London South East Colleges (LSEC) has announced that it will enable teachers who specialise in English, Maths and STEM subjects to work a four-day working week as part of its recruitment plan.
The pilot scheme, which will start in September, will offer candidates the opportunity to compress their full-time hours into four days, while senior leadership will develop timetables to fit this working pattern in order to support teachers with an improved work-life balance. Those involved will work a full-time teaching post of 37 hours a week, with these hours spread across four days instead of the usual five.
In addition, the college, which is looking to fill 14 teaching posts for the pilot, is offering “competitive salaries and a generous annual leave package”. LSEC said it is introducing these as a result of many businesses rethinking working patters in favour of hybrid and more flexible working practices.
College principal Asfa Solail explained that by introducing the option of a compressed four-day week alongside other benefits, LSEC, which teaches more than 12,000 students at its eight campuses across Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich, hopes to increase the number of potential candidates and secure the talent needed to continue delivering high quality Maths, English and STEM teaching.
“As an organisation, we are committed to the mental health and wellbeing of all staff. Work-life balance and managing workload are a huge part of this, so we hope that offering a four-day working week will be an attractive option for many people.
“Going forward, we are keen to explore further options for more flexible working across our whole workforce, including home-based and hybrid support roles. We must support people’s changing lifestyle needs while meeting the needs of our business and, ultimately, our students and communities,” Solail said.