[Closed] So whose kids are off school on Tuesday?

Not mine.

Both ours and at different schools.

Same council?

Yes. Would that matter? Surely its up to the individual teachers to decide whether to strike?

Look on the bright side, roads will be quieter so getting to work will be easier.

Just to save you all a tiny little bit of tar from your brushes, we are open as usual on Tuesday.

I reckon Wrightson's kids are pulling of an elaborate scam to skive off school.

They never seem to strike during the summer holidays, half term or any other time off . It would make it easier no?

The dates are spread depending on region. I will be striking in a few weeks darn sarf if that helps anyone have a quicker commute.

Look on the bright side, roads will be quieter so [s]getting to work will be easier[/s] going for a road ride with my mate who is also striking will be more pleasant.

FTFme 🙂

Seriously though, we are not striking because we want more, we just want to hang on to what we've got, rather than let that COTHO Gove tear us, as a whole profession, a new arsehole.

Not heard anything.

I'd pop up to the picket line and give them my support if they were striking though.

School is open, but no after school club, so I'll have less time to [s]browse on STW[/s] do the housework. I can't believe they're being so unfair to me.

Teachers need to realise how lucky they are with all that holiday & government backed pensions. Maybe spend some time with someone who is self employed who get absolutely bugger all.

Plenty of jobs available for science teachers if you want to retrain.

Maybe you, jekkyl, also need to spend some time with teachers. If teaching is so cushty why don't you do it?

I wasn't fussed either way but the mrs has just mentioned a letter we received last week urging parents to get their children to log on to the learning portal thingy whilst off school, as we've just had an inset day Friday and then strike Tuesday I think that's a bit of a piss take!

COTHO

anagallis_arvensis - Member
Plenty of jobs available for science teachers if you want to retrain.

How many holidays does a teacher actually get as part of their contract?
What's the starting salary?
What kind of pension is offered?
I really would be interested in retraining.
I've had enough of working private sector jobs. 80 hours, 25 days holiday and a pension you would laugh at if I told you.
Also, being in the private sector means the company you work for can cease trading(this has happened 3 times to me).
Where do I apply for these teacher jobs?

There's a teacher training website, country specific, google for it.

You do get 13 weeks off I think, less a bit for holiday work time, but when you are working you work hard. Teachers I know work 3 or more hours in the evenings, which is probably familiar to some public sector jobs, but the biggest difference I'm told is that during the day it is flat out all the time. You can't stop for a chat, stare into space for 5 mins, go for a coffee, nip to the shop etc. Constant go, your attention is demanded all the time. This is one thing that puts me off, because I need to be able to slack off between bouts of intense work.

My youngest is off - her teacher is the only one taking action, her brother and the rest of the classes will be in.

Ordinarily I'd be grumpy about using up a days leave when my schedule is a bit more hectic than usual, but it turns out there is a meeting on Tuesday that I was desperate to avoid - every cloud and all that 😉

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teachers-among-hardest-working-professionals-884425

Right, back to my marking.

We will of course be putting a claim in against the school for child care costs

Has anyone had success doing this? I've seen the one on FB where the parent fines the school for unauthorised absence...

+1 Molgrips well said sir
mrs g been sent out shopping to get a break from marking and preparing lessons, added up shes done about 100 hrs this week and for the last few weeks thats how easy it is. As her 'academy' likes to demoralise the staff as a management tool. So please sign up for it there are sure to be a lot of jobs about as COTHOG destroys the system for everyones children.
There,... feeling better now sorry if ive upset anyone
Mrs g now back from Aldi but couldnt walk past the middle Aisle, new winter cycle jacket now back to our marking and prep 😥

How many holidays does a teacher actually get as part of their contract?
What's the starting salary?
What kind of pension is offered?
I really would be interested in retraining.
I've had enough of working private sector jobs. 80 hours, 25 days holiday and a pension you would laugh at if I told you.
Also, being in the private sector means the company you work for can cease trading(this has happened 3 times to me).
Where do I apply for these teacher jobs?

You can view teaching jobs at TESjobs.com
starting salary is about 21k I think. You'd have to look up whats going on with the pension I'm lost I do know I'm paying a lot more and have to wait till 68 to get it.
Be careful though the drop out rates for trained teachers in the first five years are shocking.

