To think midwife’s get a rubbish deal compared to teachers?

@HowDoYouSolveAProblemLikeMyRear Agreed. I'm now an EOTAS Tutor after 21 years in primary teaching and do a max of 1/2 hr a day unpaid - I am pretty much paid for the hours I work.

What's the point of this?

Comparing two very different jobs and coming to the conclusion that teaching is probably easier?!

It sounds like a very thinly disguised teacher-bashing thread.

I think that sounds like a fair compromise.

It's such a tough decision isn't it? On the one hand teachers get loads of holidays and clock off at 3 and on the other hand midwives spend their days cuddling babies.

Maybe she could do both? I mean, teachers are barely in work so she could spend those spare hours cuddling the babies.

I think that would be very true if teachers worked 9-3:30, M-F, termtime only.

When I was a teacher my annual salary divided by my hours worked over a year was well below minimum wage.

@peanutbutt You don't think teachers are often faced with horrific and false allegations against them by the pupils they teach?

Of course there are risks. However I think the risk of litigation in healthcare is more common on a daily basis.

I think this thread is becoming a ‘which is the better job’ and I think the OP was looking for practical guidance. So it may be better to think more widely than MW versus teaching ? How about occupational therapy ? The role has expanded, they can specialise and no weekends ( in some OT roles). I’ve worked with lots of OT’s and they do a wonderful job, but it’s not as stressful as MW/ nursing. It’s interesting.

£45k -ish for either is pretty good. What else is she going to do that could earn her that amount?
I don’t think that salary should be sniffed at at all. It’s decent. And with a fair pension too.

I can't comment on midwifery, but as someone who was in primary teaching for 21 years I would never recommend it. And it's only getting worse.

One error or mis-judgment in a life/death emergency as a midwife is completely different to being a teacher.

Exactly! However, you'd still get people on here who have never done either, making wildly incorrect claims about the nature of both jobs!

😂

Teachers can't claim for overtime.

Contractually, we have to put in the hours until the job is done, irrespective of how many hours outside of the school day this is.

In my case, this usually means arriving at school at 7:45am, working through lunch with lunchtime clubs, supervisory duties, booster groups etc, and leaving between 17-17:30, then putting in a couple of hours of planning and marking each night Mon-Thurs, and working 4 hours on a Saturday or Sunday. That's about 9.5 hours at work per day and another 12 hours of unpaid overtime on evenings and weekends per week. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for being able to work my overtime at home (I'm very jealous of people who WFH) but it sucks that overtime is not paid.

As I wish to remain a class teacher, and not move into management, my salary plateaued around 15 years ago and I'm earning the same as much more junior colleagues -that's frustrating.

I'm primary but I hear that secondary colleagues can work longer hours.

Neither do I. In fact it's a bit thick really. I know, let's take two completely disparate things, "compare" them then decide that one of them isn't fair.

OP, do lollipop people and betting shop cashiers next.

@peanutbutt You don't think teachers are often faced with horrific and false allegations against them by the pupils they teach?

Yes, MW’s are accountable up until baby is a teenager. Not sure of the age. My MW friend was being investigated for a shoulder injury in an 16 year old. It happens. Healthcare currently is litigious for all professionals who work in it. It’s big business for some law firms to take a nurse/ MW/ Dr/ Surgeon to court. Rightly so in some instances. I’d go for teaching if it was me.

@WearyAuldWumman I'm really sorry that happened to you, that is unforgivable.

@Yerdug Teacher - risks every day unsubstantiated accusations of gross misconduct (especially when on own with a class).

@piscofrisco I work for the nhs in community mental health with young people. Social care I could and never would do. I cannot even imagine handling the abuse received as the staff member and also the abuse uncovered / witnessed / dealt with. It’s shit out there.

I think unless you've worked in both it really is impossible to compare properly.

Most teachers I know do at least 50 hours a week, if not more, and spend a good chunk of the holidays going planning, completing SEN work (the forms and processes for each child can apparently take hours) and the required cpd. I expect in the end they are pretty similar. Yes teachers technically get more holidays, but they aren't paid for it and have to take it at the most expensive times.

Probably much of a muchness, but I don't know any midwives to compare it to.

That's just wrong. A teacher in Scotland gets paid £34,938 in their probationary year rising to £52,614 at the top of the unprompted scale. That's a good salary for any new graduate and a decent salary progression too compared to other public and voluntary sector roles.

https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/general/salary-for-teachers-in-scotland-pay-scale

It’s a really strange thread.

I’m a teacher but I have absolutely no desire to be a playscheme worker. There’d also be very little point in paying qualified teacher rates to people running a holiday club. Total waste of money!

School nurse get 6 weeks off where I work

So different that the comparison is meaningless. My sister went from teaching and after her kids became a midwife. I think she arrived in her new job at a tough time but it gives her way more joy.

I work in a hospital but I have to say teachers are very restricted in having time off. Replacing a teacher is harder. Theres no bank staff like MW. I also wouldn't want to be restricted to only booking holidays in 1/2 term the prices are extortionate. 7 weeks annual leave but you will get 3 days off a week sometimes 4 so tbh MW get a better deal regarding holidays by far. I do agree though that the both jobs are very different and wonder why OPs Sister has narrowed it down to these 2 inparticular?

Well of course. The holidays are related to the schools being closed for children What other profession would this apply to?
I'd give a lot for the opportunity to work from home.