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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I think I've blown my job today, would you have done the same?

156 replies

ilove · 05/02/2016 21:48

I'm a supply teacher/cover supervisor through an agency covering primary and secondary across Yorkshire, I work adhoc days to suit what fits in with my own kids and family and we also foster.

U agreed to work today in what is a decent secondary not far from home. My husband was also working overtime (we've had a very tough January money wise), but because his car is broken he got a lift in at half five this morning with someone who works on the same site but in a totally different area. I had my car at school with me.

Right at the end of P3 (I'd already taught Y7 and Y9) I had a Y11 class, teaching geography. As we packed up I noticed my phone flashing madly and looked at it - missed calls, texts, whatsapp said, messenger and emails all saying URGENT, CONTACT ME OR SCHOOL, SERIOUS INJURY and missed calls from my kids school too.

I rang my husband to be told that our youngest had had a serious head and mouth injury, bleeding, teeth forced backwards, blood from his mouth and face and could I get there now...

So I went straight to the supply department, told them, said I was leaving and went. Rang school and said I was on my way, then rang my husband to say I was too, and rang my agency to explain and apologise.

Just to say, we have NO family help. None. My in laws are six hours away and my parents both work and are over an hour away but wouldn't have come anyway. My eldest son is 90 mins away and works shifts. There are no neighbours at home who could have stepped in, we really are on our own and that's why I do agency work.

The agency were clearly very poised off with me and told me I should not have left the school (the school, by the way, were lovely - told me to go and not to worry and took all the handover stuff straight off me)

My boy isn't good, he has split top and bottom lip, ripped his frenulum and looks to have broken the muscle in his top lip as well as pushing his two front teeth right backwards so his teeth don't close together properly. He is a ? Concussion and needs waking every three hours tonight. Dentist on Monday unless he feels worse tomorrow and will then get an emergency appt with 111. Hospital were lovely, and surprised an ambulance hadn't been called as the child he bumped heads with was in just as bad a state but has my sons teeth marks in his head (apparently it was a game of tag!!!)

So WIBU to have but my son first? WWYHD? Sat here fretting :(

OP posts:
SuperFlyHigh · 05/02/2016 22:47

You did the right thing. I'm surprised (but not staggered) the agency sees it the other way.

StompyFreckles · 05/02/2016 22:47

I'm midlands and I get £130 a day - of that £20 goes in to my holiday fund that I then claim back in the summer.

SuperFlyHigh · 05/02/2016 22:48

Can you maybe contact the school direct to explain further should need be? Ps hope your son feels better. Flowers

Original poster
ilove · 05/02/2016 22:48

Yes I really only get 67. For a full day. I get more babysitting, and that's a damn sight easier!!!

OP posts:
Ditsy4 · 05/02/2016 22:50

I work in a school. You did the right thing. It is a job...your child is your child and he would have wanted his mum not anyone else( except maybe dad) it was horrible of agency. Do you have to go through agencies?
We just ring our supply staff direct?

Needaninsight · 05/02/2016 22:51

£67 a day?

I'd be sacking the agency off pronto!

£100 min a day in the North West. Whereabouts are you?

In fact, when I go back, I'm asking for £150 because I'm good (and because i KNOW how much they charge me out for!!)

Sod the agency. Your child absolutely comes first. Hope he is better soon.

ps Also not v impressed with the school. Why the hell didn't they take him to A&E??

BobandKate0 · 05/02/2016 22:51

For what is it worth i will add my voice to all the others and agree you did the right thing,perhaps if you send the agency £200.00 worth of interflora vouchers - horrid thought i know, to resort to bribery to keep them on your side.Maybe the Daily Mail would be interested in your story should the agency start throwing their weight around,can you do a sad face ?

Your actions actually count in your favour in the long run .
All the best to your boy .

zipzap · 05/02/2016 22:52

Hope your ds feels better very soon - yet another vote here to say that you did the right thing.

If the school that you were working at was lovely about it and it's conveniently close to home, it might be worth asking them if there are any other agencies that they use, if they like you and you like them... And then speaking to that/those agencies to see if they will give you a better rate than the one you are getting!

How much agency work does the school need at a time - would they do it directly with you and cut out the middleman? If they paid you half what they paid the agency, you'd be getting significantly more and they would be able to hire you for twice the number of days for the same money which would be better for their budgets...