The holiday one is a bit of a myth; we don't get 13 weeks, we get 4, the rest is all unpaid leave. I'm not complaining, it really is the best bit of the job and the pay is decent (this may be revised when performance related pay is introduced) and covers not working for 9 weeks a year. The job is tough though, particularly if you work in a 'rough' school. I ended up turning Educating Yorkshire off because it was like a bus man's holiday and if I wanted to watch those kind of kids getting into trouble I'd, er, go to work!

jekkyl - Member
Teachers need to realise how lucky they are with all that holiday & government backed pensions. Maybe spend some time with someone who is self employed who get absolutely bugger all.

I'm an academic but in the same pension scheme as many teachers (TPS). There is no pension pot in this scheme, the money goes to the Treasury based on the promise we'll get our money when we retire. In the meantime, however, TPS contributions have increased and we're essentially paying more income tax than others in our pay bracket so Osborne can claim to be reducing the deficit faster.

We received a text stating "your child should be learing at home on Tuesday" as in its not a holiday.
The cheek of it! Dont hear of many teachers leaving the profession cause it just doesnt pay do you?

"your child should be learing at home on Tuesday"

I take it their teacher is hot?

Erm, you hear of loads of teachers leaving because it's simply not worth it. I know of two this year from our place, very good graduates, teach first scheme etc. but just couldn't hack it. The pay is decent if you can do the job and not go quietly gaga.

The cheek of it! Dont hear of many teachers leaving the profession cause it just doesnt pay do you?

Yes loads although mostly its workload and stress but I reckon more would stck at it if the starting salary was 49k!!!

I know one who left and went to do a magazine or something. Wonder what became of that?

Same for any profession - peaople leave for stress. Try being a social worker or doing a tour of duty!
Poor teachers.

Teaching has a pretty high incidence of stress related problems, like some other professions. High stress from chasing big money is one thing, but putting that much stress on the people who are educating kids is scandalous.

Teaching SHOULD be well paid and easy. It should be one of the most attractive high prestige jobs, because it is one of the most important and it needs to attract the best people.

Try being a social worker

The issue isn't what teachers get or how tough their job is, it's whether the government should be able to take money from them.

You may have a rubbish job with low pay and no pension. Doesn't mean everyone else has to - especially the people we trust to educate and care for our children.

Teachers need to realise how lucky they are with all that holiday & government backed pensions. Maybe spend some time with someone who is self employed who get absolutely bugger all.

My better half is a teacher, she spends plenty of time with someone who is self employed. Me.

I work 14 hrs/day most Weekdays and 8 most Saturdays.

No holiday pay, no sick pay, no pension. Etc.

I wouldn't swap with her for double my salary, I couldn't cope with the stress and the workload to be perfectly honest.

And I don't know how she does it.

Try being a social worker or doing a tour of duty!

I know one who left and went to do a magazine or something. Wonder what became of that?

Yep met him as well, he just rides bikes nowadays and writes about them, but that wil never catch on...

For me the worst thing about being a teacher isn't the pay, pensions or even the workload. It's the pr1ck$ who, without fail, every time there is a discussion about teaching can't help themselves make a snide comment about how easy we've all got it 'with all those holidays'.

Nice to know you're appreciated

Anyway - looking forward to my ride on Tuesday 🙂

Personally I think that education is of absolute paramount importance. Teachers should get paid more.

Given the Tories track record, doesn't their present obsession with taking schools out of local authority control, then changing teachers terms and conditions re: pensions and stuff..... Just scream 'lets make this look more attractive to our mates in the private sector when we shortly privatise the lot'?

And why would any of us, teachers, or those of us with school age kids have even the slightest concern about that? It's the panacea to everything after all. I'll personally be happy as Larry when my kids school is owned by a private equity firm. Won't you?

I'm sure they'll have the best interests of our children at heart, and well paid, highly motivated and happy staff will be essential to realising that dream! And if they can, while achieving these noble aims, make a modest profit, then who could begrudge them that? I can't see what the teachers are bleating about!

The holiday one is a bit of a myth; we don't get 13 weeks, we get 4, [u]the rest is all unpaid leave.[/u]

Are you sure that's the case?

