to ask why, if you think a job is so cushy, you don't actually do it?

[Serendippy]

Genuine question, although guaranteed to rile a number of you

This comes mostly from the comments about teachers/childminders. Funnily enough, I have never once heard anyone say, 'God, I paid my callout plumber a fortune, I wish I had his job'. Is this because most of us do not have any idea about plumbing? But it seems that most think they know about educating a child, so why not do it? Especially now you are given money to train asa teacher and if you already have a degree, it only takes a 9 month course to qualify? I appreciate that if you have no qualifications in place already, becoming a teacher would involve a long time on no income training, but if you would only have to do 9 months and then get loadsa money for sitting kids in front of DVDs, leaving work at 3 and swanning off on holiday for 13 weeks a year, why don't you? Same goes for childminding, if it is so easy to mind other people's children and at the same time you would save on childcare for your own, why don't you do it?

Right, who wants to throw the first punch?

or get criticised, if the MN threads are an indication? (although justifiably at times!)

I think it is because they do get such a hard time in the press that teachers can get a bit chippy. The DM last week on a single day had 4 negative stories about teachers.

You are an NQT for a year, and thereafter there is reasonable year on year progression early career.

And yes, we are indeed a very whiny profession

Interesting Looktowindward -I would say something similar about teachers. Lots of them have never worked outside teaching so they don't seem to recognise that others do an equally or more stressful job )

And you are making assumptions about hours worked as an NQT too I think. Certainly not working on directed hours (if only...)

readywithwellies that was a bit uncalled for, don't you think?
Just because babyheave worked in a school in special measures does not mean that her own teaching was at fault.

"And you are making assumptions about hours worked as an NQT too I think."

Erm, no. Just watching what dh does.

Well yes, but they aren't directed hours. And they vary, a lot, between teachers. I work fewer hours than some teachers, more than others.

to those who think it's well paid, i think you should remember that teachers have completed a degree AND a post-grad course, that they are responsible for managing up to 200 people, part-time each, but still, you have to keep tabs on their progress & the hours and expectations are vv high.

yes. there are other jobs out there that are similar, but someone with that responsibility within the private sector would be on considerably more money.

private sector workers are also VERY unlikely to have their employees swear, refuse to work, disappear, attempt to bully them, or bring their parents in to have a moan on their behalf. They are protected for things like overcrowding in the work place, and temperatures (i have worked in areas of school with NO heating). There's a good chance that they will have sufficient resources, not have their entire working structure and materials completely 'remodelled' every few years, and very few workers have their 'results' publicly printed, with every adult in the town gossiping about them.

teachers DO have far greater job security - a bonus which is worth a lot of money, in my eyes, but 'poor' teachers can and do get shown the door, so outright laziness isn't really an option - or shouldn't be.

and the amount of responsibility that a promotion brings, certainly isn't matched by a signifcant rise in pay.

i have known a LOT of teachers who retire early do to stress- induced ill health.

teaching has some of the higest sickness rate, highest sicknes-due-to-stress rates, and high divorce rates.

still, i have heard a lot of compliments from people who show me respect. and yes, i've seriously considered becoming a plumber - so much less stress, so much more money.

YANBU. Couldn't agree more. Teachers might make their job look easy but that doesn't mean it is!

I work as a nursery nurse and I think a lot of people think people in that kind of job (eg nursery, childminder etc) are a bit thick and uneducated. It is looked down on by a lot of people.

I love my job personally and love doing it. I dont really mind that much that it is low paid, but it does a little bit get on my nerves when some people think it is beneath them.

Um, I am a teacher. So I know what my qualifications are (and in fact I have a couple of superfluous qualifications thrown in for good measure) and I still think the pay isn't bad.

Clam - I said re Babyheave 'If your Estyn report showed your teaching required many improvements then it is probably a good idea for you not to teach.'

This would relate to the specific teacher in their class environment. I said IF. I was not assuming or implying Babyheave was a bad teacher. If the report said she was, I was saying she shouldn't teach. Therefore I defend my statement.

Readywithwellies

Regardless of your defense readywithwellies your response to my coment was, frankly, offensive.

I taught in a number of schools and had very good reports from OfStead about my teaching.

The inner city school I taught in last was formed by the merger of 3 schools, all of which had a difficult demographic and had been struggling. Soon after the (rushed and badly organised IMHO) merger the new school was inspected and put into special measures.

