Teachers who do trips abroad

[TeenAndTween]

THANK YOU

My DD has just returned from a trip. She is tired, but had a fantastic time. She seems to have matured by a whole year or two in just five days.

[Littleturkish]

Ah that's so lovely!

I'm organising two huge trips at the moment, and it's words like this that keep me going.

So, thank you!

[fatcheeks1]

My DD (14) is currently in Rome (due back tomorrow) and I am missing her like crazy.I cannot wait for her to be back.I hope she has had a good time.I looked at all the teachers in awe getting onto that coach at silly A.M on Monday (the most respect to them).

[Maisycat]

Nice to hear! I am in the final planning for my next 2 trips abroad, Today I wanted to cancel next year's trips as I've had so much abuse from some of the parents in the run up this year, always finishing with, 'bet you paid loads of overtime for doing this' ??! Nope it costs me a lot of money to arrange childcare for my two, I just enjoy the trips despite the stress! Maybe I won't cancel!

[fatcheeks1]

No, Maisycat, I don't think you should cancel.All of the teachers and support staff that go on these trips and spend so much time organising them do so much to further enrich our childrens lives and education.You do a sterling job!!!1

[colander]

Thank you :-)

I think some parents think we get paid to go on the trips. Or that in some way it is a holiday. Yes, because of course I like to spend my holidays surrounded by teenagers always wondering at the back of my mind what they are going to get up to next!

Glad your dd had a great time

[Impatientismymiddlename]

I sent my sons teachers a card when he came back from his residential trip. He had a wonderful time and the staff looked after him so well. It's wonderful that teachers give up their time to take children on residential trips. It's so reassuring to know that the teachers will take good care of your child when they are away.

[rollonthesummer]

There was something in the news last week about Gove saying teachers were crap for not taking children on more trips because of red tape. He said they should stop stressing about safeguarding so much because hardly anything ever went wrong. No helpful new law reducing the red tape, just saying 'oh, silly teachers with all your worrying! Don't bother-it'll be fine!'.

I wonder how many school trips he's organised! I'm also sure he'd be 100% supportive to a teacher if they hadn't don't everything they should have done for a trip and then something went wrong ;)

[Hoopalong]

I assumed teachers were paid while away on trips am i totally wrong? I'm one of those parents who admire teachers for the wonderful job they do but rarely say just how much i appreciate it because my DC would be mortified and also I think the teachers might see me as OTT as i really do appreciate my DC teachers and all they do especially as my teachers were 90% horrid uncaring people.

[Littleturkish]

Nope not paid- and not paid for the extra hours it takes to organise, either!

[Caoilainn]

Again thank you, I do two weeks a year on residential, abroad or at home. I organise lifts for DS that cost me more than taking him, even during exam periods. Most of the time it's 'but you didn't do this..' Rather than thank you for the experience.
I don't get paid extra for being on call 24/7, in fact i have to plan for my cover!
I love going, but it costs me money and family time, I do it for so my students have that experience.

[Caoilainn]

I also read every risk assessment 20 million times and worry that the time i don't something will happen!

[VestaCurry]

Yes, massive thank you! My eldest dc went to Germany for 4 days recently and a huge amount was packed in. It's a massive responsibility in so many ways and teachers who do this are fab and must be utterly knackered by the end. Respect.

[Eggsiseggs]

Thank you for the thank you!
No extra pay, rarely recognised, and sooo much responsibility!
We have to go in our own holidays as well.
But...it's worth it for just how much we all get out of it, eh?!

[HSMMaCM]

DD is off on a trip in the summer and I am so so grateful to her teachers for giving her this opportunity.

A big thank you from me too.

[fryliar]

Teachers, you sound like you do all the organisation, is that true? I am support staff and the majority of my job is to sort out trips, teachers do the risk assessment related stuff, hold parent meetings, and obviously go on the trip itself and all that that entails but they don't do the admin.

[Lottiedoubtie]

Fryliar, that sounds like a good system. But no, IME most teachers don't have much (if any) admin support.

[fryliar]

Oh well, you all need to come to our school then . Our teachers are all lovely and are really, really grateful for the help they get I have to say.

[Helpyourself]

What a lovely thread. Yes- thank you to organising teachers. I've been the accompanying teacher not having organised it and it was hard work- that's without the weight of hoping the hotels ok and all the transport works.
Now I'm always so relieved to see the travelling DC back that I forget to say thx

[ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged]

Thank you op. It's so nice to read about someone appreciating what teachers do. Please send a note to the head saying the same.

[Philoslothy]

Our teaching staff never plan trips beyond picking a destination. Our admin staff tend to do a much better job and leave us to do the thing we are employed to do - teach.

[Eggsiseggs]

Lucky you! We do everything!

[LadybirdsEverywhere]

Gosh, Philoslothy, what sort of school do you work in? This sounds so sensible - in fact are you sure it's a school? Gis a job!

[rollonthesummer]

It took us most of our PPA last week to do the blasted risk assessment for a trip that we hadn't even wanted to go on. The forms are so time- consuming and the stupid computer program kept crashing! I would adore to have admin staff to do this for us!

[AntiJamDidi]

I've just been on a residential trip at half term, not abroad though. I wasn't the teacher in charge though and I know that has a lot more responsibility. Most of the organisation was done by the ta/admin assistant for the English department rather than any of us teachers, which seems sensible to me as she's a) better at that stuff than I am and b) less busy during term time than we are. It was a great trip but I was utterly exhausted by the time we came back.

Thank yous are always well recieved. You don't get many but the kids were grateful.

[Philoslothy]

Bog standard state school.