# Looking for information please on change to part-time working in civil service.



## galwaymum (3 Mar 2009)

Hi everyone,

I am new to this so apologies if i am posting in the wrong section. I am looking for advice please.

I am curently on maternity leave and am due to return to work very soon. I am working in the civil service as a full time clerical officer. I have a 4 month old baby girl and would love to stay at home full time to look after her but cannot afford to do so. 

I would love to return to work part time. Does anyone know how much my salary would change if i were to go back to work part time?. My weekly salary is 500 euro a week. 

Has anyone else done this and if so how much did effect did it have on wages?

Thanks for help

Galwaymum.


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## Canny39 (4 Mar 2009)

Galwaymum - congratulations on your baby girl. It's impossible to tell you what effect reducing your hours will have on your wages unless you say how much you are reducing them by as part- time work can mean anything. Where I work part-time hours are any hours less than full time and they vary from the minimum 8.25 hrs/wk up to 36 hrs /wk. 
Start off by figuring out what your hourly rate of pay is (divide your basic gross salary by the number of hrs/wk you work) then to calculate your new basic gross just mutiply this hrly rate by the number of hrs you wish to work per week. Then you will have to take account of how deductions will effect this (PAYE, PRSI, superannuation etc), it you talk to your salaries department they might be able to help you with this info. 
Best of Luck and enjoy your little girl.


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## steph1 (4 Mar 2009)

You can go on work sharing.  You have a number of options under this scheme - e.g. 3 day week, 4 day week, one week on-one week off.  You should get in touch with your personnel section who will advise you how to proceed.


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## gipimann (4 Mar 2009)

As a very rough guide for you, I began flexible working (worksharing) a few years ago, and changed from a 5 day to a 4 day week.

My salary reduced by 20% gross, which after tax, etc was about 16% net.

(I'm public service rather than civil service).


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## TOB76 (5 Mar 2009)

Hi Galwaymum,
I'm a civil servant also just back from maternity leave. I found the best route initially to be parental leave which can be taken as 1 day a week (or 2 , 3 whatever way agreed with your supervisor). It allows you to see how part time will suit you before you make a move to working part time offically. Like you I felt I would love to stay home full time with my son, 11 months now, but when I returned to work last month I've found myself enjoying it so its nice not to have to make my mind up about going on an official 4 day or 3 day week yet.
Regarding money I have found like the OP that I'm down about 16% for 20% less hours but there are factors like commuting costs and childcare costs which make it quite efficient for me at the moment to be on a 4 day week. Parental leave works out at about 70 days so I have another year and a half almost before I have to decide what I'm doing. 
Best of luck and enjoy....


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## AgathaC (30 Apr 2009)

This is an option I am currently considering also, not sure yet what my employer's response would be. I know I need to sit down and work out the financial side, but I would be interested in hearing, from your experiences, what other factors I should include in my decision?


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## Mary Mc (6 May 2009)

Hi Galwaymum
You and I are in almost the exact same position! I have a four month old and would like to return to my public sector job on less hours. i amconsidering applying for a four day week but have loads of questions I would like answered, such as:
effect on take-home pay
effect on holiday entitlements
entitlement to go back to five day week
effect on future maternity leave
Do you think HR would answer these questions or should we be contacting our Union reps for information?
I will post anything I learn over the next couple of weeks.


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