The whole situation was extremely hard work and saw us all - new and old staff - working above and beyond to get the school working for the benefit of all of the students there. We pulled out of the mire and I decided that frankly I needed a break.

Out of interest, the chief inspector for my subject tried to get me to take a role in another school. Not something that happens if a teacher shouldn't be teaching.

Does that clarify for you?

Am I the only one who did find teaching easy? I did finish at 3.30 and life was good ;)

I fondly remember the first wave of redundant bankers who thought teaching would be a good alternative. After all, they had worked in banking, they knew all about long hours and stress. I would try and spell out the realities as they started their placements at my inner city college. None of them lasted the distance.

I no longer teach. I'm still in education and even though I've been doing 3 people's jobs for the last year, I can still go home after work and STOP.

I taught secondary and now teach tertiary. There is no comparison. My life was much much *infinity easier as an A level maths and chemistry teacher.

OK I'm going to get flamed here but this is a phone of contention for me.

First, I wouldn't teach because I don't consider it to be a cushy job and it doesn't match my skill set. I can earn much more doing other jobs so of course I do.

However, I do think that teachers complain about the low level of pay and the 'high' hours too much. Honestly, the pay is not bad for the qualifications required and once you get to middle management unpaid overtime is the norm anywhere. I have never worked in a job where there wasn't at least an hour's unpaid overtime on top of the 9-5.

A degree plus a PGCE is only a four year study requirement. A lot of teachers are much more qualified but that is their choice not the requirement. I believe you can also often get onto a PGCE with a 2.2 now and that doesn't go for most graduate training schemes (I may be wrong, correct me if I am).

A previous poster asked why she (I assume) should be expected to work a 5 hour day then 3/4/5 hours on top. You are kidding me aren't you? Admittedly chosing the minimum addition only, but that goes to be an 8 hour day. I would have thought eight hours is the minimum most professionals on a similar salary would be doing.

I am doing a job that I chose as an 'easy option' to match with having a young child. I still work at least 8 hours a day with regular, unpaid, overtime pushing that up to 12 hours at times.

As I've said, I really don't think teachers have it easy and I know they work hard in some quite difficult circumstances. However, so do a lot of other people who don't moan anywhere near as much. If you think it's so terrible change profession.

bone not phone!

I taught. I did a 3 year degree plus a one and a half year pg dip in education. This included a long placement and the a prereg year in one school after graduation.
Teaching was fine - the hours were good, I had holidays, I was able to have weekends. I had 2 lunch breaks (ok I had playgroud duty twice a week) and spare periods. Kids couldnt contact me after hours.

Now I am in teriary. It NEVER stops. Students email and phone at all hours - weekends included. They are demanding, rude and litigious. I have to keep up with content so much more than when in was able to walk in with a text and lesson plan. We have CONSTANT evaluation - by peers ans students. We are persoal academic tutors and disseratation supervisors for at least 50 students and have to give them 30 mins each at least fortnightly.

secondary teaching FOR ME was a lot easier. The only thing that used to frustrate me was the dsicipline and lack of gratititude and poor attitude to taching as a profession from students.

and my typing is crap

God, who would want a cushy job...sounds dreadfully boring.

I think teachers work hard and their salary isn't very high (I wouldn't do it for that reason alone).

That said, I don't believe being a teacher is the most demanding job ever, as many teachers would like to have you believe.

Goodness, all this endless self justification is so...grey.

The worst part of the job for me was that your home becomes your office - so many resources. Mind you, its the same for me now.

I'm lying - I have worked in a job which wasn't 8hours plus but that's when I was on a gap year teaching

I don't think teaching is cushy at all. I've done it (albeit at FE level) and it was hard - and school jobs look a lot harder. Good teachers don't have it easy, only crap slacker-teachers do. The workload is pretty huge and the hours are not necessarily 'family friendly'.

Some TAs have it slightly more 'cushy', but the money is appalling.

Childminding is my idea of hell. Lowly paid, other people's kids messing up my house all day and long hours.

So, um, that's my honest answer.

They're NOT cushy jobs and I wouldn't want to do either of them.

I dont agree its only slacker teachers that find it easy.
I was an excellent teacher. I was made head of department within 2 years.

My only crime to be honest that it wasnt as hard as my job in tertiary teaching.