to say this to all the teachers who are striking next week

[Memoo]

As a parent I am 100 % behind you.

I really appreciate that you put your life and soul into your job and im sorry more people don't get just how hard you work for the benefit of our children.

Don't let the bastards grind you down!

My childrens school will definately not get a letter of support from me.

That is unfair bytheway as in theory it is recommended you save for pension before 40!!!

To Fontsnob: that is a very good argument.

Mordechai what relevance is it what the average salary is? Surely you need to look at the average professional salary? Or are teachers really just meant to be grateful they aren't on minimum wage?
And bear in mind we have had a pay freeze imposed on us too.

I am nurse , ds' school striking.
I do support the strike but its a pita as now have to find childcare.

DH is public sector worker. I used to be. I'm behind you all.

Top tip for anyone with a secondary, or even primary school child off school next Wednesday: get them to work out my little problem above, with reference to the global economy.

A little prize for the best answer.
(remember to show your working)

(All sn schools and pupils are completely exempt and should, imo, be given more funding, and also support for their parents).

Lordlovely, that wasn't an actual answer though was it.

lordlovely you must realise I knew the employer contribution was tax money (oh dear tongue in cheek really disappears on the internet!

Oh can I do it, I love compound interest calculations........

(Remember to include private/public employer (magic porridge pot) contributions, fluctuating annuity rates, the fact that the magic porridge pot is index-linked, and comparison with other countries, who outperform the British (not Scottish, or NI) education systems.

How very boring, a whole thread that can be summed up as teacher bashing. Do you not have anything better to do? It isn't the financial side of things that makes teachers leave the profession, it's the attitude of pupils and parents who see them as nothing more than free childcare. For all of you who feel so aggrieved that teachers are prepared to open themselves up to this amount of ill feeling and abuse, well done on getting to wherever you are now...presumably without the help of a single teacher.

Lordlovely, you are just showing yourself to be completely biased against teachers and state education. This is taking away a lot of the credibility from your arguments.

I am a public sector worker (but not a teacher) whose union has called a strike for the first time in 31 years. My team is a mix of young and shall we say slightly older professional and non professional grades.

Some of our team have taken the route of "it doesn't affect me, I'm alright Jack" Some of my team have admitted that they haven't taken on board the enormity of the proposed changes.

Many of the younger members (35 yrs and below) of the team have admitted that they haven't started/haven't thought about any kind of provision for their retirement. They just want to keep their jobs.

I don't know actually what worries me more.

Homework! How long are they to pay in for!

Or is it just £10,000 yearly on retirement you are asking for.

the average debt per household for the un-funded portion of public sector pension pot is £33k - equal to the national debt for everything else per household. this doesn't appear on any balance sheet, because it is a debt that realises as it happens, so to speak (the banking bailout cost £3-400 per household, and as it was partly an asset-purchase, could theoretically result in a profit, though lets not count out a governments ability to fuck up a possible win).

i really question how anyone can look at the Uk's finances and say there is plenty there to promise in pension contributions and future payments. people are living longer, to have a defined benefit scheme of any kind is a rare-and highly desirable- thing. I don't see a case for affordability.

Why is no-one concerned about making the UK bankrupt? It can happen - that's the reality.

'How very boring, a whole thread that can be summed up as teacher bashing. Do you not have anything better to do?'

Quasi - which part of 'Economic Crisis' have you missed?!

Why would we bash teachers? Or any particular profession except journalism? Tooooootally missing the point here. There is not enough money. Zero to do with teacher bashing.

teachers are massively undervalued. someone earlier compared a primary teacher to her private sector dh who is a guitar tutor!!

teachers educate our children ffs! pretty critical imo

If it is £10,000 on retirement but paid in over a long time you don't need to pay as much in as over short time.... I need more specifics.........

incidentally, hasn't Ed Milliband been extremely mealy-mouthed on this subject?

'incidentally, hasn't Ed Milliband been extremely mealy-mouthed on this subject?'

Perhaps because he knows the freaking score?

And knows that if he goes in too heavily then there's a chance that might affect our credit rating on the international markets?

And that his credibilty will be scuppered in the views of important opinion formers who do actually understand the severity of the crisis (and Labour's role in it).

It is like explaining to children that Santa does not exist. Hard, but true.
Nor does the magic porridge pot.

financial illiteracy
And these clowns are responsible for the risible performance in the UK of global leagues? It makes a lot of sense. The Irish, where the public sector have taken a 15% pay cut have not gone on strike, and they are far more effecient than the UK educationalists.
I am not 'in favour' of pay cuts. I simply do not believe in a magic pot of 'goverment' money.

He was pathetic on the channel 4 news tonight when being grilled by jon snow, he certainly is mealy mouthed

Does anyone know what would happen if, should these proposals go ahead and if people decide to leave their pension schemes (because they can't afford it for example)what the impact would be?

I ask this as a genuine question as I have been unsuccessful in securing an answer through official lines

I'm a striking teacher. Thanks for all the supportive posts. I have talked a lot about this with teacher friends and many of us would accept the idea of working until 67 (rather reluctantly obviously) but we will really struggle with the rise in monthly contributions.

For me, the strike is not just about pensions, it is about the quality of education for our pupils, particularly for pupils with additional needs, as it seems to be their support that is getting cut first.