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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think teachers' holidays...

89 replies

HenriettaPootel · 12/08/2012 11:00

...are not quite all they're cracked up to be?

So, I'm starting to plan holidays for next summer. DH teaches at a private school and breaks up in early July. DS1 is at a state primary school and breaks up on the 24th July. We are planning a week's family holiday right at the start of the holidays, w/c Sat 27 July. The in-laws have also asked us to go for a week with them, to a house in the UK also starting on a Saturday. Now, we can't go Sat 3 August because we'll be travelling home from our family holiday in France. We can't go Sat 10 August because DH needs to be in school for the A level results. We can't go Sat 17 August because DH needs to be in school for the GCSE results. And we can't go Sat 23 August because, although DS is still on holiday, DH goes back to school on the 29th. Oh, and we can't go in summer half term because DH has to accompany a school trip abroad.

Now, before I get completely flamed, I know that it's wonderful to have DH at home for so long, and I'm not ungrateful for that. However, it does seem a bit ridiculous that with a husband who's a teacher, we can't basically take more than one week-long holiday (unless we go in Easter/October, when it will be a bit chilly for a beach holiday in Wales!). I know I'm probably being a bit U, but I do think that when people say 'teachers can't complain about their pay, they get those wonderful long holidays', they don't quite realise how many restrictions there are.

OP posts:
EnglishGirlApproximately · 12/08/2012 11:44

YABU - many industries have restrictions on holidays and commitments which are difficult to fit holidays around. But, unlike teachers, only have 4 weeks in total. I think you are going to find it very difficult to get sympathy for being able to have only one holiday this summer.

soverylucky · 12/08/2012 11:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sancerreity · 12/08/2012 12:07

Why does he have to go in for results days?

captainhastings · 12/08/2012 12:17

Some teachers go on simply because they want to know how their classes have done

Heads of department will need to be there to start the results analysis and to advise students about their next steps.

Someone has to inform the press etc about results .

If you have a pastoral role you are needed to help students celebrate or to support if the results are disappointing .

sashh · 12/08/2012 12:28

You are complaining that you have a holiday in France and then can't fit in another two holidays. I wish I had your problems.

lovebunny · 12/08/2012 12:36

stressheaderic I'm a dedicated and hardworking teacher but I don't set foot in the place for the entire 6 weeks. We're having 3 summer holidays, one abroad and two in UK, and it's bloody brilliant

not now, but soon, and for the rest of my life... i'm going to follow your example! Grin

BackforGood · 12/08/2012 13:10

If it's any consolation, at least now it's "only" 2 results days. Growing up, my Dad was in for 3 Thursdays in a row (ie, 3 weeks we had to be home and not away on the Thursday) as it was A levels, CSEs, and O-levels. Grin

redexpat · 12/08/2012 14:12

Don't understand why you can't travel home from France, and then travel either the next day, or day after to join ILs. Or pick between France and UK and just do one of them.

Original poster
HenriettaPootel · 12/08/2012 14:27

Oh dear, I knew I was going to get a bit flamed... Don't get me wrong, I know it's very much a first world problem and we're lucky to be going on holiday at all. I really do. It's just...... the long holidays are sort of part of the 'deal' of choosing teaching over a better paid career, and it's frustrating not to be able to make use of them. As others have said, going into school for results days is compulsory for various reasons. Sending kids to DH's school is out of the question (financially impossible even with the discount, plus it's only secondary, and kids are primary/pe-school age). I guess we could take two week-long holidays back to back and miss a day of one of them; not ideal, but maybe the best option. Thinking about it, I think it's the summer half term school trip that's more annoying, because it's basically the whole holiday taken up, minus a couple of days. Why can't they organise school trips for the longer holidays (eg Easter), so at least the teachers get a bit of a break each holiday??

OP posts:
captainhastings · 12/08/2012 14:41

Does he have to go on the trip or had he volunteered ?

We run trips in the summer holiday and they tend to be manned by staff signing few family commitments .

Liketochat1 · 12/08/2012 14:47

My dh hasn't had a days holiday in about 10 years. We sometimes go abroad but he's on the phone to the office on and off all day everyday we are away. He works most nights late into the evenings. He's often abroad for work leaving me behind with the children. The kids see him maybe for half an hour in total monday to friday. Yabu.

NameChangeGalore · 12/08/2012 14:51

Oh you poor dear.

captainhastings · 12/08/2012 14:51

I think that makes your husband unreasonable liketochat rather than the OP.

