Do the teachers really get 13 weeks hols a year?

[GabbyLoggon]

I only ask the questions

Gabby - I really looked into teacher's working hours as I was planning to do the training. I'm a TA so I just looked around at my colleagues and made a few enquiries. The vast majority work a couple of hours at home in the evenings and a few hours every weekend. They also come in for odd days during the school holidays to prepare their courses.

I decided against going into teaching because I have young children and I'm not prepared to work the long hours teachers work.

are automatically going to be better teachers

well sorry i would rather take my chance with the students who got top marks than the ones who barley past.

just my view as a parent

So why is someone with a Third in their first degree unfit to teach? If you do a PGCE you don't commence teacher training until after your degree is awarded.

not saying they unfit didn't mention that you did i would prefer a maths teacher who had a 1st than one who had a 3rd my child is in state school so i have to take what were given but if ... i had the choice i would rather the one who had a 1st

Since your child is highly unlikely to be doing Maths of the complexity that 1st class degrees are made of that is a highly misguided POV. There are some poor teachers with firsts, and excellent ones with lower classifications.

Didn't say they allow you to take time out of school for holidays but many pepole do it - three currently away in one class at my school because they are 'poor' and can't afford hols in summer. I can't afford to go to places like they're going for 2 weeks summer hols or not - there is some provision 'in exceptional circumstances' but you can find your eceptional circumstances if you look into it hard enough.
I know we all have problems if DC sick but if you are employed elsewhere you can take days off for holiday out of term time, so it is possible to have a day off for sick kid.

It's simple enough what Gabby's point is. He's asking if he's being unreasonable to ask if teachers get paid for the school holidays. Ok, he could phrase it a bit better, but after trying to translate a lot of what my Ds1 says, Gabby's offbeat comments are second nature to understand to me.

Sorry admitted I'm a teacher and spelled 'people' incorrectly.

Cluttered stands by to be flamed.

Pupils get 13 weeks holiday.

Teachers have open-ended contracts which require them to work unlimited hours as required to discharge their professional duties.

Only dates falling within pupil holiday time, less INSET days, are available should teachers wish to take a holiday.

really i lovesooty you know my child do you you assume what because i have a poor education my child is not bright, really oh dear

may be it follows then your child will be getting a third rate degree as well

really i lovesooty you know my child do you you assume what because i have a poor education my child is not bright, really oh dear

Not at all what I said. Try reading more carefully. I cast no aspersions on your child's academic ability.

may be it follows then your child will be getting a third rate degree as well

Would you like to explain the logic of this too?

I'm sorry if you've been unable to understand what I said - I have explained it as simply as I can.

Maypole, just because you are brilliant at maths, doesn't mean you will be able to explain concepts well to a 5/8/11/16 year old. In fact, sometimes it's more difficult, because you are unaware of the problems that hey may have, because it comes so easily to you. Do you have a problem with your children's teachers? Do they not have any work planned/prepared for them in school? Does it never get marked? If no, then you seriously need to spend your time taking it up with the school, instead of slagging off teachers, and if they do, when do you think it gets done? Also, you ARE teaching your children. Children learn as much from the parent as they do from school.

Teachers do indeed get 13 weeks where school is closed to pupils. They are not technically paid for that time.

This is easily seen when you compare an employed teachers pay to a supply teacher's pay.

An employed teacher recieves much less per day, over 12 months, than a supply teacher.

A supply teacher takes home more money per day than the employed teacher. However the employed teacher does recieve the same per day wage, or thereabouts, but it is deivived into 12 eqiual payments and paid per month instead. So, there is no additional holiday pay - just that the hours they are contracted for are paid in equal payments per month.

Just because a teacher only has xxx contact hours doesn't mean they don't work outside of that time.

Infact it would be impossible to do the role of a teacher without working outside of that time.

PPA time is no where near sufficient to cover all the planning, prep, assessment, report writing, display work, meeting with parents or educational agencies, other admin, etc. It has to take place outside of those contracted hours.

Thank you noeyedear

I was obviously not conveying what you said so clearly!

Maypole
Ilovesooty is just saying that a child is not learning 1st class degree level maths. So a good teacher with a lower class degree but excellent teaching skills is perfectly competent to teach to gcse, a level or any lower school level.

Maypole1- if you believe that only graduates with first-class degrees should be allowed to teach, are you willing to pay Maths/Economics/Physics graduates with firsts a teaching salary commensurate with what those people would expect to earn in, say, the financial sector?

Do you really believe that degree course grades are the only variable which can affect the quality of a person's teaching? More so than experience, classroom management skills, knowledge of the course, availability of appropriate resources? If so you're misguided. Obviously teachers need to be qualified with a degree appropriate to the subject they teach, but other factors are hugely important too.

It looks a bit open-ended to me as though teachers can only really speak for what they do. (Not the profession) Are you teachers a bit like politicians on the subject of holidays.? (No offence intended.) you would have a chickem plucking job to work out an MPs holidays? DITTO teachers? No special pleading please

Bullet
Kind of you to offer translation services

ilovesooty

"Since your child is highly unlikely to be doing Maths of the complexity that 1st class degrees are made of that is a highly misguided "

that is the only way this can be taken.

i think we should both stop before this gets more ugly we shal agree to disagree

MilaMae - I would say that it was unusual for teachers to not work in their holidays. I know when I taught, pre PPA days, I did a lot of work in the school holidays, after school and weekends. And every teacher I now know still does this. I haven't met a teacher who does no work in school holidays - I can honestly say this.

Inertia, getting a good sound degree is the start no point worrying about the rest of the stuff if you not got a sound knowledge of your core subject.

just my view as a parents to teachers the same but the only difference is the level of degree i will take the one withe the 1st thats it

You are welcome Pagwatch .
I have no idea if Gabby is on a windup or if he has difficulty with communicating and getting his point across. But I always think that could easily be my Ds1 in another 15 - 20 years.

that is the only way this can be taken

No it isn't. Both pagwatch and noeyedear have explained very clearly what I said. If you are unable or unwilling to take that on board you are the one with the problem.