Any teachers about? If I have to give at least a month's notice before the end of term what happens if I resign on 29th July?

[takeachachachance]

Do I have to stay until Christmas or can I leave at the end of August?

I have checked my contract and it's really unclear.

Are you a teacher on a standard contract? If so you can resign now but you can't leave until Christmas.

Where do you work that you only need to give a month's notice?

Yep. You need to clarify where you are and if you work in a state or private school. If you're state I England and you didn't resign by 31st May, you're stuck in the job until 31 December I'm afraid.

Private.

Let me get the wording.

If you are a teacher you've missed the resignation date and whenever you resign now you have to stay until Christmas unless you can negotiate early date with your head, unlikely though as they will struggle to replace you for September.

If you are support staff it is standard 4 weeks and you can give notice up until end of July for contract to end 31st August.

Subject to earlier termination as provided in this Agreement, either party may terminate this Agreement on giving to the other at least one month’s written notice to expire on the last day of the Term in which that notice is given.

However, if the Employee is taking up a teaching appointment at another school at the start of a summer or autumn Term, such notice will expire on the day immediately preceding the day on which the new school opens for such Term if it is earlier than 1st May or 1st September respectively.

Oh, you are a private school teacher. Sorry then my answer is irrelevant.

If you’re in a private school then you likely won’t follow the usual teacher rules. If your contract says a months notice then if you hand it in on 29th July that brings you to the end of August.

I teach in an independent school and we have to give 8 weeks notice which starts from the day we hand in our notice, school holidays and terms etc have no bearing on it.

So it's this bit don/'t get

" giving to the other at least one month’s written notice to expire on the last day of the Term in which that notice is given"

So if it's given not in term time, then what?

I think, and I'm really only guessing, that you need to give notice a month before the end of term but if you are moving to a new school you continue to be paid as normal through the holidays with your contract expiring the day before your new one starts.

The contract refers to terms not term time. Just because it’s during the school holidays doesn’t mean it’s not part of the term, in the same way weekends and bank holidays count towards your notice period so do term holidays.

The new time starts on September 1st so any time before that (and after the Easter break) counts as part of the summer term regardless of whether you are actually working on that day.

Amazing, thanks! So I just have to give notice by around 1st August?

I’m not a teacher but I do work with contracts more generally and negotiate termination clauses.

" giving to the other at least one month’s written notice to expire on the last day of the Term in which that notice is given"

It depends when your last day of term is.
At least 30 days notice needs to be given before the last day of term, meaning you can give more than 30 days notice but it won’t take effect until the last day of term. You can’t give 30 days notice and finish at the end of the 30 days any time, only on the last day of term.
If you don’t give 30 days notice before the last day of term, your employment will automatically continue through the next term. Then you have have opportunity to give 30 days notice before the NEXT last day of term.

So in order to answer your question, we would need to know what the ‘last day of term’ is. If private school, I’d imagine the last day of term is well before 29th July.

I think it would have to be 31st July at the absolute latest because the last day of summer term is 31st August. That’s my understanding anyway and certainly how it works in my school where the notice period always includes term holidays.

Thanks all!