What does a new teachers (ECT) timetable and commitment actually look like?

Hello,
I am looking to do a PGCE in science, and I have spent a lot of time reading about workloads, challenges in teaching etc.
I wanted to ask - what does a new teachers timetable actually look like?
And when you are a normal teacher, how much time (in terms of periods/lesson slots) do you get in school actually for planning, assessment etc.?
There also seem to be a lot of flexibility in terms of what academies can put on you as a teacher, i.e. what is considered directed time or even things like parents evenings and other things.
Even if these things are set out in guidelines in normal state schools, do teachers end up doing them anyway? Like give up their lunch break?
I have children who are young, and although I am committed to being a teacher, I cant imagine wanting to throw myself in the deep end by getting involved in lots of after school clubs at my current stage - certainly when they are older.
Just looking for some views from new teachers!
Much appreciated

An example woul be that a 'normal' load would be 26/30 periods and an ECT 24/30. Directed time should include alll meetings and parents evenings that you are required to attend. Lunchtime is not paid so you cannot be expected to do anything. Some schools offer a free lunch to run a club and senior staff are expected to do more.
Join a union -
I organise the timetable and try to spread non-contacts out but it's not always possible. You would also meet your mentor every week [timetabled].

Thank you for your reply!
I am spending a lot of time reading the NASUWT website, and it is a bit stressful I must say.

Make sure your first post is in a good school - on interview look out for subtle signs of poor behaviour - graffiti, litter and if you can visit beforehand do. I'm not sure union websites are the best place to look for a real picture of life in schools. We have not seen major changes in behaviour post-covid but we had online teaching going from day one.

So, I'm an ECT1 in a secondary school.
I teach 20 out of 25 lessons per week, I have a form 5 mornings a week and do two break duties. My contracted finish time is 3:15 except Tuesdays, where it is 4:15 (factored into direct time) and then the occasional extended Tuesday (to 5:15) and parent's evenings (again, all within the direct time limit). Other than those commitments, which are given to me at the start of the academic year, I don't have to do anything else.
I ran an afterschool club during term 1 but knocked it on the head last term because we started in January with 3 weeks of back-to-back parent's evenings, so I wouldn't have been able to run it anyway.

I was a teacher for twenty years. Often, I didn’t get to do a wee between 8 and 4pm, dealing with various sh*t storms as they erupted, never mind have coffee or lunch. I’ve taken work with me when I’ve gone away for half term and sat in a coffee shop for three days doing it.
Your evenings and weekends will be taken up with work. Parents evenings finish at 10pm for two consecutive days in my experience. Academies can pretty much make you do what they want.
Don’t base your choice on concessions you get for your NQT year because you’ll have a full timetable after that; it’s full on. I wouldn’t want to do it with small kids now.
I’m actually starting a nursing degree this year and am looking forward to only working 12 hours a day for three days!! I’ve had several nurses as teaching students and they all returned to nursing after qualifying, when they realised what the hours were like in teaching.
Having said that, there was a lot I loved about teaching and I don’t regret doing it. Just bear in mind that it’s hard work.
Best of luck,
🙂

10pm? I think I'll be adding that question to my list for potential new jobs - we're out the door by 6:10 🤣

MissTee,
Thank you for your reply!
I guess my interest was more on the extra stuff they might make you do as opposed to the main workload a teacher has like marking, lesson planning etc. which already requires a lot of time commitment.
Can I ask, did you ever look into job shares - or is this not common at secondary? I know a primary school teacher who does this.
Thank you!

10pm? I think I'll be adding that question to my list for potential new jobs - we're out the door by 6:10 🤣

It seems like a maze to navigate through - how would a teacher even know about the details like this when they apply for a job?!

It seems like a maze to navigate through - how would a teacher even know about the details like this when they apply for a job?!

You're encouraged to visit a school you're applying to so you have the opportunity to ask questions like this at this point before sending in an application. Also, a lot of information can be found on a school's website, such as timings for the day, and calendar events like parent's evenings, and some schools will go into plenty of detail on their job ad. Failing that, any questions can also be sent in via email or asked over the phone.

You're encouraged to visit a school you're applying to so you have the opportunity to ask questions like this at this point before sending in an application. Also, a lot of information can be found on a school's website, such as timings for the day, and calendar events like parent's evenings, and some schools will go into plenty of detail on their job ad. Failing that, any questions can also be sent in via email or asked over the phone.

This is why you need to grill teachers. Realise that you only see HALF the job when you do a two week placement, or even if you work as a TA.
Another thing to watch is recruitment.
You apply for a job with a lovely Year X class, then on the first day of term, surprise! You’re actually going to be teaching Year Y, the class from hell, and there’s nothing you can do about it because you’re recruited to a school, not for a specific role.