Job specific misconceptions which persist

[housemdwaswrong]

An acknowledgement to @whatusernameshallihavenow for totally ripping about their thread for general misconceptions that persist. I've tried linking to the thread but I can't. Sorry.

I wondered which job specific myths there were (and hopefully thus avoiding brexit or covid).

Proofreader: You don't need any training as it's just checking spelling.

In my past life supply-teaching: supply teachers get paid more than 'proper' teachers. Prevalent view around here. I never, never understood it (or was working for the wrong agencies).

[quote CMOTDibbler]@MsWarrensProfession DH has spent a lot of his life trying to explain how insurance premiums are calculated to people, and the concept of the main risk in motor being catastrophic injury pass them by.
There are many misconceptions about insurance and especially claims that drive him insane, and of course no one is ever happy with what insurance has done for them[/quote]
I'm pleased to report that I'm delighted with what insurance did for me. I had an unblemished record for over 20 years, but at a very stressful time I was distracted and damaged my car badly (no other vehicles or pedestrians involved, thank goodness). Insurance sorted it out and took the stress away. Yes, my premiums increased the next year, but that's my own fault.

I swear half the people who bad mouth insurance companies either have never had to claim or they have underinsured themselves to cut costs and then are outraged that they are not covered for something that they chose not to cover.

@TeaStory

Of course teachers get paid in the holidays, what nonsense to suggest otherwise!

Then it’s a good thing that no-one did suggest that, isn’t it?

Teachers get paid IN the holidays, they do not get paid FOR the holidays (except the statutory 28 days that EVERYONE should get).

Nope, I think you will find that teachers get an annual salary, in common with all other professions.

@isthistoonosy

Health and safety advisors walk round ticking boxes and trying to get you in to trouble for nosensical things.

If people saaw how hard our H&S advisor actually worked, and on what, they wouldn't think that. He's good.

Fundraisers just rattle tins or chug.

That doing the accounts for a small business is easy. You just buy a software package, upload your receipts, press a button and hey presto it's all done.

GIGO.

@gongy

Re high salaries same true for accountants i think. Some earn 50k even in London & then some earn ££££.

That everyone who works in an investment bank earns ££££ & gets a mega bonus.

@gongy I am an accountant in audit in the big 4 (outside London) with 10 years experience and earn the equivalent of £40k a year (actually less as I work 4 days a week).

Not sure what I’d earn in London as have only ever worked up north.

I've never understood why some teachers are wedded to the 'teachers don't get paid for the holidays' as evidence that they are misunderstood by the general public. DH either gets 13 weeks paid holiday a year or he's getting paid about £48k a year pro rata as a classroom teacher with a minor TLR - why would the latter of those inspire more sympathy?! There are so many genuinely crap things about teaching that I don't understand why some teachers are so determined to insist on this unpaid holiday business as evidence of how hard done to they are - there's real, actual evidence that teachers are hard done to!

@CayrolBaaaskin

Teachers do get paid for the holidays. You can argue that some is unpaid leave and their salaries are just annualised if you like but it amounts to the same thing. They don’t have to g9 to work and they get paid.

Ummm... actually they do have to go to work for at least some of it. And most of them are working from home some of the other times too. They probably get the usual 25 days of actual not at work and not doing work that most people in the UK do. Certainly not the 12 weeks people think.

That vets earn a fortune. Average pay for someone around 15 years qualified is actually around 40-45k and this hasn't changed for the past 5 years. Practice owners earn around 61k and their salaries are in decline. Significantly less than doctors dentists, lawyers or teachers, engineers, IT etc (depending on roles). Bear in mind the average vet spends 5 years at uni and graduates with 60-70k of debt.

That we're somehow on commission and try to charge for extra services/products because we'll get the extra money

That we're all money grabbing bastards who should work for free because we love animals (you know, because pets aren't the owners responsibility and we don't have living expenses )

Nope, I think you will find that teachers get an annual salary, in common with all other professions.

I used to be a teacher, thanks. Teacher salary is for 195 in-school days + statutory holidays, so I suggest you look up “directed time”. Like I said, paid IN the holidays, not FOR the holidays.

That a Company Secretary is the boss's PA - no, it is a quasi-legal role that means you are registered at Companies House along with the directors, and can be sued along with the directors if there is serious wrongdoing at top levels of the company.

Ummm... actually they do have to go to work for at least some of it. And most of them are working from home some of the other times too. They probably get the usual 25 days of actual not at work and not doing work that most people in the UK do. Certainly not the 12 weeks people think.

It depends on the teacher and the school, doesn't it? DH never ever has to be in work during the holidays and probably does about a week's work over the summer and absolutely nothing in the other holidays. He works long hours during term but has always treated his holiday as sacrosanct.

