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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To already be fed up with teachers/eduaction workers posting about their long holiday!

815 replies

Freshlysqueezed · 17/07/2015 19:26

Facebook is swarming with people saying how much they deserve it and other people patting them on the back. It seems like the world and his wife are in education or SAHM's with 6 glorious weeks ahead of them. Apart from a one week holiday I have a juggling timetable of various childcare arrangements to run to and fro from.

OP posts:
ahfuckit · 17/07/2015 20:05

I am a teacher and I broke up last Friday. I have been into work every day this week, will be in tomorrow, and expect to have the grand total of about 2 weeks actually off work. The weeks without kids in school are not all holiday. I do love my job, but I am REALLY looking forward to those two weeks!

Doingtheschoolrun · 17/07/2015 20:05

So really, I'm not 'on holiday' I have unpaid leave.

FarFromAnyRoad · 17/07/2015 20:05

YABVVVU. I can't imagine getting upset at anything posted by anyone who is happy about that thing. Stop being sour - it's not a good look.

ouryve · 17/07/2015 20:06

SAHM with 6 glorious weeks ahead of me? I have 2 kids with SN and 6 weeks of no fucking respite.

FlatWhiteToGo · 17/07/2015 20:06

Stitching - that made me chuckle.

Leonas - oh trust me I know. The majority of teachers work incredibly hard and I don't doubt that for a second, or doubt that they're under huge pressure. It's the preaching about how much harder things are for them and a refusal to understand that others also have extremely stressful careers. With my friends (mentioned above), if they'd made a joke with me and said "sounds like you need a 6 week holiday" I would have felt much better than just having them belittle the hell I went with and essentially say "your pressure doesn't come close to what we go through".

RufusTheReindeer · 17/07/2015 20:09

Agree with flatwhite

It's obviously not all teachers and I only know one or two as personal friends but one of them is apparently the only person who works or has stressful days in the world

It's certainly not a job I'd like to do, I've got no patience

ouryve · 17/07/2015 20:10

Actually, make that almost 7. DS1 broke up yesterday and doesn't go back until September 9th. I might be on my knees, by then.

Jayneisagirlsname · 17/07/2015 20:12

Teacher here and yes we do work hard but I'm under no illusions that others have extremely stressful jobs with long hours too. I also dislike the whole 'can't wait to get rid of them' attitude that a few (not the majority) teachers have.

The long summer holiday I love because I adore having my own children to myself for a good long stretch. Oh, and I like the fact that we are able to be paid salary so I get some money over the hols, cos you all know school staff aren't paid for the holidays right?

But my biggest humph is...we've not broken up yet! Why hasn't my holiday started yet? Bloody (other) teachers ;-)

BoneyBackJefferson · 17/07/2015 20:14

123Jump
"Well, teachers are constantly commenting on teacher bashing threads"

r tchaz nt aloud 2 Dfend demselvs?

RachelRagged · 17/07/2015 20:14

You chose to have your children OP , , the six weeks have always been so , not like it appeared from nowhere

tilliebob · 17/07/2015 20:16

Come and do the job - it's easy - anyone can do it...Confused. That's why there's a huge teacher shortage in my area and all surrounding areas, and not a supply teacher to be found anywhere.

Second week of holidays here and I've been in work 3 of those days.

At the end of holidays FB is full of "thank Christ the schools go back - I can get my hair done/go to the gym/whatever in peace" Like I can do any of that in my holidays with my dcs in tow.

We're damned on all fronts.

Lizzylou · 17/07/2015 20:16

I don't think I have seen teachers feeling entitled to their 6 weeks "off", but definitely counting down, I have been Blush
Teaching isn't necessarily a harder job than any other (certainly less lucrative to what I have done in the past) and I have never seen anyone say it is. I have worked harder than ever before this year because I have been training and hadn't written an essay in 20 yrs. It has been the only job I have had where I have found it almost impossible to switch off, I have felt guilty for any downtime I have had all year. And missed my own dc to be honest.

Original poster
Freshlysqueezed · 17/07/2015 20:16

Ouryve that sounds very hard for you.

