To feel that this email is intrusive

[Thornyrose7]

I am due to start a new teaching contract at a new place of work in September. I am not new to teaching, I have been doing it on and off for 15 years with breaks and maternity gaps.
I have my new timetable and some details about the coming year which I am planning to look at the week before my contract starts and do some planning then. My summer is taken up with children's activities, weekends away etc etc.
I have just received an email from a teacher who is also due to start the same time as me. I believe that she is an NQT. We will be sharing responsibility for one course. This teacher wants me to send her my planning and scheme of work and wants to discuss next year.
AIBU to feel really intruded upon?
I believe that teachers holidays are sacred and if you want to work over summer that is a personal choice.I am also annoyed that she has got hold of my personal email, when we have never met.
I don't want our working relationship to get off to a bad start, but I am not sure how to respond!

And the nqt need to learn a bit about how to phrase emails if she is going to be working in a school for long. A bit of politeness doesn't cost anything and might have led to a different approach from the Op!

I think the OP is getting an unnecessarily hard time. She hasn't replied to the NQT yet. I'm sure I'm not the only person who sometimes gets work-related mails and my initial reaction and the reply I'd like to send is a lot less professional and more sweary than the reply I actually do send. I do not always immediately see a rational and reasonable way forward, but I do give myself time to think it over and let the benefit of the doubt come to the fore. Sometimes, this involves talking it over with others, as the OP is doing here.

My holidays are sacred to me and in any case, I often go to places where mobile and WiFi signals are intermittent/non-existent, so people can't contact me anyway. I don't go to places like that when I have to cover on-call or out of hours work. But it is good for me and my colleagues for me to get a real beak from time to time. We did cope in the days before mobile phones and email (though my job wouldn't exist without them.)

For all we know, the OP mght be posting using hotel WiFi beside a pool on the Med or somewhere. I would feel intruded upon if I got work-related emails to personal mail then. Some colleagues do have my personal email. In the past, I've found a reply saying, "Please don't use my personal mail for work matters, please use my work mail," works fine. (I assume the OP won't have a work email address before September though.)

So I think NQT's enthusiasm and nervousness is totally understandable, but it's also totally fine to say, planning is planned for later, will be in touch then. If NQT will be on her own hols then, she'll have the chance to point it out. But unless she reads MN, she'll probably never experience the OP as selfish, and all the other things the OP's been accused of. Just like most of my colleagues don't know exactly what my initial reaction to some of their mails have been.

Send back an 'out of office' type email saying "I am currently unavailable until ...." so it looks like an automated one.

I'm a lawyer, not a teacher and unfortunately my holidays aren't sacred. BUT if a young colleague emailed me for help (that's what this is, isn't it??) I'd respond gently, and also if I could offer to meet up. I remember being there myself, and what goes around comes around.

"As I said before, I haven't started this contract yet"

Presumably, as an NQT, neither has she, ThornyRose.

Understandable that you are not paid over the summer and you have commitments with your family - but an email takes 2 minutes to respond to briefly. The NQT may have commitments when you're planning to do your planning, but best to ask when she's available closer to term to discuss due to you being unavailable.

However, my ex's mum is a teacher and a few friends of mine are too, despite their holiday commitments, they've done bits and pieces around what they are doing to ease their workload prior to going back.. The amount of times over the years my ex's mum has been sat on her laptop working away when I've gone to collect my DD from her.
I'd also expect my DD's teachers to of prepared fully for the upcoming term and not just do a brief rush of planning a few days ahead of term.

Unfortunately for me, I work for the motor trade, I work shit hours, don't get sick pay if I'm off unwell, I get deducted if I have to go to hospital/doctors/opticians etc for a medical condition I suffer with, I get 22 days holiday + bank hols, my wage is also complete shit. Also the amount of BS I get from customers on an almost daily basis is unreal and if I wasn't thick-skinned, I'd of probably had a meltdown by now.. I'd also love to spend "proper family time" with my DD. But I don't get that luxury I'm afraid!
My new DP has his own company in the IT industry... He gets calls at 9/10pm at night and gets emails well into the early hours from clients. He rarely takes time off and is constantly on his laptop preparing for meetings or helping his clients with their needs even if it pushes him to a burnout.

Be kind to the NQT. It's likely to be her first proper job and she wants to be prepared when she walks into that school in September! Just because you're experienced doesn't mean that you can be a bit uptight about her contacting you (even if she may of been a bit rude). She's probably shitting herself and wants to be well-prepared and not rush her planning. If you don't want to help prior to when you stated, ask her to contact the HoD to devise how to split the topics?

Agree with Stealth, you should definitely cancel that cheque!

Ahh, poor thing probably agonised for a week (at least!) before sending the email. She probably isn't sleeping at nights worrying about what's ahead and whether she can rely on you for advice and support :(

I would email back saying I am on holiday at the minute but would love to get together for a work chat as soon as I am back.

As others have said, newbies do worry A LOT. I am a part time lecturer and last year a new starter rang me at 10pm worrying that we might overlap in our sessions. I didn't answer (didn't know the number and don't like to answer work emails after 6pm unless urgent) but I did call her back next morning to give some reassurance and promise she could email me any time she was worried/unsure about something.
I'm a big believer in helping others. A former trainee I knew in a past life is now my line manager so my helpful attitude back then is paying off for me now!