Teachers are only paid for term time (195 days ?)

Their pay is just divided over 12 months.

The "13 weeks paid holiday" is just something people like to use to slag teachers off.

It doesn't actually exist.

So you get all that money and only have to work 195 days?
😀
(Kind of set yourself up there - I wouldn't want to do it, have several friends who do. And I'm married to a child protection social worker. I know how easy my job is in comparison)

Well it does exist really doesn't it? Clearly you're not at work. So 30k pa is still 2.5 a month. And fwiw I do think teachers are worth that kind of salary.

have you done either and have you tried being a teacher?

No Anagallis I havent done either. But I have a son about to do a tour and I do work very close with social workers. Being a foster carer taking all the hours we do into consideration we get £1.59/hr and no holidays.
Couldnt bring myself to strike from that to be honest.

Brilliant well done you but how is this important for teachers?

Are teachers really hard done by? Its important for them that they realise we are all in the same boat, a bankrupt country?

Oh right yeah that old bollocks. But tell me whats your £ 1:50 an hour git to do with me?

Your overpayed

Your teacher was certainly overpaid.

as was yours

Are teachers really hard done by? Its important for them that they realise we are all in the same boat, a bankrupt country?

Bankrupt is hyperbole really isn't it?

Pay isn't that good considering the hours that are actually done, the stress, the lack of discipline, the poor management and government interference.

The people doing it are helping, probably more than any other sector, to ensure that this country can be successful in the future, without a first class education system this country will eventually go to the dogs, how much are we willing to pay to ensure that doesn't happen?

If conditions worsen the only people who are teaching will be the people who can't get jobs outside of teaching, i.e. the crap ones, what you really want is for people to want to teach because it is a highly cherished and well paid job where they feel valued.

The strike might in the long term have more negative than positive outcomes for teaching, but I can't say I blame them for making a stand.

Don't have time to pen a proper response now, will check back in a few weeks when I'm on holiday.

Understand your concerns but you cant condone striking we are all under stress at work. The more you care the more you have to stress about. Dont we all want higly cherished and well payed jobs but we dont all go on strike.

Couldnt bring myself to strike from that to be honest

So. ?

You're not a teacher, so what relevance does that have to anything.

Understand your concerns but you cant condone striking

Well actually...

I can.

And I do.

what you really want is for people to want to teach because it is a highly cherished and well paid job where they feel valued.

I'm not entirely sure I want teachers to be doing it for the money - ie you shouldn't be needing high salaries to attract the best. Not that this is a suggestion they're paid too much.

joepose - Member

Understand your concerns but you cant condone striking

Watch us.

Care yo explain how you justify the overpaid claim? As I could jumo ship to the private sector for longer holidays more pay and the same pension.

What is the pay aa? Is it around 30k? And come on, there's no way you could get a job in the private sector with as much "holiday".
As for a pension what's that? My "pension" is tied up at the moment in mine and hers parents. 🙄

We are pretty close to bankrupcy.Many government departments and activities run by the state are having redundancies and selling assets.

Fwiw if teachers want to strike then go for it but you need to work on your pr. People aren't blaming those with the purse strings and asking to help you out they are blaming teachers for not looking after the kids.

Is the strike going to serve any purpose, do you think it helps your cause?

What do you do Wrightyson, what are the pay and conditions like?

at least the teachers have the balls to stand up for themselves not like the majority of UK workers who are letting the Government roll all over them

rOcKeTdOg - Member
at least the teachers have the balls to stand up for themselves not like the majority of UK workers who are letting the Government roll all over them

+1

I'm in construction! I manage anything from big factory builds up to £10 million to sitting on a mini digger. That's how we work as a very small company. Just two of us. Before the last 18 months we hadn't done any industrial work for three years, the whole business was very close and the only thing that saved us was the fact we had such small outgoings wages/office wise.
I've no pension as I've never had the spare cash to pay into one. As for hr and stuff like that 😆

What is the pay aa? Is it around 30k? And come on, there's no way you could get a job in the private sector with as much "holiday".

