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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

...do teachers really work that hard?

999 replies

User298895613 · 11/02/2019 09:15

I know the general idea on AIBU is that teachers work load is ridiculous, that they work extra hard and that they never never stop to the point that they r all seemingly leaving the profession.

But, AIBU to wonder if they are any different to anyone else? and actually might have it a bit easier? I mean, I also work myself into the ground, am exhausted, never stop etc... But I don't have summer holidays off to look after my kids, and I often work well into the small hours at night.

I'm not saying teachers don't work hard, but sometimes on munsnet I just feel like some teachers kind of spend a lot of time complaining about the workload, when maybe it's just the same as everyone elses, but with a nice long summer holiday?

(Sorry, I appreciate this will really inflame some posters, but it just had been annoying me lately)

OP posts:
Colly1616 · 13/02/2019 16:33

I defiantly did not attack you or bilitle you first! or make you feel as though you were stupid. And also I thought you said you loved a good swear word?. I’m not niave enough to think the knob-end comment was aimed at me. I did a final retaliation at the end of a barrage of abuse about my intelegence. I still stand by the comment. 😂😂😂✌🏻

StopMakingAFoolOutofMe · 13/02/2019 16:44

I do love a swear word. I didn't swear at anyone though Smile

I thought you'd gone?

Colly1616 · 13/02/2019 17:06

You did swear at me (knob-end) but then tried to badly cover it up and you were completly patronising about my intelligence, which is such an awful trait for a teacher. You never actually responded to my arguments you just dissed me a person! I am trying to leave it but you are being very goady.

YourSarcasmIsDripping · 13/02/2019 17:11

If anyone replies with "no,I never.." they're missing playtime.

StopMakingAFoolOutofMe · 13/02/2019 17:12

I really didn't. I said my learners weren't knob-ends. We've been through this Smile

Piggywaspushed · 13/02/2019 17:15

I fully expect a few more deleted posts soon.

StopMakingAFoolOutofMe · 13/02/2019 17:20

It's getting a bit boring now, isn't it?

This thread has been a good distraction though. I'm trying to do PhD research and it's quite boring.

Lostmyshityear9 · 13/02/2019 17:24

which is such an awful trait for a teacher

You make lots of comments about the professionalism of posters and suggest that teachers should be doing the job out of some kind of goodness of our hearts with lots of fluff and kindess on top. It's not like that. It's a job. We do it to the best of our abilities at any given moment. I personally do it for the salary and the pension and the holidays, not because I want to make fluffy kittens out of toilet roll with 5 year olds. Sometimes I might get some job satisfaction but frequently I am frustrated and upset and angry at the state of the system, the way we are treated by Government, SLT, Joe Public.

At home, I will swear like a trooper, drink like a fish, and frankly pick at people on internet forums who have no bloody clue what it's like. It doesn't make me a bad teacher or mean I have 'awful traits' in my professional life. I am perfectly capable of not swearing in front of students, of not turning in drunk at 9am and of knowing not to pick on students who are struggling with the basics like spelling. Or even pick on them for any reason. I know what is expected and, being a professional am able to work out what to do/say in a given situation.

The internal dialogue, however, I take no responsibility for whatsoever.

TheZeppo · 13/02/2019 17:27

Sod question 2 Smile, this thread is bloody brilliant for Q4 (compare the different viewpoints and perspectives shown towards the teaching profession- don’t forget method!)

Colly1616 · 13/02/2019 17:29

In my opinion you have literally added zero value to this thread to support how the public and readers of this feed should feel towards teachers. You have focused on personal attacks about someone’s intelligence. I actually think you have let teachers down on this thread, I don’t know how others feel?. But if I saw a nurse being mean to someone I wouldn’t want them representing my proffesion. Nice work with the phd though I’ll give you that.

StopMakingAFoolOutofMe · 13/02/2019 17:46

Are you still going on at me?

If I'm letting down my profession by correcting someone's spelling on an anonymous forum because they're being obnoxious, fine. I don't have to be professional on an anonymous internet forum. It may be childish, but it's fun and I don't do it very often, only to the ones who are really being petty, so think yourself honoured Smile

Piggywaspushed · 13/02/2019 17:47

colly, I was genuinely shocked by your outburst a few pages back, no matter how goaded you had been . But , at no point was my shock attached in my mind to your value, ability or professionalism as a nurse.

