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

[Freshlysqueezed]

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.

As an ex teacher I can quite categorically state that NOTHING ELSE I have ever experienced in any industry or sector compares to the stress of teaching.

Anyone who wants the holidays ( which by the way, means time off of PUPILS, not time off of WORK) do go ahead and apply.

There is a critical shortage, you stand a good chance of getting in.... although you should first maybe spare a few moments to wonder why thousands upon thousands have recently walked out!

My role is similar to a Physician Associate and I can honestly say, and no joke, I found working customer service in an understaffed company so so much more stressful.

I got really ill from that job

I'm perfectly aware that teaching is not the most stressful job in the world. That doesn't mean it isn't stressful and I for one am really glad the holidays are here. As someone else said, the holidays are just part of the conditions of the job... They are nice, they are something to look forward to. We "deserve" them as much as anyone "deserves" the time of they are contractually entitled to. I see lots of posts from non teachers about their time off and holidays during term time when I'm snowed under... I always think "that looks nice" or "lucky them". I'm happy in my job and don't begrudge other people their time off. Seriously it's a really awesome job, there are plenty of routes into teaching now. Train up and be a teacher. There are plenty of other good things about teaching besides the holidays.

This is categorically not what has been said. I hope you don't teach comprehension!

No I don't. I am not a Teacher and nor would I want to be. I just don't understand why some folk seem to begrudge them 6 weeks off. They are the school holidays, they've always been that way.

You'd probably still moan if they altered the term times and they had something like a week to a fortnight off everything 4 weeks or something.

Lots of TAs, support staff etc don't even get paid for the holidays, holidays great, no money shocking, I know a lovely ta from our school who works in a bar at weekends and holidays.

It's a Facebook rather than a teacher issue I think. I get depressed by people posting about their weddings due to mine being called off. I get depressed by people posting about holidays when I am at work. Etc etc. it's why I try to stay off Facebook, it just makes you feel rubbish.

I work harder as a teacher than I ever did in the 'real world'; I have to keep reminding myself how much I hated working in an office, despite the nice free evenings and weekends! (I realise a lot of non teachers also work evenings and weekends).

I am glad they get that long holiday, they deserve it. My daughter's teachers are in work for 11-12 hours 5 days a week and have a lot to do at home as well.

Of course many other people deserve long holidays just as much as teachers do and don't get that option, but that's not the teacher's fault. It's not like hospital's, banks, shops etc can close for 6 weeks. Just a perk of the job.

I am looking forward to the holidays myself, although this is the first year that I will be working (should be I should say, if my health checks all come back in time). I will be doing three 12 hour shifts and coming home to five children, one with SN and a disabled husband so it will be hard going at times, even though I enjoy the more relaxed routine.

Your OP just sounds like sour grapes.

Yey 6 weeks off to spend with my children and a lovely break from the stressed out teenagers. Love my job but by this time of year the hormonal monsters darlings are shattered and need to get out and enjoy some down time without constant assessment and tracking of their progress.

Go and qualify and spend 12 months as a teacher THEN come back and tell me if you think they deserve a long holiday! (which btw they will mostly spend planning new lessons for September...)

Actually it's a 7 week holiday not 6.....

It's 6 weeks here.

Again, it's the same point a few of us have been making. We're not saying teachers don't deserve a long holiday, or that they don't work hard, but there are so many jobs where people in those jobs would deserve 13 weeks too but don't get that luxury. What's frustrating is that many teachers can't just be gracious that they have this amazing luxury which others who work just as hard (and in many jobs harder) will never have. Instead many teachers will just argue "yes you know the hours and the lack of holiday when you sign up for your job and if you think it's that easy you can just retrain and become a teacher". It's incredibly arrogant when people say "why don't you try doing this for a year and see how you cope". I would never dream of telling a teacher to try my job and see how they coped! It again all comes back to this assumption which many, but not all, teachers have that things are harder for them.

I fully understand all the teachers jumping on the thread and banging on about how hard they work and how difficult their job is. They have a vested interest in doing so. But one has to wonder, if teachers in the UK are so good at their jobs, why education standards are falling so much.

I blame the parents Ellie, .

We're not saying teachers don't deserve a long holiday...
I am. Why can't they work full time like everyone else? Doctors and nurses don't pack in and go on holiday for three months of the year. We don't just pick two weeks here and six weeks there and say, "There will be no Policing during these times. Our Police need time off 'cos they work hard."

Because the government won't leave teachers alone to teach and insist on moving goal posts, making children learn more and more complex things at a young age and so on.

Ellie do you want your children in school for 37 hours a week, 46 weeks of the year?

It isn't an 'amazing luxurious holiday' though. It is unpaid leave set by the government. We couldn't choose not to take it could we? Nor can I claim for the time I will spend working during my unpaid leave. Whether you teach, work in law enforcement, sweep the streets or work in tesco, you deserve your holiday. Everybody dies. Most people post a 'can't wait till my holiday' status. It doesn't mean they think their job is harder than anyone else's.

Everybody does^

Well in that case teachers would need to be paid to work full time. Teachers are not contracted to work full time, they're contracted for 32 hours per week, 39 weeks per year with 5 training days inclusive. Would you expect a part time police officer contracted for the equivalent hours to work full time for no more pay?

Also, 'I deserve my holiday' does not mean 'my job is harder than yours'.

I blame the parents Ellie. I do. Education of your children is your responsibility. You can't abdicate your responsibility by palming it off on the State. You certainly can't complain about someone else not doing your job for you well enough or to your liking.

That doesn't excuse the State employing sub-standard teaching staff, any more than providing sub-standard HCPs in the NHS, or poorly educated council workers.

Ellie do you want your children in school for 37 hours a week, 46 weeks of the year?
No. I'd prefer they were educated.

Imagine the conservatives did decide to increase school term time by 6 weeks (because, let's face it, the government doesnt trust parents to raise their own children). how would they pay for it?

I do often wonder what people who complain about teachers having 13 weeks' holiday a year think should happen instead. Should all the teachers be going into school regardless and planning, marking, having meetings, rearranging their classrooms and practising teaching to empty rooms? It would be largely pointless.