I really enjoy the time with my children during holidays. I\u2019m more relaxed and I can give them 100 per cent of my time<\/p>\n
Specific term-time contracts are so unusual there is no official data on their use: in the Department for Work and Pensions\u2019 employer survey<\/a> they are likely to be categorised among \u201cother\u201d kinds of flexible working, which in 2024 accounted for 3 per cent of alternative arrangements offered by employers.<\/p>\n Nicola Fyfe, Europe vice-president for Amazon Logistics, said its offer came from a \u201cdrive to create more flexibility\u201d. Pay is prorated, as in part-time roles, and staff can take accrued paid leave during school holidays, with the remainder of the 10 weeks as unpaid leave. \u201cWhile it\u2019s not for everyone, it\u2019s a valuable option for those who need it.\u201d<\/p>\n The few organisations to also offer term-time contracts report positive results: Pursuit Marketing, a Scotland-based company, introduced them in 2017 and reported a boost in staff productivity<\/a> at the time. In teaching, where staff receive full annual salary but do not have to work when schools are closed, the arrangement is a draw for a majority female workforce. Officials in the civil service, which offers term-time working among a suite of flexitime options overseen by individual departments, said staff found the option useful for school holidays and other caregiving responsibilities. Pay tends to be prorated to reflect the number of hours worked. <\/p>\n There has been pushback, however. Even accounting for childcare costs, employees working 39 weeks of the year could be left with significantly reduced income. The GMB union is calling for an end to contracts for school support staff paid for the time they are in school, arguing it leaves them underpaid by thousands of pounds each year.\u00a0More women working term-time could also drive gender pay gaps: the Institute for Fiscal Studies<\/a> found women who worked part-time, especially after having children, saw their wages rise much more slowly than if they worked full hours.<\/p>\n Still, the decision is often about more than money. Shahid Iqbal, an area manager working nights at an Amazon fulfilment centre, said his wife, who works for the police, was \u201cvery happy\u201d when he took a term-time contract. \u201cI really enjoy the time with my children during holidays,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m more relaxed, not tired, and I can give them 100 per cent of my time.\u201d<\/p>\n Recommended<\/p>\n
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