Do you think teachers are paid too little?

Thank goodness you aren't a teacher!

We can’t hire any for the wages on offer so it appears that market forces disagree with you.

But plenty of people are leaving and thats the problem. Roles that are vital to society- teachers, doctors, nurses, military...what happens when they keep leaving and we face even more critical shortages? Also public sector workers pay tax too, I'm not sure why people bring it up as an argument as if they don't. I don't think it's an aspirational view that instead of fair wages we should be hoping that people leave for jobs that add little value to society.

Teacher here. I'm on UPS now in London. Husband also a teacher. We definitely felt reasonably paid until about 5yrs ago. But now with no lifestyle change whatsoever- in fact our housing costs have gone down- we are skint. Our wages are just going less and less far. Teaching friends all say the same.

I agree. Paperwork and all the admin needs to be reduced. The pay is fine, but the expectations and pressure that comes with that needs to be addressed. Too many teachers leave the profession due to stress.

Not in any meaningful sense. The are paid money out of taxation and they are taxed so have to give some of it back. It'd be exactly the same if they were just paid less but exempt from tax.

They're paid adequately for their skill set and the job they do.

I work with one ex teacher but she quit because of the kids not because of the pay. Maybe she'd have been more willing to put up with the kids if the pay was better, I don't know.

Also public sector workers pay tax too...

I don't get this view though, there are tonnes of unfilled public sector roles- many entry level so if people think this way they could take on these roles. I'd also take it up with your employer who is no doubt making £££ whilst you're on crap pay.

You clearly don't know ex-teachers.

Public sector pay should be based on private sector pay. You can't give public sector workers pay rises and expect the private sector workers who pay for it all to just suck it up. If teachers don't like their jobs that much, they should all quit, and go and work at McDonalds or something. But they won't, they'll just whinge and moan about how important they are, how much harder than everyone else they work, and how special they are. They aren't special. They do a job, for an amount of money. Just like everyone else who works. It's up to them to make it work or do something else to earn a living.

The bands are set countrywide afaik so an ECT in County Durham could afford to buy a 3-bed semi on their starting salary whereas an ECT in parts of the Home Counties could only buy a one-bedroom flat if they took out a joint mortgage with a partner. So a teacher could live like a king in C.Durham, a pauper in the SE.

Coffee, and others on this thread, I think you are right, to a great extent. I took a very significant pay cut when I entered teaching, but at that point it was a job that was possible, in terms of workload, expectations, some level of work life balance etc.

While I do think pay and pay progression needs to be looked at - and the issue of school budgets to match - returning to the workload and classroom conditions of 10, even 5 years ago would assist retention at least.

Yes, teachers are paid too little.

If they had a decent salary and conditions then they wouldn't have problems attracting people to the profession. The contempt the current govt shows towards state education is extremely damaging. Not. Only for teachers but for generations of school leavers to come.

Not only teachers but all ancillary support and services should be better funded. Education is critical for cohesive, productive, healthy societies. I don't think the Tories realise just how damaging their policies are - they are socially divisive and will ultimately make the UK less competitive- as well as create a whole generation of people unable to think critical salt or hold their government to account.

Perhaps (I say that because I've lost touch with teachers' pay). I think the issue is more to do with workload. The expectations of what teachers should fit into the working day and the hugely increased range of responsibilites, not to mention red-tape/insane levels of recording etc have become totally unsustainable.

I think, in European countries, teachers are allowed to teach - without trying to be social workers, counsellors, child psychiatrists, etc to the extent they are here. Or this used to be the case - but correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm not denying that these roles may be necessary in some schools but they shouldn't be loaded on to teachers.

@Sleepeazie I am a primary teacher with a PhD and first degree from a very highly respected institution. My job is different from a teacher in secondary, sixth form, oand HE, but is not ‘easier’ because I teach younger children.

Take planning - the NC is very broad brush for primary and there are no exam content specifications BUT schools are required to work out a full progressive curriculum for every year from these statements, in terms of what every child must learn, be able to do, and remember. That needs to be consistent across classes in each year group and progressive between year groups. As a result, the vast majority of primaries have to create full written long, medium and short term plans and resources - and then adapt them for the 1 in 4 or more children per class with different levels of SEN as well as making sure the most able make progress.

Equally marking - every book for the next lesson in the same subject is the normal policy, so between 3 and 6 full sets of books each day, depending on how lessons fall.

SEN paperwork and pastoral support us also typically done by class teachers, there being no-one else.

Teaching us not easier because children are younger- I have the deepest respect for my EYFS colleagues, who teach 30 children of all abilities to read, year in and year out. Just because I can read well doesn’t mean I can teach reading well!

Maybe less problems with recruitment but the vary majority of the issue is retention due to workload and working conditions.

If teachers were paid enough, there'd be no problem with recruitment and retention.

I would be really interested to see a comparison between pay (and pay progression) between teachers in different countries, benchmarked against other graduate jobs in those countries. (A comparison of actual hours worked would be excellent too, but I suspect that’s not available!)

What I an wondering us whether there is any link between the ‘value a society places on education’ - crudely measured by teacher pay throughout their career - and the perceived quality of that educational system on international benchmatks?

Lol I bet you are one of those parents that think a teacher has been promoted when they move from KS1 to KS2.

Six of my family are or have been teachers.

Paid too little at lower grades in particular, though I think this is not the only issue. Parents taking no responsibility for their children or even accepting their child has not behaved appropriately are one significant factor.

Sadly views like this are why the government feels free to award pay rises to teachers that have to be funded through the existing school budget.
Why school budgets are squeezed.
Why the teachers are striking.
What has to happen before we do something about it.

It’s not a race to the bottom. Yes lots of people earn less than teachers. Maybe they should be paid more too? Most public sector workers’ pay hasn’t kept up with inflation over many years.

I think it’s more than just teachers pay that’s the issue. It’s what is expected of them as well.

Safeguarding, ofsted hoops, targets - parents! providing extra curricular after school activities. Parents evening, feedback, reporting - that’s all before actual being in the classroom teaching.

We often read on here what impact is taking my child out for five days - there isn’t an understanding of the planning that’s in place for teaching - that week could be an important week to learn a topic. The parent then expects the teacher to provide additional resources so that child can catch up.

Pay them fairly, let’s keep the good teachers teaching and support them. Let’s get schools funding up.

Im not a teacher but appreciate what is being provided to my child - I want the best for them.