Teachers - you're 'avvin a laugh aintcha?

[mholdall]

Kids recently had a week off - half term. They were back this week then, guess what - teacher training day. Seriously, what I want to know is this: is there ANY other job in the country where you get:

• 13 paid weeks holiday a year
• Good pay
• Good pension (believe me, you do compared to people who do proper jobs in private sector - if you dont believe me, try it)
• And yet you still need these extra days to do some training. Training for what, exactly? Seriously, for what???? And how am I, as a parent, supposed to factor childcare in here.
• Oh, and you still do nothing but moan about pay, pensions etc
• Rant over

FFS - the OP CAN'T be serious?

Not read past first page but agree with what everyone says about non-paid holidays, working during holidays and unpaid overtime etc.

Has anyone counter argued the 'childcare and inset days point' by pointing out teachers also have to arrange childcare on these days.

tethers I wondered if you trained team teach from other posts elsewhere! I am just doing my 'top up training' now. I'm not a trainer but a trainee! (work in school for pupils with SEN)

Those teachers do my swede in. Lazy good for nothin scrotes who go on lavish lunches, earning a fortune, making my life hell, on luxury holidays, all in their little smug club. oh no wait...that's bankers.

Digestive anyone?

If teachers were to work for the 227 days a year that has been mentioned presumably children would be there for the same amount of time and holidays in term time would be a thing of the past!

Alternatively perhaps teachers could take their holidays when they felt like it and parents could just fit around them. I'd be quite happy to book my holidays early so parents had plenty of time to make alternative arrangements whilst I'm away

See, everyone has an opinion on teachers and their cushy number because we all went to school, didn't we? Just as I know everything about medicine coz I've been to see the GP a few times, innit?

just to lighten the mood ""

Another teacher here who cannot believe the OP and some of the other commenters on this thread.

Teachers don't start converstations moaning about how hard their lot is - they respond to people moaning about them. It's called right of reply.

The OP actually sounds like an ex-friend of mine who is a lawyer who was always moaning on and on about teachers.

When I suggested to him that he too could become a teacher as we did the same degree, his reply was very swift. " Oh no, I couldn't do that. Far too stressful and not enough money"

Says it all really.

FWIW, I think I am paid well for what I do. I don't think I work harder than everybody else but I don't see threads on here or newspaper articles repeatedly attacking other professions in the same way. Teachers don't make up the rules, we just have to do as the Government tell us. And as they love to interfere, we have to have training days to take on board all the shit lovely new initiatives they keep throwing our way.

Sick of the "teachers should live in the real world" crap as well. Surely experience in your field is a good thing. I wouldn't bash a plumber or a brain surgeon for only having worked in their profession.

As many previous posters have said, teaching is in the real world. Rather too much so some days when you're having to calm your kids down after witnessing a stabbing outside the school ( Thursday), or counselling a y8 whose mum had a heart attack in school while waiting for parents' evening (Wednesday), or breaking up a fight at lunchtime between kids who were spouting racist shit obviously heard in the home ( also Thursday). That's just the tip of the iceberg of my week last week.

Do I love my job? Yes. Do I want to change careers? No, but it pisses me off when ignorant fuckers wind me up with their ignorant shit. Do I think holidays are a perk? Yes, they are. Lots of jobs have perks, holidays are mine.

Shhhhhhhh...if you listen very carefully, you can hear the sound of us teachers tittering and guffawing all over the country. We are indeed, having a laugh. Love and kisses, xxx.

AIBU to think that the OP doesn't have an original idea in their entire body? I mean, really, could you not think up something a little more interesting to bitch about in regard to the teaching profession. So many cliches all in one OP. Dullard.

Teachers, I'm on your side. My DS (20) was brilliantly looked after by your profession/alism.

I was discussing this thread with DH while we walked the dogs today. He observed that the teaching unions made you look unprofessional. You (in his opinion) are portrayed in the media by your unions as weak-minded, selfish martyrs. Can I just stress that he thinks teaching is a serious, serious profession which should be rewarded "big time" (his words).

Please give me the bullets to fight back with (or not, if you think he's got a point).

Thank goodness for training days: the people from ds3's SN Unit and the MS school my other son will attend just attended an asd training day: they are now up to date on that and no doubt will cover other sn, changes in assessments etc on other days.

