To think teachers shouldn't be drinking on trips?

[Newyeardontcare]

Dc just back from trip overseas. Apparently as soon as they were in their rooms the teachers went to the hotel bar. (The kids snuck down to check on them so they could all go into each other's rooms).Were also drinking wine and cocktails at dinner (before walking kids around an overseas city for an hour to their hotel at 11pm)

Is this normal? In charge of 13yr olds?

@Mamaryllis as a guide leader do you volunteer or is it paid employment?

Please don't send your child on trips if this concerns you.
I'm not really sure why this was even reported to you.

So everyone thinking it’s ok, leaves their children alone in the hotel room and goes for drinks in the bar on holiday. Oooookay then.

Completely voluntary. Nothing is paid if you are a guide leader. So I have to take two weeks off work unpaid to take kids on a trip. (For the next one I’m doing in the summer.) And pay for my own travel. We aren’t able to use any ‘free’ places offered - the discount has to be applied equally to everyone travelling.
Seriously, I love teachers. I do.
I’d quite like to get a free place, get paid for the duration, and have a glass of wine though.

Come on OP, I too am desperate to know which "dangerous" city you allowed your child to visit. And also how your child has the skills to be sneaking unseen past a room to "check on" his teachers whilst being able to tell what is in every glass they are drinking.

And as for the pp above, you do know that teachers don't sleep in the kids' rooms don't you? The parents do know that they are being left alone in a hotel room.

So everyone thinking it’s ok, leaves their children alone in the hotel room and goes for drinks in the bar on holiday. Oooookay then.

They're 13 you know....... not 3!

When teacher go on school trips they dont pay so they get the holiday free.Our neighbour loves going on the trips.Once the children are settled down she gets off her face.Her words not mine
She a de

And what time do you reckon a bunch of 13 year olds "settle down" , the teachers must have hours if time at the end of the day....

Was there a teacher designated to check on their charges? I would have thought this could have been shared around amongst the teachers. I mean someone not drink and go and check on them every now and again.

I'm just glad I don't actually know anyone like the OP in real life.

OP YANBU. We’ve had school trips with kids coming down with raging fevers, delirium and fitting and teachers not sending them home soon enough. Disappearing to the bar is not on IMO when your responsible for other people’s children. They can go and have social drinks together when everyone is back home. It’s way too risky when something goes wrong and every hand is needed on deck.

"I'm sorry school trips aren't for the benefit of the pupils they're so teachers can have a jolly during term time"

What utter bollocks....

Fuck me. Even the TAs get paid.

Are you joking? Of course the TA's get paid when they're at work! What a rude comment to make. If you chose to be a guide leader voluntarily that can't in any way compared to people doing their actual job.

Tbh I wouldn’t take your 13yo’s word for anything!

I’m a teacher and went on a trip last year- on the last night the staff at the outdoor ed centre we were at very kindly gave us a bottle of wine (one bottle between 4 of us).

In the evening we watched a film with the students and myself and one other member of staff had one ‘glass’ (ie plastic cup!) of wine each. The trip leader didn’t drink.

Back to school on Monday morning: “I heard you got wasted on the last night, Miss!” 🙄

As tea says you can’t trust the kids to give an accurate report. I’ve taken hundreds of students away and love doing it, not for the free ‘holiday‘ but for the chance to get to know them better, to see the look of awe and wonder when they get to visit new places, to see them develop whilst learning a new skill. It is utterly exhausting and a glass of wine with a meal is generally welcomed, as is the chance to relax with colleagues and review the day, plan the next day, discuss any issues or changes that need to be made.

The thing that I hate about taking trips is the sense of entitlement of some parents to dictate to professionals how they should do their job.

The thing that I hate about taking trips is the sense of entitlement of some parents to dictate to professionals how they should do their job.

I'm not a teacher but that sentence sums it up, I bet the most vocal are also the ones shying away from any type of school involvement like the PTA or extra hands to help on trips.....