@tinselfest

That doing the accounts for a small business is easy. You just buy a software package, upload your receipts, press a button and hey presto it's all done.

GIGO.

Well, this misconception isn't helped by adverts for software essentially advertising that yes, it is that easy.

That psychologists read minds, interpret dreams and want to hear about acquaintances' childhood/relationship problems.

I used to work in a travel agents.
Everyone assumed I got free holidays and that I knew everything about every single holiday destination.

Re Teacher Salary.
We get paid a salary for 1265 hours directed time over 195 days a year.
This is paid in 12 equal payments one each month.
There is not enough time in those 1265 hours to do everything required to do the job well. Therefore most of us work many additional hours weekends/evenings/school holidays to do what has to be done. Regardless of what we do when we are salaried for 1265 hours over 195 days each year.
We are not on an hourly rate, we do not get paid for our holidays, we do not get overtime.
An experienced who has taught the same year for several years has to do less (not no) planning on a weekly basis.
An NQT puts in hours and hours starting from scratch.
Each is paid for the same 1265 hours.

Pharmacy work- when the patient says "what's taking so long you just have to slap a label on the box...."
You have no idea mate. It's the making sure the drug doesnt kill you part that takes time!

1. Gardeners are all thick and failed at school.
2. Gardeners are all volunteers.

Nope and nope - my colleagues and I are mostly qualified to at least foundation degree level, some much higher. We are generally paid a pittance, mostly because historically gardeners used to have tied housing and so wages were low - now no housing but wages still shit, not helped by the big orgs (RHS, NT etc) having a pay agreement where nobody decides to pay more than the others.

@trailing1 Question - I get loads of meds and my pharmacist and other staff are all fab. I don't understand why their workload increased so much with covid? Ours opened later and were shut for an hour midday-ish. I don't have a problem with it, like I said they are brill. But staffing levels aside which were unaffected what caused the increased pressure as there are no drugs available from the pharmacy for covid? Always wondered that. Oh, and thanks for not killing people, much appreciated :)

@sueelleker And there's another slight misconception in your post perhaps - studies consistently show primary teachers work longer hours than secondary teachers, not the other way around. (And I don't have the data to back it up but I suspect on average are paid less, due to the way school budgets work and the lack of TLR opportunities in primary.)

Carers just sit around drinking cups of tea with doddery old people.

We have to in the care home that I work in at least, on an average day -

Change multiple adult nappies for residents that cannot move or speak using appropriate manual handling /machinery safely

Shower and dress said residents

Be watchful for changes in behaviour or health

Deal with violent and challenging behaviour both to ourselves and other residents and de escalate said behaviour

Assist residents with severe dysphagia to eat and drink

Ensure they have taken the correct medication at the correct time

There's also beds to make, a communal areas to keep clean, infection control to keep to.

Occasionally sit and have a cup of tea with one or two of them.

And twice last week sit with them and reassure them while they die (and not skip a beat because Mary wants the empty cup taken out of her room because she finished her tea a whole 15 minutes ago)

Each resident also has a fair stack of paperwork that needs to be filled out each shift.

All whilst wearing masks and gloves and aprons currently.

@TeaStory

Nope, I think you will find that teachers get an annual salary, in common with all other professions.

I used to be a teacher, thanks. Teacher salary is for 195 in-school days + statutory holidays, so I suggest you look up “directed time”. Like I said, paid IN the holidays, not FOR the holidays.

Yeah, I think you may be out of date - or maybe it is an English thing? In Scotland, teaching jobs have an annual salary and like all professions you work the hours you need to get the job done.

Yeah, I think you may be out of date - or maybe it is an English thing? In Scotland, teaching jobs have an annual salary and like all professions you work the hours you need to get the job done.

I’m English. Someone upthread has explained it to you. Teachers are paid for directed time (1265 hours over 195 days), but work many more hours than that which are technically unpaid.

@BillywigSting

Carers just sit around drinking cups of tea with doddery old people.

We have to in the care home that I work in at least, on an average day -

Change multiple adult nappies for residents that cannot move or speak using appropriate manual handling /machinery safely

Shower and dress said residents

Be watchful for changes in behaviour or health

Deal with violent and challenging behaviour both to ourselves and other residents and de escalate said behaviour

Assist residents with severe dysphagia to eat and drink

Ensure they have taken the correct medication at the correct time

There's also beds to make, a communal areas to keep clean, infection control to keep to.

Occasionally sit and have a cup of tea with one or two of them.

And twice last week sit with them and reassure them while they die (and not skip a beat because Mary wants the empty cup taken out of her room because she finished her tea a whole 15 minutes ago)

Each resident also has a fair stack of paperwork that needs to be filled out each shift.

All whilst wearing masks and gloves and aprons currently.

Several of my family members are caters. It's a tough profession

*carers