I think it would be better for your equilibrium if you didn't keep responding.

EffYouSeeKaye · 13/02/2019 17:47

Great post, Lostmyshityear9 - very well put I thought and much of it resonated. I am a right sweary Mary outside of work. I sometimes think it’s internal backlash. So cathartic. I don’t know about anyone else but I often find people expect me to be ‘a teacher’ outside of work as well.

I’ve had parents be honest enough with me to admit that being back in a school environment, with their own children, brings out a lot of emotion in them. Sometimes the excitement of finally being a grown up in the presence of a teacher makes them act out of character, because it evokes so many old feelings. I understand that, as a parent myself. I think this explains a lot of ‘teacher bashing’, as well. They aren’t really talking to you, as a human being and fellow adult / professional, they are just saying all the things they wanted to say to that old bastard Mr Smith, their year 10 maths teacher, who made them feel like shit. I think a lot of teachers touch out for that reason. Understandable. Not fair, but understandable.

Anyway. My school get the bit of my life they pay me for, plus a bit extra. But that’s it. I work very hard when I’m there and sometimes when I’m not, but that’s it. No apologies for that anymore. It’s good enough and that’s fine by me. For the salary, I think I’m a bloody bargain, actually. I think most of us are.

SmileEachDay · 13/02/2019 17:51

Sod question 2 Smile, this thread is bloody brilliant for Q4 (compare the different viewpoints and perspectives shown towards the teaching profession- don’t forget method!)

😂😂😂😂

“The writer’s use of extreme colloquial language conveys the utter frustration felt by not only the individual teacher, but the profession as a whole”

Holy shit. It’s much easier doing that about this thread than about the god awful bollocks AQA choose😂

SmileEachDay · 13/02/2019 17:53

Oops. Didn’t do a comparison,

StopMakingAFoolOutofMe · 13/02/2019 18:04

Nice work with the phd though I’ll give you that

Thank you. All the best with the Master's.

Original poster
User298895613 · 13/02/2019 18:42

Ok....so I was thinking as ive been reading this thread - ok, so poor teachers have to work hard with poor pay etc... and was feeling a bit guilty for starting this whole thread (because many teachers are great!) But then I just looked the pay up and to be completely honest, I think it's quite good!?

Non qualified teachers get a decent wage for a non-graduate role. Qualified teachers get a good salary (above national average), and with leadership responsibilities get even more. Senior leaders and headteachers are positively loaded (it goes into figures well above what most of us can earn)

For a graduate level job, it's comparable to many others (like nursing), and there is scope to be earning a fortune if you want to progress to leadership roles.

So - now I'm confused.

OP posts:
LJdorothy · 13/02/2019 18:43

No, you're being goady.

Original poster
User298895613 · 13/02/2019 18:44

LJdorothy - have you seen the payscales?

OP posts:
StopMakingAFoolOutofMe · 13/02/2019 18:47

The pay is shit - I'm not sure what you're looking at. We don't have no-qualified teachers in Wales mainstream educations. When I was an NQT, I earned less than a quarter of what I earned running my businesses. It's not much better now

BoneyBackJefferson · 13/02/2019 18:49

Clavinova

You still haven't found a link to state schools in England.

LJdorothy · 13/02/2019 18:52

Class teachers, by definition, aren't senior leaders or head teachers so they aren't 'positively loaded.'

Original poster
User298895613 · 13/02/2019 18:52

So wage for a teacher seems (from my oh so sophisticated and accrate web searching!!) to start around 24k and goes up to around 40k (national average wage is 27k). Not bad for a graduate role. With some additional responsibilities, can add on about 10k. In lead roles or with some extra responsibilities, up to 60k. And for senior leaders (heads of year, head teachers) pay is from around 40 to 110k.

What is wrong with that?

OP posts:
LJdorothy · 13/02/2019 18:54

And I wouldn't take a leadership job in a school for a king's ransom.

LJdorothy · 13/02/2019 18:55

When you're on your knees with overwork and stress. 'extra responsibilities' doesn't seem very appealing believe me.

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