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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Teacher's Tea Fund

158 replies

Foxtrot92 · 07/09/2017 21:32

I work as TA in a very small school, working only 2 hours in the afternoon, 3 days a week.

Today a teacher approached me and asked for £15 towards the tea fund for the term. She was very nice and said that's what everyone was contributing.

I refused politely saying that I'm only in 6 hours a week, bring in my own mug with tea and sugar in and only use a splash of milk. I did offer something towards the milk or offered to start bringing in my own. The teacher flapped muttering 'fine, if that's how you want to be' before storming off.

WIBU? As a TA on 6 hours a week for minimum wage, I can't afford £15 for a tea fund I hardly benefit from. I don't eat the cakes and biscuits they buy (don't like cakes and biscuits Shock ).

OP posts:
Sandsunsea · 07/09/2017 22:32

Switch to herbal then you can bring in your own teabag and no need for milk

goshthatseemsalot · 07/09/2017 22:33

What excitement! My retail job has a minor benefit. I can chug tea all day (yes on the counter!) at my employers expense.

orlantina · 07/09/2017 22:35

My retail job has a minor benefit. I can chug tea all day (yes on the counter!) at my employers expense

Grin
Nanny0gg · 07/09/2017 22:35

We paid full price for full timers and half price for part-timers.

It's less than a pound/50p a week.

Excitedforxmas · 07/09/2017 22:36

We used to pay £1 a week and 50p of that would get saved to go towards the Christmas night out

Ttbb · 07/09/2017 22:36

YANBU but you should bring your own milk from now on.

ADishBestEatenCold · 07/09/2017 22:36

"Loving how people are missing the part where op says she brings her own tea in in a flask"

Did she say that? I thought she brought her own mug with tea and sugar already in it (presumably a tea bag and sugar, ready to add hot water) but used the communal milk (provided by the Tea Fund).

ADishBestEatenCold · 07/09/2017 22:37

"So you can stick your assumptions up your arse"

Delightful.

Original poster
Foxtrot92 · 07/09/2017 22:41

@ADishBestEatenCold That's what happens when you make wrong assumptions about people. Go stir somewhere else Smile

OP posts:
frieda909 · 07/09/2017 22:42

I'm public sector and everyone in my department seems to have silently switched to black tea/coffee to avoid the dreaded 'milk rota' that other departments have! When I first moved to the organisation I could not believe that milk rotas were actually a thing Shock

Gibble1 · 07/09/2017 22:43

I'm in charge of collecting the milk money (£2 per month) and tea/coffee/sugar money (£1 per month). It's a nightmare! I have £10 in the tea and coffee fund and hundreds in the milk so will need to review this in the near future. However, we only started paying tea and coffee in June so it's not had time to settle yet and I have lots of people who have paid nothing for months.
I don't charge anyone who doesn't drink it but I did get the rage when someone who doesn't pay used the milk for her cereal at a department meeting and then said "I hoped I wouldn't get caught!"

ADishBestEatenCold · 07/09/2017 22:47

"Go stir somewhere else"

If you open a thread in AIBU, then you will often find that someone thinks you are.

If you feel it unreasonable and 'stirring' of them to express that, or comment in there own way, then perhaps you should stick to Chat.

Are you always so rude?

ADishBestEatenCold · 07/09/2017 22:48

*their

orlantina · 07/09/2017 22:49

Are you always so rude

I can be if I haven't had a coffee for a few hours Grin

MooMooTheFirst · 07/09/2017 22:49

Our sons own £5 per half term which I also think is quite reasonable. I also do not pay in to it as I never drink tea or coffee and barely use the staffroom! YANBU

Original poster
Foxtrot92 · 07/09/2017 22:51

If you open a thread in AIBU, then you will often find that someone thinks you are

But you didn't comment on my actual AIBU, you passed judgment on an irrelevant and WRONG assumption you had made.

OP posts:
ADishBestEatenCold · 07/09/2017 22:52

"I can be if I haven't had a coffee for a few hours"

Maybe Mumsnet should have to provide caffeine fixes for those posting the twilight shift!

ADishBestEatenCold · 07/09/2017 22:55

"But you didn't comment on my actual AIBU, you passed judgment on an irrelevant and WRONG assumption you had made."

So it was me not sticking to the matter in hand that brought about your rudeness. I earned it?

Fair enough. The milk. You should take your own.

Original poster
Foxtrot92 · 07/09/2017 22:57

ADishBestEatenCold ... Like I've offered to do Smile Thanks for your input.

OP posts:
MrsOverTheRoad · 07/09/2017 22:57

YANBU!

It reminds me of when Ross wouldn't contribute to the leaving fund for "Howard's party" ....Howard being the caretaker of Ross' new apartment building.

Willow2017 · 07/09/2017 22:57

ADishBestEatenCold

OP has offered to pay towards the milk she uses. Her tea and her sugar so why should she pay towards someone elses drinks?

Original poster
Foxtrot92 · 07/09/2017 22:58

ADishBestEatenCold Oh its the fact you were wrong that made me rude but of course you keep brushing over that Wink

OP posts:
user1471443504 · 07/09/2017 22:59

I've never contributed to the tea fund either. For years I never drank tea in school only bottled water which I brought from home. Now I do drink tea I bring my own from home in a contigo insulated cup. These are great and keep the drink warm for hours.
No one has ever given me grief about contributing so it's definitely not you being unreasonable.

Molehillfromamountain · 07/09/2017 22:59

Our school asked for £10 from the teachers and £5 from the TAs...because TAs don't earn as much. (You're poor! ) It was both thoughful and insulting in equal measure Confused
I switched to black tea, then green tea, then rooibos to avoid the teabags, milk, sugar politics. No one drank my rooibos! She is BVU, don't give it another thought.

lalalalyra · 07/09/2017 22:59

This is the one bit of working in schools I don't miss. I worked over 4 schools before I finished off and in one the tea fund had got so contentious the HT ended up buying the biggest bag of teabags I've ever seen, a huge tub of coffee and sugar and brought in milk each day as she was so sick of it.

In another a particularly officious teacher declared that EVERYONE had to pay £2 per month to the tea fund. She complained when I declined on the basis that I don't drink tea, or coffee and I'm allergic to milk.