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?

[fruityb]

Not RTFT but we take 40 kids to London for two nights every year and have a drink on the second night together. Last year I had two bottles of Peroni. Late nights and early mornings on that trip - were allowed a little drink together. No one gets sloshed and we’re all perfectly capable of looking after them all.

Kids sneaking into each other’s rooms on that trip equals lots of trouble when we get back!! We patrol corridors and they sign a behaviour contract.

That’s the behaviour that should be addressed!

[yolofish]

inniu that's the future of scouting fucked then isnt it?! unless of course all scout leaders are absolute saints which seems unlikely...

[TheFormidableMrsC]

Where's OP?

[Motherofcreek]

Going to stick my head out here..

I’d prefer it if they didn’t.

I don’t drink if my kids are having a sleep over because of shit hits the fan and something dreadful happens I want to be able to to look after that child appropriately.

If my child was on a school trip - I’d hope that the people that volunteered to go could keep there need for alcohol in check for a day or two till their charges got home safe.

Then they can go and get pissed.

[TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross]

I have to come on this thread because I am desperate to know what the "dangerous city" is that this school trip went to.

As a teacher, I know the risk assessments involved for just taking kids to the theatre, so I'd love to know what they're like for Kabul, or Homs, or Basra, or wherever your DC went.

[yearinyearout]

OP, I fail to see how your DC could tell from peaking around a corner exactly what the teachers were drinking. Even if each of them had got an alcoholic drink in front of them they may have only had one. Lighten up.

[cuppycakey]

Where's OP?

On the phone to OFSTED

[Foxyloxy1plus1]

There is always at least one member of staff who has not had any alcohol and probably more than one. It’s been said on here several times and it’s true. Please OP, credit the people who organised, risk assessed, planned and worried about the trip with some sense and sense of responsibility.

Being on a school trip means that you do not relax for the whole time. 24 hours a day. That’s exhausting. Then you get them home safely and hopefully some parents are there to collect their children and hopefully some will thank you, but inevitably, you will be trying to track down the ones who haven’t turned up. So you’ve been travelling for hours, you’ve been on a coach, dealing with arguments, travel sickness, delays and you get back at 1am and then have to hang around for someone who turns up an hour late, having ‘ forgotten’ the trip was due back.

[Meowandthen]

Where’s OP?

Busy googling ‘dangerous cities* to back up her claim.

[JustOneShadeOfGrey]

I am a trained and experienced teacher but I no longer have respect for the profession. Drinking while committing to protecting children in the absence of their parents? Not acceptable!

Teachers are human. They drink, they lie, they close ranks. But we are expected to trust them. Feck that.

[dreichuplands]

The issue here OP is surely that your DC's school organised a trip to a dangerous overseas city. One the plus side if the teachers had to fight their way out of trouble a broken wine bottle could be a handy weapon!

[LarryGreysonsDoor]

I went on one residential where it was a dry hostel, it was a Christian organisation. We had to sit around until the hostel staff went to bed to crack out the bottle we had smuggled in.

[SmileEachDay]

Just you seem very, very bitter about teachers.

[TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross]

I no longer have respect for the profession.

Thank God I've got a glass of wine to get me through this terrible time of losing your respect

[gamerwidow]

Unless they were pissed then there is no harm done.
These teachers are giving up their free time for no extra pay to facilitate this trip. I don't begrudge them a drink with dinner.

[cuppycakey]

Being on a school trip means that you do not relax for the whole time. 24 hours a day.

Exactly. I have not slept on the floor all night next to a student's bed after they were discharged by paramedics after an epileptic seizure in France. I am sure many teachers could tell similar stories. The fact I had a couple of glasses of wine earlier in the evening did not impact my ability to care for that student.

And no, I wasn't paid a penny for the entire trip.

[ladyvimes]

I’m a teacher and enjoy a drink (or five) but I never drink on school trips. It seems to be acceptable but I am responsible for the children on the trip 24/7 and need to be able to react appropriately.
Also if anything happened and it was discovered that staff had been drinking I could imagine it being a real issue.
Maybe I need to get off my high horse but I just think it’s really irresponsible.

[blackteasplease]

Christ I had a drink when I was away with d's aged 5 last week!

[LJdorothy]

'They drink, they lie, they close ranks. But we are expected to trust them.' WTF? Listen to yourself.

[seven201]

I spent 24 hours on a coach full of travel sick kids for a ski trip in my half term. I deserved wine!

[Lunde]

I really doubt that some rule-breaking school kids can tell exactly what people are drinking (or not drinking) from a distance. Just "sitting in the hotel bar" means nothing - where else could the staff sit together and go through plans for the next day? I'm sure that there would have been a duty roster with non-drinking staff (possibly drinking soft-drinks, mocktails or cappucino!)

I'd love to know which "dangerous city" OP is talking about. Although nothing is risk free - you could be teetotal and get mugged on the street or break bones.

Unlike most on here my DD has been on a school trip to dangerous cities to study both sides of the Israel/Palestine debate (Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority). The school took appropriate security measures - but nothing is risk free. It was an amazing trip for DD - but I doubt that such a trip could be done by a UK school.

[IHateUncleJamie]

Then they can go and get pissed.

Since when does one glass of wine = getting pissed? You must be an absolute lightweight.

Also, the “drinking” was apparently only from the POV of a yr 9 peering through the stairs from some distance away. I’m highly sceptical.

[UnicornRainbowsRain]

OP next time I think you should ask to attend. So you can observe your offspring 24 hours a day.

Maybe you could help with the paperwork, headcounts, insurances, chasing forms and passports, phone calls, parents info evenings, programmes, foreign links, training courses to allow you to do all that shit too....? Or maybe you could stay at home and look after the teacher's own children who won't see their parent that week?

[userxx]

It all sounds pretty tame compared to our trips abroad when I was at school.

[TheZeppo]

Motherofcreek no one says they should get pissed.

We are saying that OP has NO idea what, if, who,how many....

Teachers are professional adults. You trust us to take them- we will look after them. As you would. Possibly with a glass of wine at the end!