I presume the etachers were not guiding students into this dangerous city at 11pm, the kids were meant to be in their rooms (but obviously thank to you we knew they broke the rules to spy on teachers and get into each others' rooms!). How do they know ALL of the teachers drun too, maybe someone had a juice.

When I used to teach I went on a few trips and yes, sometimes had a glass of wine with dinner. The trip is a stressful thing, and teachers dont get paid for 'overtime'- whish is weekends or evenings. I have not seen a teacher ever behave unprofessionally and one glass of wine of half a pint never was an issue. I bet you don't go batshit crazy after a glass of wine, why expect teachers to do so?

I went on a trip and we were given an alcohol budget each as well as a timetable as to who was not allowed to drink. I don’t drink because of personal reasons but I still sat in the bar drink fake cocktails and sodas because there was no where else to sit and chat. No one wants to be locked in a room just because the kids are supposed to be in bed. You’re lucky your DC wasn’t found to be out of bed. We sent a group home early for constantly breaking the rules.

We aren’t able to use any ‘free’ places offered - the discount has to be applied equally to everyone travelling

That just isn't true- unless you're way over ratios. I'm a guider and a lawyer advising on charity law, and there isn't any argument at all for leaders paying for trips (unless you're an extra adult and ratios are more than covered). And we are allowed a glass of wine- who has told you we aren't? Sounds like some by-laws going on there.

1 it wouldn't have been a 'dangerous city'.
2 some of the teachers could have been having alcohol free beer or a virgin cocktail.
3 tell your super precious dc they should have been in bed as they were told.
4 don't send your dc anywhere ever without you because you are obviously the only one who can care for them and obviously never ever drink do you.
Let go of your pearls and appreciate the fact that they have given up their time and time with their families for your dc to have this experience. A massive none issue.

You have to smile at how -

13 year olds see teachers on a school trip in a bar with a few drinks flying round = Mumsnet Pearl Clutchers assume all responsible adults getting pissed.

YANBU. I wouldn't drink if I were one of the teachers.

What, no wine???

Yeah - no wine. No wine, no cocktails.

I have definitely thanked teachers who took my children on trips - either when I collected them, or I sent a note in afterwards. In case I did ever forget - THANK YOU to all of you teachers out there who take children on trips. I hope you managed to have some enjoyment out of it, and I am more than happy if you had a glass of wine or similar, and if you had a rota so that some of you had more than one in an evening - that's absolutely fine with me. Nobody becomes a teacher to get rich, so I appreciate that you are professionals.

Is teaching the only difficult profession? Of course not - but it's not a competition for goodness sake! And to compare it to the NHS is laughable. I doubt any teacher would want to compete with a nurse in a "who has it harder" competition. I suspect both professions have a lot of respect for each other.

I very rarely drink alcohol, but I would have quite happily sat in that bar with a non-alcoholic cocktail. There is no way any teenager would have been able to tell the difference by looking at my glass.

Also, for those saying teachers get paid for trips, we don’t- the last two trips I have been on have been over a weekend. No extra pay and expected to be back in school 8am Monday morning as always.

Trips are voluntary. The teachers aren’t paid. They’re places are paid for though. However, they are ‘on duty’ almost all the time. Generally, there is a rota though. They aren’t all buggering off downstairs to the bar. There will be a few teachers policing the corridors. Staff rooms are also spread out so they can keep an ear out for misbehaviour.

In my NQT year we took Yr 7 to France for four nights and I subsisted in four hours sleeps night because of students getting out of bed, being sick, falling out etc. And then spent all day on watch like a guard dog so we didn’t lose them in a foreign country (despite the best efforts of some).

It is not a jolly. But it is nice to go away with the students because you get to know them and you see who they are. They enjoy it so much. Which is why teachers do it.

I’d love to go back to where we went with my family and actually have a look around and eat some nice food.