Is it appropriate to gift booze to teachers?

[Uninspiredusername]

Just that, really.
Kid is new to school so not done the end of term present for teacher but don’t want to give them a mug, they’ll have about thirty already?! Would a bottle of fizz be ok? Or is that not appropriate? Or maybe just a box of chocs??

Teacher folk what goes down well with you?

Any suggestions welcome!

i used to get primary school teachers a bottle of wine. Usually thats what they actually appreciate ime

Tbh I always resented buying the teacher a gift anyway as I was a single parent with 3 children and I couldn’t really afford it, but other parents created a level of expectation for me and for my children and they would feel left out or bad if I did not take part.

I think the schools should put a blanket ban on it hand have a cards only policy.

Teachers get rewarded by being paid and from good outcomes for young people and children.

Meh, just call me Scrooge 🤣🤣

I've given alcohol before but don't feel comfortable with it now as I really hadn't considered the fact that for a lot people it wasn't appropriate.

5 or 10 pound voucher to a local coffee shop is good as of they don't drink coffee can grab cake or treat their child.

Teacher DS likes a bottle of wine. Other gifts he's liked were a house plant, posh pen, chocolate.

We gave DD's teacher beer, crisps, sweets & 7up because those are things he's told the kids he likes

Also i'd only buy a voucher for a local coffee shop.if you know they live locally. I don't know where any of DD's teachers have lived but based on various things I've deduced they aren't local

I take a bottle when collecting children from residentials 😁 always seems gratefully received my parents were teachers so appreciate how exhausting those trips are!

We have a friend who is a teacher. He spends the whole school year saying "Mr B really likes red wine"... He actually is tee-total but he always brings a bottle if he's invited to dinner and never has to buy a present for anyone!

We usually do just wine or wine + chocolate but sometimes we've done whole class gifts (often in y6 or when someone knows the teacher personally and has an idea of what they'd like)- fire basket, doc martens, outdoor store voucher etc.

Yes, it’s very appropriate and much appreciated 😉 but literally anything I get is great. I love the cards from the kids most of all.

Absolutely

Wine is fine. It’s a standard gift in our culture so no one should be offended. They can pass it on if they don’t drink.
As a secondary teacher I don’t suppose I’ll get many pressies this year. 😞

I think it's inappropriate. Partly because your relationship with the teacher is through your child so it's an odd choice of gift from them, and sending your child into school with booze in their bag isn't right, but mainly because having an ex who's an alcoholic, which wasn't always that obvious to the outside world, has changed my view on giving alcohol as a gift.

A culture that is utterly ruthless to anyone with an alcohol misuse issue.

I'm a teacher and am delighted to receive occasional bottles of wine. I think it's a good gift as is easy to re-gift if the recipient isn't a drinker.

(Personally, I much prefer a handwritten card or an email to my Head or head of dept saying I've done a good job.)

Uramaki gets it. I used to keep any alcohol gifts at work in my locker until I could give them to the local community Christmas fair so as not to have to bring them home and stress about ex finding the booze, freaking out because I hid it from him, then drinking it all whilst accusing me of hiding other things from him because if I could hide that then what else am I keeping from him?
Alcoholism is not as uncommon as people may think. Pretty much any other commonly given gift would not have potential to cause that sort of hassle. Just give a gift card or voucher if you're not sure what to get.

I'm not a teacher but used to work in an industry where alcohol was a regular gift (including cases of wine way over the financial value we were "allowed" to accept). Sometimes I would receive a dozen different bottles of spirits at Christmas (some more tempting than others for me!)

I have been sober for eleven years and used to immediately give them to colleagues, eventually I was able to take them home and give them to friends and family.

I really really wouldn't gift alcohol to anyone.

Lol we did, a bottle of wine to the teacher and TA!

I think people should think of it like gifting cigarettes.

You just would not do it.

The responses from the teachers on here are so lovely!

I think booze would be acceptable .If there are Muslim teachers, or tee totallars what about a couple of those nice Elderflower fizzy drink bottles ,or good old Schloer? I am sure most Teachers would be happy with a nice gift anyway!

@Besswess88

I think people should think of it like gifting cigarettes.

You just would not do it.

how often do you regift a pack of cigarettes when you are invited to a diner party, to thank a neighbour or to give for the school raffle?

Teachers get rewarded by being paid and from good outcomes for young people and children.

a gift to a teacher is not a tip, it's a way to say thank you.

Nothing like giving cigarettes that’s ridiculous!

Always very grateful for any gifts received but I don’t drink any alcohol at all. I’m also a vegetarian and a lot of alcohol has animal products in it. I’ll often get wine which gets donated to the next raffle as DH won’t drink wine by himself really.

Personally, I think the chances of someone not drinking for whatever reason (religious, preference, dietary, recovering…) are high enough that I don’t consider buying it for them unless I know them well enough. I often buy my DD’s teachers a voucher for a restaurant, cinema, coffee shop so they can spend it on themselves only. No Amazon/WHSmiths/etc. in case they spend it on school resources.

My dad works in a school and even though he doesn't drink he gratefully receives and that sees him through the year with always having a bottle to take when invited somewhere. He says a gift is never expected or necessary but it's always nice that someone has thought of him.