Surely its about getting what you signed up for? You decide on a career in teaching based on the the fact you will get a good pension at the end. Then the goal posts are moved. If you don't agree you are perfectly at liberty to remove your labour like anyone else. As for the person who said why don't they strike during the holidays 🙂 You don't really understand what striking is meant to achieve do you 🙂

Parents only get upset because they treat school like glorified child car.

I would not do it, teaching today is a thankless job as we can see by the posts on here.

Yes you do need to pay people and offer a good package to get the best people in place. As for the "We should not have to pay to get the best" get real !!! Why should someone who has worked hard to get a lot to offer an employer give those skills away for a low wage. If you worked hard to buy an expensive bike, would you give it to me for half price !!!

Teaching is a hard job, its not a job you can do easily and effectively when you get older. So we need to take it on the chin and accept if we want good people teaching our kids we have to pay for it !!!

Or are your kids not worth paying to get the brightest and the best teaching them ?

The average teacher's salary (nationwide) is £ 25,000.00/180 days = £ 138.90 per day/ 30 children = £ 4.62 / 7 1/2 hours = £ 0.61 per hour per student--a very inexpensive babysitter and they even EDUCATE the children! WHAT A DEAL!!!!

I'm not entirely sure I want teachers to be doing it for the money - ie you shouldn't be needing high salaries to attract the best.

Does that apply to doctors too. I'm always amazed that we pay a GP so much and a teacher so little, given the responsibilities assumed for teachers. If teaching attracted the same sort of salary as accountancy, we'd see far more of the top quartile of graduates applying.

School should be made optional. It'd take a generation but people would really learn the value of education and those who teach.

Be careful though the drop out rates for trained teachers in the first five years are shocking.

Yeah, I know someone who used to work in the games industry - their company offered 20 days holiday a year (which you had to take Xmas out if), and during cruch periods there were 50-80 weeks (overtime was unpaid, no time in lieu). The industry is also rather unstable, with studios going pop or making big layoffs rather frequently.

So, for the good of their family, they decided to retrain as a teacher. I think they lasted a year before quitting to go self-employed, as the hours and stress was too much. It wasn't quite the fabulous solution they thought it would be.

I have nothing but respect for good teachers, and quite frankly I think they deserve better - when you hear MPs parroting that they need their £65k salaries and expenses to 'attract the best' (whilst still comfortably being able to run with second jobs), I do wonder why the same argument doesn't apply to teachers, nurses, paramedics, firemen, etc.

School should be made optional.

It already is. There is no requirement to send your child to school, only a requirement to educate them, hence home schooling.

They already are. There is no requirement to sent your child to school, only a requirement to educate them up to a defined standard, hence home schooling.

Actually, there's no requirement to educate them to a standard, just to educate them. 🙂

I'd have thought tomorrow would have been an ideal ad hoc opportunity for a lot of parents to spend an additional day with their children, even though it might use up a days leave.

I don't blame teachers for taking industrial action over pay and conditions, although I don't think either are bad compared to other professions. However, I do then take issue with teachers facilitating punitive action against parents based on 'unauthorised absence'.

If schools really want to avoid disruption caused by parents taking children out of school - it is a bit rich to then to cause similar disruption themselves and not face a financial penalty other than loss of a days wage.

I'm fairly sure that it's the schools management who set and administer the penalties for removing kids, not the teachers.

However, I do then take issue with teachers facilitating punitive action against parents based on 'unauthorised absence'

The teachers don't do this, it's the schools that do it. Incidently what "financial penalty" do parents actually receive for unauthorised absences?

gonefishin - Member
The teachers don't do this, it's the schools that do it. Incidently what "financial penalty" do parents actually receive for unauthorised absences?

Penalty information [url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/parents/school_attendance/ ]here[/url].

A head teacher is responsible for the actions taken by the school. As the job title suggests - she/he is a teacher...

I didn't ask what can be done I asked what was actually done. It doesn't matter who is responsible (incidently there are plenty of others mentioned in your link that aren't teachers) it is still "the school" and the educational authorities that actually implement it. Plus given the potential holiday savings I'd have thought that a fine of £100 would still make it financially worthwihile to take your kids out of school.

A head teacher is responsible for the actions taken by the school. As the job title suggests - she/he is a teacher...

I think that's splitting hairs. You could equally argue that you could hold the head teacher responsible for their subordinates striking....