OP posts:
Blayden · 17/07/2015 20:17

YABU. That said, I have 2 relatives who are teachers and they are the biggest martyrs known to man. I've been hearing moans of how tired they are and how they need and deserve this holiday. Don't get me wrong, they work bloody hard and I'm sure they are excellent teachers but the amount of moaning they do about the careers they chose, oy!

JassyRadlett · 17/07/2015 20:19

I have zero issue with teachers having long holidays. It's part of the gig.

I think the issue is that 'I really deserve the long holidays, I work so hard' can be interpreted, rightly or wrongly, as including an implied 'and you non-teachers don't.'

I have something similar at home. I have a signifucantly larger hid at entitlement than DH or many of my friends. It's great, I enjoy it, it's a wonderful perk of my job and I certainly celebrate when I have some time off.

But I'd never say I deserve more leave than DH or my friends, because it could so easily be interpreted as suggesting that they don't because they don't work as hard/jobs aren't as stressful/whatever. None of those things are true, and I don't even want to give the slightest impression I might think so, IYSWIM.?

EllieFAntspoo · 17/07/2015 20:21

I say let them be. If you can land yourself a cushy job earning a full time salary for part time hours, and have guaranteed gilt edged pensions to boot, then why shouldn't they go for it. Most wouldn't survive in the real job market with real employers, real responsibilities, deadlines and accountability anyways.

Besides, they have a glass ceiling no amount of 'education' can help them with. They've picked a menial civil service job as a career. When someone asks them what they do, they have to say, "I'm a teacher" and they have to accept that all to common dismissive, "Oh."

They deserve any joy they can muster from their job perks, IMO, because, in a world where any mother can do just as well a job of educating her children, it is the perks that make their job worthwhile.

furrylittlecreatures · 17/07/2015 20:21

I have been a TA and teachers work no harder or longer than plenty of other people (I have worked outside education also) but no other jobs get the amount of holidays that teachers get! I have lots of friends working in education and they certainly are not burning the midnight oil every night marking, nor are they endlessly planning over the weekend.

People get irritated by the holiday comments because no one else has them and no other profession moans as much as they do!!!!!"

YANBU

MrsItsNoworNotatAll · 17/07/2015 20:22

Makes me laugh folk thinking Teaching is easy. They wouldn't last two minutes in class of 30 kids. These are the same folk who who are posting they'll be glad when the kids go back to school as having them at home is doing their pretty little heads in.

Which I think is a bit sad.

Justwhy · 17/07/2015 20:23

I am a teacher and don't think we 'deserve' 6 weeks off at all. However, I chose a career that I knew meant that I could have 12 weeks off per year. I did that on purpose.

If it makes you feel any better I don't find teaching particularly stressful at all. I rarely work weekends and holidays and love my school. I fully intend to do sweet FA for the next 6 weeks. Before DC I reckon I was only dressed for about 50% of the holiday.

Wideopenspace · 17/07/2015 20:24

Ellie - that is pretty bile filled....

123Jump · 17/07/2015 20:24

No one is saying teaching is easy. But it isn't harder than most jobs either, and others don't get 6 weeks summer holiday.
I agree with furry.

GeorgeYeatsAutomaticWriter · 17/07/2015 20:25

Ellie be careful that all that bitterness doesn't swallow you up...

EllieFAntspoo · 17/07/2015 20:27

'I really deserve the long holidays, I work so hard'
I've never heard a teacher try to say she works hard, outside of them being joking around about their holidays. If they do, I guess 'working hard' is relative and subjective. It's a public sector job. They aren't allowed to 'work hard'. That's what 50 years of unions have stamped out, and why so much money is wasted in the public sector.

Wolfiefan · 17/07/2015 20:27

Wow Ellie. Lovely to see you are so supportive of those who commit their lives to educating the next generation. Responsibility? (You might like to look again at the whole pension thing. Your information is woefully out of date!) And part time? Try marking until 11pm!

Pippa12 · 17/07/2015 20:27

Enjoy your holidays all you teachers, TA's, secretary's, school nurses, the bloody lot of you... You deserve it!!!

On reverse I consider myself lucky- I can take my holidays anytime I want, and enjoy the sunshine for half the price without lots of children being around!

But in all honesty- recharge those batteries, I genuinely don't know how you do it! Give me the sick to vomit on me any day Grin

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