CandOdad · 05/02/2016 22:54

Are others talking about teaching supply or cover supervisor work?

Original poster
ilove · 05/02/2016 22:55

The school had 6 agency staff in today, they use the agency I work for most days I think. I think though that they would have to pay the agency a release fee if I worked for them directly. I wonder whether it's worth asking though...

OP posts:
Enkopkaffetak · 05/02/2016 22:55

Stuff the job.. Hope your ds is ok... (sent you a facebook message as just realised who you are :) xxx)

ClemFandagoDoesTheTango · 05/02/2016 22:56

Pretend that was someone else put in your position and she chose to stay at the job and trust that hopefully someone else would deal with her child. Want to be friends with ssomeone like that? No? Then you probably dont want to be her either.

I really can't see that you could have acted any differently under the circumstances OP.

StompyFreckles · 05/02/2016 22:56

That is ridiculous - you must change agency! How long have you been a teacher before moving to supply?

Borninthe60s · 05/02/2016 22:56

Never doubt your children come first, one day they will be grown up and independent but until,then whilst they need you they are more important than any job and anyone else's kids!

I hope he makes a full recovery.

HopefulHamster · 05/02/2016 22:56

Oh gosh, your poor son. Big hugs for the both of you, in tears reading his injuries. How is he doing? What else could you have done? You did absolutely the right thing.

£67 is shocking. I have to pay my nursery £65 per day (so earn more than £67 or I simply wouldn't bother) and you are doing a much much tougher job than I.

StompyFreckles · 05/02/2016 22:58

needaninsight - how do you plan to ask for more money? I am tempted!

DakotaFanny · 05/02/2016 23:00

I hope yoir son is okay.

You sound like a pretty amazing supply teacher so, as I see it, your options are (if in real trouble with your agency) a- go with another agency or b- get direct supply through the school, who can pay you a lot more than £64 and save themselves some cash (can they still do that??) A good supply is something to hang on to so I would really suspect there will be no real issue on Monday.

There is no question about it- you were 100% right to do what you did!

Original poster
ilove · 05/02/2016 23:00

Hey Enkop, small world!!!

OP posts:
DakotaFanny · 05/02/2016 23:01

Sorry - wine! £67, your etc etc!

Original poster
ilove · 05/02/2016 23:04

I went into supply/cover because I don't want the paperwork, marking, setting, homework that goes with a fully teaching position. I want to walk out at 3 and go home. Also I want to be there when my kids need me, I always have worked but always worked around them, even when I worked for a company in Berlin and had to travel to London for meetings - remember, Enkop?

OP posts:
Original poster
ilove · 05/02/2016 23:08

Agency manager said " you cannot leave, you are there until 3 you committed to today, it should be your priority" and "why were you checking your phone"

To which he got the reply that my children are my priority and always will be, before I hung up...

I had said "it's I love, I am so sorry I have had to leave school, my sons school rang he has had a serious head injury and I need to get to him now, he's only 13 and there's no one else, I've explained and apologised to X and they were fine, I'm really sorry"

And the above was the response I got, after a silence...

OP posts:
shazzarooney99 · 05/02/2016 23:14

To be honest i wouldnt worry about it, im in the same position, not so long back i got a phonecall at work telling me my mother had died, i went straight to the office and said i was leaving, diddnt even phone the agency, then made my way to my mothers house.

Agencys know things happen, yeh all right you might not get work for a couple of days but they will soon contact you.

Im very lucky as i have a great consultant, as i also have a son on the spectrum who kicks off going to school and i was given a job till april, but then he kicked off so i had to say give it to someone else i cant be there and this was around 8.40am.

Just stop worrying you will be fine xxx

altctrldel · 05/02/2016 23:15

Dont know how you kept your cool if im honest OP. Hats off to you for that.

Im assuming you talked to an organ grinder and not a monkey- so maybe worth ringing up on Monday and speaking to someone senior and seeing what happens from there.

As i said- they make a fuss, you make one right back. Make them shit on your shoe if you have to.

Im fuming for you

IAmNotAMindReader · 05/02/2016 23:16

You did the right thing.
However its more and more the norm with the current climate for those in jobs to be that scared of losing them they would worry about this and for there to be more unscrupulous bosses who would think work comes above everything else.