To ask how much to give for teachers Christmas collection

[foxyloxy78]

What's a reasonable amount for a teacher and two assistants?

Yeuk sounds like thse bossy pta mums. I used to get small gifts fom pupils which was nce but not expected.

I think the problem with our school in the past is the gift giving got out of hand, so teachers would have 30+ big gifts to cart home each year. The collections have been going on for a while, and the general thing is it's ok not to contribute, any voucher is given from "all the children and parents of X class", rather than naming those who did give something.

Many parents give gifts on top of doing the collection as well. The TA for DC2's class (who's been at the school forever!) has tried to mention that she already has rather a lot of teacher mugs and while is always grateful, if she's given a gift, please could it be consumable, not a new thing she has to give house room too.

£10

We do a collections at our school. It's voluntary and you can put in what you want the thinking behind it is rather than receive 30 best teacher pens or bottles of wine the teacher gets something they can use ie vouchers.
Everyone who contributes is happy as its one less thing to think about. Our class rep usually asks for a volunteer to collect as she works and isn't at the school gates. I did it last year and we collect £300 so it was £150 for the teacher £75 each for the TA's.
The average donation was £10 some gave a bit more.

My DC teacher gets a card made by DC. That’s it.

£4 for teacher (23 kids in class) Xmas gift
£2 for teacher’s Xmas dinner, a group of mums take the teacher out to a nice restaurant...not compulsory usually around half attend. TA didn’t attend or we would have had the same to pay for her. She possibly went to another class dinner as she’s shared between 2 or 3 classes.
£2 for TA’s gift

They get the same again before the end of summer term.

We have one parent that usually does a collection, we give £5, although I would be happy to give £10. Nearly all the parents contribute. We aren’t forced to, infact it makes my life easier not having to source a gift. It’s a small thankyou to the teacher that nurtures our children Monday to Friday all year and we appreciate their hard work.

Depends on the teacher. I gave DS Yr3 teacher a bottle of wine and a card, because he was brilliant. My son had struggled at school and this teacher turned his life at school around. I will always be grateful to him. The teachers he had before that, were absolute rubbish. So nowt for them.

I don't have time to make personalised cards. DD is in after school club until 5.30 each night, then an activity, then homework and bed.
A collection is really convenient for me and I'm happy to contribute.

My parents have done a collection for the last two years. It is absolutely not an expectation but their own decision. The collective spirit I found very sweet and touching, that they thought as a whole that what I'd done was worthy of getting together but I reiterate it is absolutely not an expectation. Mostly I find cards written with thought and kind words the best gifts and have kept them all over the years. Would be devastated to find out a parent contributed something they are not comfortable with or could not afford..

In our school every class has a parent rep-ve. who find out from their teacher which gift voucher they would love to have. Usually they prefer vouchers. I never give more than £10 but usually it's always enough to buy a very expensive gift voucher for the teacher and smaller ones for two class assistants.
I never wanted to be a class representative for the reason that I cannot go and ask which present do they want. I can ask but.I don't like the idea of it. The reason why I am giving money is because they put names of children whose parents have contributed to the present on the card.

Ah onecutefox that's a bit off, isn't it Any class collections in our school are automatically signed "with love from all in Class 3" or whatever, no matter who contributed.

I'm pretty sure that expecting gifts from children or parents falls under the category of 'grooming' in local authority safeguarding guidance.

Say what now??

Don’t understand the prickliness about teachers’ gifts on mumsnet.

People give Christmas tips to their hairdressers and bin men, but are mortally offended by the idea of giving anything to teachers. Fucking weird.

Get the child to make a card and maybe a bauble. Or chuck a couple of quid in the class collection. What is the big deal?? It’s not ‘new’, it was standard when I was in primary, and I’m 43.

The teachers do not care. I have never seen or heard of a single teacher ‘expecting’ a Christmas gift.

No, I’m not a teacher.

"The teachers do not care. I have never seen or heard of a single teacher ‘expecting’ a Christmas gift."

Oh, common. I know one teacher who does want a present. She says at her school the gifts aren't as good as at ours.

Also if at our school the teachers didn't want presents they would say it so but not indicate which gift voucher they wish to have. It's nice to have a gift voucher for £200 or more, is it not.
I know one uni lecturer who said she wished students didn't bring her any gifts as it's feels like a bribery. The best gift would be for the students to study hard.

Okay, cutefox: some teachers, being human, like presents.

The vast majority of teachers are indifferent, or would prefer a handwritten card.

I don’t understand why parents can’t just give what they’re comfortable with. Or else nothing. Whatever.

The reason why I am giving money is because they put names of children whose parents have contributed to the present on the card.

I have heard on MN of teachers spotting that some names are missing, and insisting the children write them in to complete the set.

It's far more work to copy out a list than to scribble "from Class 3M xxx" surely!

😮 wow unethical doesn't cover it...Up to £300 for a teacher at Christmas? Why?! Teachers are paid already. I wonder who on started this kind of thing. DCs we're at school in the 90s I never heard of any such thing then. & despite teachers not asking for gifts I really don't think they should be accepting money, especially large amounts. It's not right. A teacher is not a charity what on earth are people thinking?

People want to express their gratitude to the people who have care of their children 6 hours or more every day. Surely that's not so hard to understand?

This is nothing new - I always used to give a gift to my primary school teacher at Christmas and end of year and I left Primary in 1984. My mum is a Primary teacher and always came home loaded down with boxes of chocolate or bath stuff.

As others have said - I pay the cleaner, but give her double pay the week before Christmas as a thank you and to let her know how much I appreciate her. People tip waiting staff and hairdressers all the time.

It's an unpopular view on here, but for the level of qualification, hours and stress required, teaching is low paid. TAs frankly earn fuck all for the work required.

These are vocations, not jobs, if you are able to be a good teacher, you would be able to earn vastly more if you'd picked a different career.

A thank you gift at Christmas and summer is the least I can do to show how much I appreciate they've decided to dedicate their lives to educating my dcs, rather than being selfish.

So much teacher hate and suspicion on mumsnet. I just don't get it.
We are regular humans aswell you know, many of us parents ourselves, just trying to balance a stressful job and family life like everyone.

yeah i don't get why it's pertinent that a teacher may like a gift! As I said, I see no evidence at all that it is ever expected, and if you can't afford to do it, it's an obvious place to cut back. I would have a problem with anybody that would make someone feel bad about not buying a teacher gift.

The idea that teachers in independent schools get £250 off each pupil is laughable and clearly imaginary.

I know a teacher who covers IGCSE Modern Language lessons at a large boarding school in SE London, she has about 100 pupils spread over two years. She's lucky if she gets a bottle of cheap plonk, never mind £25k! If you assume the average child is studying 10 subjects then it would cost each parent £2.5k in presents. Completely bonkers!

I give £15 for the teacher, a ta & this term a pgce teacher who's been with them since half-term and dd1 loves I am very grateful to the lovely fellow parent who organises it and it is completely voluntary, lots of families do their own thing.
I would spend about that anyway and I think a £100-£150 voucher is better than 10 bottles of undrinkable wine, 5 scented candles, 8 boots toiletries sets and loads of boxes of chocolates and plants.
I think anything from nothing to whatever you can afford would work.