I don't want a teacher who ahsn;t done a day's training since 1977 and I strongly suspect having 3 with Sn and no family so someone HAS to take a day off, can;t buy anything in, it is ahrder to cover these days for me. So YABU. Incredibly so.

No, I am not a teacher.

It pisses me off quite a lot when people say that school isn't childcare. It bloody must be, because I work in school hours, and I don't have a nanny...seriously, of course it is relied upon as childcare, otherwise there would be very few women in the workplace. Don't be daft.

I wouldn't get too jealous about teachers pensions. DH works in private sector pension administration, and he reckons there is almost no chance of most of them paying out in ten years time.

Of course it isn't child care. It is education. There is a difference.

I've just read this whole thread and cant believe the nerve of the OP. Teachers work harder than anybody, often until the early hours of the morning. They do a wonderful job and never complain about their lot. They are about to get their pension cut (and, yes, I know everybody in the private sector has been dealing with pension cuts for years but teachers should get special treatment because they do such a wonderful job - end of). I work in the private sector and, in actual fact, would actually pay an extra 10p extra on income tax to ensure teachers retain their pensions, just as a thanks for all the hard work they do.

I worked as a teacher before I had DD (now am full time Mum). Weird person that I am I actually enjoyed teaching 30 other peoples' kids and intend to go back to it part time when DD at nursery!! But although teachers get great holidays, many of my evenings and some holidays really were taken up with horrible paperwork. However a lot of teachers moan too much as it is a great job in many ways although not well paid. I agree with the OP that these 'training' days are a waste of time. I used to find them so useless and boring that I would actually have preferred to be teaching the children than listening to some miserable old git who has left teaching because they couldn't cope tell me how to teach.

Teachers work harder than anybody

...never complain about their lot

...teachers should get special treatment because they do such a wonderful job

...would actually pay an extra 10p extra on income tax to ensure teachers retain their pensions

I've made several posts on this thread saying how much I admire teachers, but I can't believe you're being serious with these comments.

Teaching happens to be convenient because it takes place on weekdays and gives people freedom to work but that it incidental, it isn't childcare. The purpose is education.

I think the childcare is something the Government (both this and alst, no bias!) has tried to push tbh; wrap around care being based at schools, changing suummer hols for working parents- it is no surprise people think like that (although our school won't provide the breakfast clubs etc and that IS a shame)

OK.

I'm handing in my notice today, as I have no childcare.

Schools do do wrap around care, but the before and after is childcare and it is not run by teachers.

You seem to have a silly attitude Mercy-as a spin off of sending your DCs to school it leaves you free to go to work. The purpose is to educate your DCs, it is not to keep them off the streets so that it gives free childcare.

I fully support teachers, I am a school governor and I live next to a school and I know how hard they work - I saw them come into school on the last day of half term and the last couple of days of summer holidays as I do in all the holidays. I understand that it is a tough job and I appreciate the job that most of them do (in every walk of life there are the not so good so I won't say all).

But, this thread annoys me a little. I have read about 2/3rds of it properly, skimmed the rest as it was getting to bedtime when I started and what none of the teachers seem to have noticed is that there are few, if any, who support the OP fully. What we do have though is scores of teachers piling on defending their position and accusing everybody of teacher bashing. I just don't see that at all. I see a thread which would have died a quick and painless death is all the teachers hadn't piled on to keep it going and this is what I see time and time again on these threads. Really you cause the upset for yourselves!

And FWIW, yes back in the 80's and the 90's you could get into teacher training college with 2 E's and the youngest of those that did that would only be in their mid 30's with many more working years left. My SIL is one of them. But I would ask does it matter particularly for primary? Surely it is apptitude, enthusiasm and talent that matter most so long as you meet the minimus requirements? My SIL, for all her terrrible A levels is a damn good teacher and the children she teachs are the better for it.

Anyway, I have been thinking of being a teacher myself. I would like to teach 16-19 yr olds because my subject is not a curriculum subject but you lot put me off!! For all the people shouting at the OP that if it is that easy to teach, she should be doing it, I wonder why that isn't turned round on its head and the question isn't asked of teachers if your pay and conditions are so bad and your job is so hard why don't you leave teaching and get another job? It can't be that bad surely or you wouldn't be foolish enough to do it?!!

Interesting post BigBoobiedBertha. The OP was obviously being a bit of a wind up but the response from teachers does bring to mind the phrase, 'the lady doth protest too much.'...