Teachers gave the best job in the world. Fact.

[Oakmaiden]

I mean, don't do it if you are afraid of hard work, or want to be rich. But absolutely the best job.

I will try and explain the holiday thing. Teachers work annualised hours contracts in that they have to work for x hours in any given year. All these hours are worked during term time, sometimes for more than the hours if they were equally divided over each week. These additional hours are then used in the fallow holiday periods.

Teachers do not take unpaid holiday, they work hours in lieu and they also get their contractual holiday allowance which is paid and which includes as a minimum the statutory allowance of four weeks (it's more for teachers but I have only worked in colleges) and the 8 bank holiday, pro-rata if they are part-time.

They are paid in twelve equal payments. They also can't take their annual leave outside the holidays because they work a term time only contract. If anyone can tell me the contractual holidays for a teacher I can work it out more clearly.

Always amazes me when teachers claim they are not paid for the holidays and get no paid holiday like other people.

Its exactly the same in nursery management spanieleyes but with significantly more time with the children. Its what you do if you love it though.

annie I get that you are probably annoyed with the perception that all nursery workers do all day is play with paint and do a bit of singing, by people who have no idea what the job really involved.

But why are doing exactly the same about teaching?

I have never professed teaching to be 'harder' than any other job, because I have never done most jobs so I don't know. I just get an yes when people (from whatever sector) cast aspersions about the job when they really don't know.

*annoyed

Im not doing exactly the same. I just think I do everything on this thread but its obviously hard, tiring, impacts on your life significantly etc but there is a reason why we all do it.

Well you did a bit with the whole 'the children are only in from 9 until 3'.

I don't think you can compare a secondary English teacher for example with a nursery manager (I'm primary by the way!). For starters the level of subject expertise and the amount of marking make it a completely different job.

I am taking about primary as its usually excessive contact hours that make me crazy! I could do paperwork all day and night if I had some quiet!

I still think with the long hours, extremely low pay, no staff benefits, minimal leave, excessive hours and mountains of paperwork that my job overall is great. I think it depends on whether teaching/care is your life to you or just a 'job'.

I love my job because it's in a good school 5 minutes walk from home, with lovely colleagues and a brilliant head.

However not so long ago I was in one with a cow of a head and horrible colleagues.

So is it the job that's great or the people in the school that make it great?

My friend, a hardworking woman if there ever was one, is leaving teaching as soon as she can. She can't take the endless changes, pressure and obsession with league tables and results. She loves teaching but can't take the education system.

So nearthewindmill why was the op of that thread being rold to hand her notice in to ensure it I corporated the holidays else she wouldnt be paid for them? Surely they cant effectively withold pay for work shes already done. It was advixe from teachers

No idea. Most teacher's contracts have very specific clauses about when they have to give notice to be able to leave at the end of the next term and they would statutorily be paid any holiday or accrued leave in lieu.

If a contract stipulated three months' notice and notice was given on 1st December then the last day of service would be 28th February plus any pay in lieu of holiday or notice. If the teacher had wanted to be paid until 31st March, ie, perhaps the beginning of the Easter holidays then notice would be given on 1st January or probably the first day back after the hols with the last day being 6th April but still the accrued holidays would be paid.

Tsk. This isn't a thread about how teachers aren't paid enough (or are paid more than they should be),or have to work much harder than anyone else, or deserve long holidays because of x, y and z.

It is a celebration of the fact that teaching is an awesome job.

And it is.

I am glad other people think their jobs are awesome too, though... :)

ps I have been a TA - teaching is better.

Sorry YABU. I actually hate it. My own child is short changed with my stress, really not fair. This term I have been physically assaulted by a pupil. My hair is coming out in clumps with the strain.

It's not the job it was :-(

Sorry to piss on your parade, btw.

Regards to the issue of how pay is worked out. I am a newly appointed ta. My contract is a term time only contract based on a set no of hours worked per week. I also get 5 weeks paid holiday and am paid for 8 bank holidays. I therefore work for 38 weeks a year but get paid for 43. The 43 weeks salary is then divided into 12 monthly installments. So whilst i get paid every month my pay only reflects the contracted hours and holidays i get paid for.

"my pay only reflects the contracted hours and holidays i get paid for."
exactly my point, so if the OP of the other thread was still employed over a holiday the only actual benefit would be the slight pro-rata holiday she'd be entitled to, surely.

(so probably < half a day)
Sorry to keep going on about this, I have just never seen soething so clearly wrong on MN - one way or the other one bunch of posters are 100% wrong, unless the T&Cs of teachers' contracts can vary

Actually, with academy status I think they can, Stealth.

I remember going from private to public sector and I was like:

"I have a permanent contract?" "my pay goes up every year automatically?"

Teaching's pretty well pays from where I'm standing. I've no doubt it's very stressful (all my family are teachers) but many professional jobs are. Medics work horrendous hours. I 'm in fur x3 nights, then in fir late shifts on Xmas day/boxing day.

I can really understand the pressure of teaching but it is also pressured in the private sector and the vast majority if pepe do not have company cars, medical insurance etc and most do not have pensions or permanent contracts either.

How teachers were paid before September 2013 is academic now, as teachers' pay is now decided by the head in conjunction with the school's pay review committee.

Sorry am on phone after Saturday nightshift, autocorrect is 'helping out' with my posts

Teachers no longer get incremental pay rises.

They can move up (or down) the payscale (each school can design their own) as the head sees fit- usually on condition of meeting PM targets.

And permanent contracts mean very little these days- posts can still be deleted and teachers made redundant.