Having said that I am not sure the OP realises how lucky teachers are to get their holidays .

ilovesooty · 12/08/2012 14:55

It's just...... the long holidays are sort of part of the 'deal' of choosing teaching over a better paid career

What's wrong with the pay in teaching, and what "better paid career" is your husband likely to be able to walk into?

captainhastings · 12/08/2012 14:56

I see holidays as part of the deal , not so much over pay ( although I think our pay reflects our holidays) but the hours in term time.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 12/08/2012 15:02

sooty you beat me to it. There seems to be this idea among many teachers that if they had chosen a different career path they would be earning much more money.

In reality, many graduates earn far, far less with considerably less benefits in terms of holidays, sick pay and pensions.

I don't begrudge Teachers their holidays, I know it's a challenging job. It just annoys the hell out of me when they complain about their terms of employment.

ilovesooty · 12/08/2012 15:06

I'm a former teacher myself EnglishGirl, and I know that there is a lot wrong with teaching. I earn about half what I would have earned if I'd stayed and nothing would induce me to return with the profession as it is now.

There is nothing, in my view, wrong with the pay and most teachers are frankly unemployable outside teaching: let alone on comparable salary.

Liketochat1 · 12/08/2012 15:09

Not at all Captain Hastings. It's just that most people accept they have to work and do whatever is expected of them in their chosen career. Teachers are no different. And holidays are definitely one thing they can't complain about.

captainhastings · 12/08/2012 15:10

I am not complaining about my terms of employment and I did choose to take a pay cut in order to be a teacher do I could find employment elsewhere and I could earn money.

I do think our holiday allowance is fantastic and would be daft to suggest otherwise .

EnglishGirlApproximately · 12/08/2012 15:23

captain my comment wasn't aimed specifically at you. My closest friend has also taken a considerable pay cut to go in to teaching. That doesn't mean that the majority of teachers could earn more elsewhere - there just aren't that many graduate level jobs.

It's interesting that you are happy with your terms. I have 4 teacher friends, 2 who had other careers first. Out of the 4 the ones who don't ever complain are the 2 who had other jobs. They know how difficult other careers can also be.

I think there are challenges in many jobs but ime experience, those who have never worked in the private sector find it difficult to understand the pressure of working for employers who don't pay sick pay, make redundancies every few years and have worthless pension schemes.

MaryPoppinsBag · 12/08/2012 15:23

When you work in an office you have to take your holidays around the rest of the team.
We can only have one weeks holiday this summer, because I was working the first 3 weeks, (Childminder - couldn't let parents down) and then for the 2 weeks after that my DH colleague is away. So we plumped for the bank holiday week. And I have had to let one of my families down.

If you want to get away with more freedom in the holidays why not try camping - where you can go for long weekends. You could set off Thursday after results day until the Wednesday.
Or go somewhere more local so that DH can nip off for results day and then come back.

When I was 13 my Dad got a new job and couldn't turn it down (had been made redundant & it was the 1990's recession) - he drove us to Devon from near Sheffield, put up the tent spent the weekend with us, then drove back to go to work. And then did the same again the middle weekend and the next weekend he took us home.
Just so his kids could have the holiday they'd so looked forward to all year!

bluana · 12/08/2012 15:23

The grass really isn't greener on the other side.

We have just one week's holiday together for the whole year. We use our holidays separately for childcare because we can't afford not to.

Some graduates are not on huge salaries and it's not that easy to change career - it involves time unpaid for training and a low starting salary. That's if you manage to find a job in your chosen career.

So on the whole I do think YABU.

COCKadoodledooo · 12/08/2012 15:38

Dh is a teacher. We can't go away for more than one week in the holidays either, because I have to work.

NumericalMum · 12/08/2012 15:43

I can understand your frustrations but my dh has to work the first week of every month and in my previous role I had to work all quarter ends (march, June, September and December) leaving us with a few common weeks! Thankfully our DC hasn't started school yet or we'd never get a break.

I do find my teacher friends often complain about their jobs and how hard they are but I have my doubts that they are any harder than many other jobs but with much better perks. If I didn't dislike other people's teenagers so much I would consider teaching.

Spammertime · 12/08/2012 15:50

Ah come on, this is the sort of thing that really winds up people who aren't teachers. My DH also has to be around for both results days next year, and that leaves from 24 July to 14 August when he has nothing on. Which would be great apart from the small problem of my holidays (I am not a teacher).

I know you're not really moaning but I also think it does us good to have one of us private, one of us public sector - lets both of us see the grass isn't actually much greener!