to think you shouldn't work before contract starts?

[chazwomaq]

My partner has got a job at a secondary school, starting in September. But they want her to come in for visiting days where the children who will be starting come in for 2 days to see the school and meet their teachers.

She won't be paid for this. From the teachers' point of view, it's managing a whole class for 2 days. She has to plan activities and so on.

I understand it's a good idea for everyone to meet each other, but I think the school should be paying her (but she doesn't want to even ask). Are the school being cheeky?

Dunno if this would be common in teaching - but for my industry I always cite "insurance" when asked to do stuff outside of contract. It's a crap answer but hard to contradict.

Alternatively, can't do it due to being away on hols.

It is cheeky but may be normal for schools.

Id probably be fine with a meet and greet/ getting to know the kids kinda thing where its literally just my presence required

I think planning and doing 2 days of activities is a bit of a piss take

I think YANBU.

However is she working atm? So leaving her current job to do this? Or her own time. I agree it would be helpful for her to be there but I don’t think she should be in charge, running lessons etc. It should only be supernumerary.

I like the insurance/safeguarding angle or holiday excuse!

I think if this was a man and they asked for pay for these days the school would get a new found respect for him and congratulate themselves on a good hire.
As she is a woman if she asked she will probably get eyes rolled at her in a “o you are going to be difficult” kind of way.

No it's normal. And no, there won't be any money to pay her. These answers illustrate the very different mindset between teaching and industry!

The school where I am a governor has a few nqt's starting in September and they're coming in next week for a few days but being paid. As nqts they are not currently working. Not sure about the insurance part but I would imagine they would be covered in the same way as if a substitute teacher came in for a day. I would not be going in unless being paid though!

If your not contracted you are not part of the staff, you are not legally covered. You need to ask the school to either start your contract early from the day of those days you are asked to come in which means they would be paid through the summer hols or say absolutely not. It's also protection for the school should anything happen. But not paid and not contracted absolutely not.

The alternative is they pay her a supply rate. She needs to speak to the teachers union.

They should pay her the two days and she should refuse otherwise.

In my experience, it is usual to paid a supply staff rate for these days. I have done a couple in my time and never worked for free!

Completely normal in teaching.... another reason why I've left the profession. They take the piss and we let them!

Be wary. Not a teacher but formerly did some lecturing part time and updated an entire course and set it up before term started, and therefore also before my contract started. Had been teaching the course for 2 years and been asked by one department to do this, in expectation of the same arrangements again. However, my contract wasn't renewed, someone else took over the course, benefitted from all my work and I had no way of getting paid. Well, I suppose I could have sent in an invoice, but anyone who has experienced the difficulties in getting paid by a university with a contract will know thats a guarantee for months of further wasted time.

I think the above suggestion of muttering about insurance and also about health and safety (e.g. if a pupil is injured or an accident occurs, normally the employer would be liable but there wouldn't actually be an employer here) because not covered by a contract are good ones.

Industry standard Im afraid. But what if her current employer wont let her off? And its also industry standard to dock pay, schools are notoriously tight.

My last school paid you for your working time, they were quite fair about it.

I think she's, understandably, nervous about the new job and therefore overthinking this.

I'd send a breezy email to the head saying she is looking forward to the visiting days and getting to meet the kids and just wanted to check the arrangements for payment as supply staff for the visiting days.

By assuming she is getting paid she puts to onus on the head to have to justify why she should be working for free.

Totally normal in teaching. Is your partner already teaching at a school? We always release staff to visit new schools when they’re moving on and always have our new starters in for an induction day. They don’t teach lessons (secondary), but we go through all the school procedures / expectations and they might meet their form.

But having said what I have said, she should only be paid by the school if her old school are docking pay, assuming she’s currently employed.

It's not unreasonable, the flip side is they would allow a teacher leaving to go to their new school for 2 days I presume

Well she's still working for her current school until the 1st September so my dh (teacher) may still be in his current school tidying up, packing his office etc

Totally depressingly normal I’m afraid.

I got a promoted post about a month ago. Pay starts in September but the work started immediately.

It is totally normal in many job to come in for a day or two to do something or get to know people or participate to training. It's total bullshit and that timw should be paid. She probably has to go and suck it up, but she shouldn't have to. It would be worth asking about the pay.

Sadly normal for teaching. She should ask though - cite insurance if she wants to seem grabby.

Or ask Union for advice to get an official line. She IS in a teaching union, isn't she?!

I went in for an unpaid induction day before starting my teaching job, but it was very much a case of going through policies and getting copies of schemes of work etc. Asking you to take charge of classes for two days (with all the associated planning) goes way beyond this and is unreasonable in my opinion.

If your wife already is teaching then her current contract will run to the end of August so she’ll be receiving pay.

If she’s not I think she should ask.

I work for an independent school so I know it’s different but we’d pay the two days for sure.

It’s fairly normal and all the unpaid work is a reason I stopped teaching.

It's what I did when I started teaching, I think for an NQT it's a way of getting to know the school and the children. It's unreasonable if she has a teaching job at the moment though.