To think teachers are taking the piss by striking?

[mdowdall]

They get decent pay.
Even after pension reforms, their pensions will still be way better than the private sector.
They get great holidays.
They have reasonably good job security (again, compared with private sector)
Let?s face it, you could teach a monkey to teach. And yet these lazy bleeders have the audacity to go on strike? Meanwhile, in the real world, people continue to lose their jobs...

[manicinsomniac]

No, YANBU

And I'm a teacher.

[manicinsomniac]

Though I don't think you could teach a monkey to teach. Teachers need to care about children and have the patience to teach.

[londonone]

Become a teacher then, it's so great. How sad that you are so unhappy in your own job that you have to worry about other people's.

[nicespam]

i'd really like someone to show my how a monkey could be taught to teach, that'd keep the kids quiet

[knittedbreast]

you can teach a monkey to teach? do fuck off.

If you think is ok to pay teachers less than minimum wage for the all the hours they put itn, the people who are supposed to encourage learning of the next generation its you thats taking the piss.

they have great holidays, well yes because they work in schools where there are long holidays. they still do some work even when they are off.

job security-are you actually trying to say this is a bad thing?

good pensions? well yes, and so they should. all pensions should be good else whats the point?

[cjbartlett]

Is this just a shite stirrer or a serious post? Don't recognise the name
I agree though if those people fancy the great pay and long holidays then get yourselves to teacher training college

[ashamedandconfused]

"you could teach a monkey to teach"

really? you really think that little of our teachers? Gawd no wonder so many of them are pissed off!

[WowOoo]

Got to be a joke. Or simply a twat cj.

[upahill]

I think you are out to get a reaction with that post and you know it!!!
By the way I think YABU.

[pooka]

YABU.

Hope this helps. :)

[cjbartlett]

wowoo, agree, someone is after some midweek argy bargy

[KeepOnSwimming]

Currently teacher pensions are totally funded by teacher contributions from salary - and the pot is also regularly raided to subsidise other pension pots such as civil servants and army.
The proposals are to raise contributions, and lower benefits from the pension so it can subsidise other peoples pensions and the government more.

Currently teachers pensions are not better than private sector pensions, and they want to make them a LOT worse. OK maybe some people's are worse, but teachers salary sacrifice about 10% of salary for 1/80th final salary per year.
Not that great!

[JudysJudgement]

the thing is, when you have been told your pension is going to be xy&z and you have financially planned around that figure, then at the last minute almost they say oh no sorry, its now going to be 30% less (figure plucked from air) and you need to work 5 years longer as well, that does tend to put all your plans into disarray

[cjbartlett]

Does the private sector get pensions still?
Don't the army and civil service workers contribute to their own pensions?

[wannaBe]

I wouldn't want to teach and I have no issue with teachers.

But given that essentially only 36% of them voted in favour of strike action (only 40% turnout) the whole thing is a farce.

I suspect that as is often the case where unions are involved, many are too afraid of intimidation to vote no, so don't vote at all.

The problem is that the low turnout and the impact on parents is not going to do the cause any favours.

[Gilberte]

I know plenty of teachers. Many are working 12 hour days and weekend, especially in struggling schools. Yes the pay is good but it's not brilliant for what they do until they have been working a few years. Yes the pension is good but most aren't concerned about the pension being cut but having to find an extra £100 plus a month to pay into it. If your income just about covers your mortgage and bills and you have a family support it's not easy to stump up the extra cash. That would be the same for anyone.

Yes they have job security and good holidays but the teachers I know are stressed/ overloaded with ridiculous paperwork/consequently subject to criticism and inspections and not able to get on with the job. Rather than get on and teach a more creative lesson they have to spend hours proving they taught it by taking photos etc and pasting them into books etc.

Dead poet's society it aint no more.

[TheMagnificentBathykolpian]

Teach a monkey to teach?

Are you kidding?

I am not a teacher. I couldn't do it.

To be a good teacher (a good teacher) you have to be an amazing person! Organised, calm, reliable, flexible, capable of keeping track of 30 kids, assessing and understanding them all.

Coping with 30 children in a confined space day in day out

Being able to explain the same thing in a dozen or more different ways so that you find a way to explain it to everyone in a way they can understand.

I couldn't do it.

I could stand in front of a group of kids and churn information out at them, sure.

But I couldn't be a teacher. An educator.

Hell, I couldn't even home school my own children without taking to the bottle!

So I think you are being very unreasonable to belittle teachers.

And I don't think that teachers get pay comparable to other graduate professions. (or do you not go to university to become a teacher any more?)

[FoofffyShmoofffer]

Yabu.

That's it really.

[aliceliddell]

It's slightly disturbing that there seem to be more people upset about defence of good terms and conditions than are upset about the complacent acceptance of gross exploitation, lack of protection, no health & safety regs, etc. Should we all have shit jobs bcause some people do? Shouldn't we fight to maintain the good and raise the rest? Why is it preferable to watch people treated like doormats?

[Ormirian]

V funny.

Don't be a twat.

As it happens I am not sure they are being fair re their pensions and I do agree that those of us in the cold scary world of the private sector have been dealing with this for a while (as I told DH who teaches!). But the rest of your post is simply wank.

HTH

[fedupofnamechanging]

This isn't about the amount of money a teacher will get upon retirement. This is about agreements being honoured. The teacher has fulfilled their part of the bargain - they have done the job and paid into their pension schemes. The government has no right to change the terms of the agreement on them after the fact. It's breach of contract.

This is also about divide and rule. If we are all busy at each others throats, because public sector workers might be getting more than private sector ones, then the government is free to continue unchallenged.

I notice the MP's aren't having their pensions put in line with everyone else's.

[TeamDamon]

Hmm - might be inclined to join a reasonable discussion about this but not one where the OP is clearly a bored shit-stirrer with nothing of intelligence or worth to contribute.

[KeepOnSwimming]

Oh and lots of schools are making teachers redundant at the minute, so job security is not there either!
With regards to holidays - teachers are actually not paid for the holidays! The pay we receive for working term time is just equally shared around the months. |This also means though that our allocated 2 weeks holiday could be said to be in any of the school holidays, so cannot be accrued for maternity leave!

[chosenone]

YABU we're not selfish as if we were we'd all work to rule and clear off at 3.30 with the kids, most teachers put kids 1st and put in extra time and effort to be a councellor, confidante, behavioural manager etc alongside their'duties...you clearly have never been in a school since you were in one!! Teachers in inner city schools deserve a medal.

If you compare our salaries with postgraduate professionals in the private sector ours is far lower. The pension was always seen as a perk for lower pay than other professionals. That extra % is being stolen off us even though there was a review of our pensions recently. The NASUWT is taking the govt to court as this is an illegal action and we are not prepared to bend over and be shafted by a government that lies about the deficit and where this money is going. My pension being used to bail out the banks again probably. We are fortunate that we can still have recognised Unions and we can fight unlike many in the Private sector don't begrudge us that or they really have won!

[ilovemydogandMrObama]

I support the teachers, and don't subscribe to there needing to be a threshold for strike action.