week.

Normally full days Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, half days are Tuesday and Saturday full days off Friday and Sunday.

The full days are 11-12 hours long though….

Gives me time to do stuff though. Been out in the van with my dog this afternoon mooching about.

Love my job as well so that helps

Not in my 30’s , but I went down to a 3 day week around 2 years ago. Less money, but enough to cope on, and plenty more time to spend with family and out on the trails. Life is for living, not for being stuck indoors all the time doing crap that you don’t enjoy, for the benefit of somebody elses bank balance 🙂

I work 3 days a week.
On the other days I do things like play guitar, ride bikes, cook nice food, do volunteering, go to adult education classes, clean the house, make beer, play with my kitten, do DIY, go on wee trips places (Owl Centre was fun) or recover from a Sunday session.

My car is 14 years old, I don’t have an iPhone or have SKY TV so there are downsides. Well, I don’t really see them as downsides.

but the thought of going back into an office fills me with dread, so I don’t plan on doing it again. Ever, hopefully…

That is exactly how i feel. I do a couple of hours here and there in clients offices if I need to go through things in detail. Seeing the poor buggers chained to their desks, not being able to just get out and nip down the beach for an hour with the young un when the weathers good, or have a couple of hours fishing when the tides in….
Still do roughly 40 hours a week, but pretty much when i want to….

Although , when its really busy , I sometimes have to work when im on holiday ( western med cruise this time )

yes i like Pina Colada

I was made redundant in my early 30s (I’m 42 now) and it’s the best thing that could’ve happened to me. I’m self-employed and while we have much less coming in each month that we did when were both employed full time, we have more free time to ride bikes and have fun*. Old car (paid for), small house/cheap rent, no phone or other fripperies, no bills other than council tax and utilities. OH brews his own beer and we generally live pretty cheaply. We do have BT TV and land line/internet though.

It’s a nice, simple, (generally) stress-free way to go about things. I’ve never been particularly driven to ‘achieve’, I’m just happy coasting along, pottering through life and being able to bugger off for a ride out on a Tuesday morning just because the weather’s nice and I fancy it is smashing.

I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up 😆

* although the weather is putting the mockers on any fun at the minute. Snow? Really? 😡

I went 4 days a week a few years back, 3 days a week from June. I worked 3 days per week a few years back. If you can afford it and in my case it was important it didn’t really affect my partner, I recommend it……4 days was probably spot on, income versus free time…..

not gonna lie paul – its crossed my mind …. even just to step off the operations engineering/Field based band wagon.

4th extended hitch in africa in my new job and already im thinking …**** this for much longer…… do everything with nothing with people that cant/wont.

i like the job satisfaction of seeing the gear go out the door and work well in the field but its like everyday theres a new challenge preventing you doing your job …. like yesterday my 25tonne forklift battery blew up. today the side loader would not start , last week it was our 5 generators stopped generating power for 30hrs – yet it still manages to feel like ground hog day.

Sorely tempted to go back on the tools as a grunt on a 9-5 back home. i probably wouldnt be much worse off pro rata – id just be working 46 weeks of the year instead of 26 – i am also looking at adult retraining with SSE and scotish water potentially as a mechie – downside is convincing them ive not got too many bits of paper….. sometimes a **** degree is a hinderance.

If kids were in the equation like you i wouldnt hesitate to stop doing this I am just trying to hang in to keep my savings/investments accruing for the day when i stop to suppliment my income…..

I’m (nearly) mid 30s and work 3 days a week (6 sessions) in the practice, and a day a week at my CCG.
I was happiest working just the 6 sessions in the practice..

I’m not lazy (in fact, when at work I’m like a buzzy bee on ritalin…), I just like having days off TBH..

Do it. You’ll not regret it

DrP

I was made redundant in 2009 at 28 and started my own gardening business 1 month later. It was September, we’d just bought a house and signed up to a mortgage in May, and I didn’t have any real experience, but I got a few jobs to see me through the winter. My wife worked in a job with slightly above average salary.

Come April and the business was in full swing, full(ish) time of 4 days one week and 4.5 days the next, fortnightly cycle. From then to 2014 I worked pretty much the same hours, with various staff here and there. I was gaining good contracts and the turbo’s had just been fired up ready to launch (into a bigger business, full time staff, the beginning of an expansion that would end up seeing me off the tools, into office premises etc etc etc). We paid off the mortgage and got pregnant then I just shut everything down, cut out 30k contracts and went down to 3 days a week working solo again.

And I’m so glad I did.

I now have two little sprogs, we’ve bought a bigger house but should be paying it off in 7-8 years and the mortgage payments are pretty small anyway. Wed-Fri I work for a variety of customers, pretty much all friendly decent people, I have a zero stress work life. 8-3 or 4, 3 days a week. I get to put up with the kids a lot, enjoy my evenings without that horrid feeling of going to work that I hate the next day. I don’t get much biking done just now as the kids are hectic, but we ride bikes as a family and I can still get out once a week if I want.

The lightbulb moment was realising that earning lots of money doesn’t matter. That I can work more when the kids are older IF i really want to, that no amount of money can buy memories, that seeing my wee boy and having time to take him a casual walk to the park on a Monday morning mattered. Basically, realising that making money to have a happy life doesn’t exist!

I appreciate my position. My wife works 4 days a week and between us we only need to put the kid in to a child minder 2 days a week. The baby is 3 months old and has been sleeping right through the night since about 7-8 weeks old!

I can’t see me ever having an employer again, it’s too stressful and I’m too bull-headed to be told how to do something when I know I’M always right anyway! 🙂 If any customers bother me, I get rid of them in a heartbeat. I’m getting too many requests for new work to keep the rubbish ones. And the fact that my business services recurring jobs means that I don’t have to chase work either.

It’s scary stuff when you’re in a full time job wondering, but once you’re underway it’s the only way I can imagine living.