So if the Minimum Wage increases...

[missbunnyrabbit]

My own wage in a public sector job seems lower than ever. The article I read suggests the public sector pay freezes will end, but I doubt we'll get such a large pay rise!

Aibu to feel like packing my teacher job in to go and work a minimum wage job instead?

“” I can first hand say that my professional job now is a million times harder, more stressfully and exhausting, and I think I actually get paid less than minimum wage if you added up the hours I work at home.””

Rubbish.

Cuttlefish- that is undoubtedly true- but not the fault of those on minimum wage. I have experienced this myself with staff- however thankfully being low earners themselves they understand why their colleagues deserve more and I always try my best to increase everyone’s salary where possible if even only a token amount.

[quote missbunnyrabbit]@LittleBearPad

Oh my goodness, please read posts before replying. I said 'would it be OK IF' they earned the same amount.
It clearly wouldn't be because the training of a doctor's job far surpasses the job of an Amazon worker.[/quote]
But they don’t at all - nowhere near. So it was a silly comment.

You’re really very immature.

@cuttlefishgame

That's exactly what I'm trying to say, except you said it much better.

Personally I think that the OP has started this thread as a teacher-bashing exercise.

I would rather think that than think that there are such deluded people, with this kind of warped views of the world, out there teaching the next generation.

@Feelingoktoday

“” I can first hand say that my professional job now is a million times harder, more stressfully and exhausting, and I think I actually get paid less than minimum wage if you added up the hours I work at home.””

Rubbish.

Not rubbish at all. Do you have any idea how many hours a lot of teachers work?

[quote missbunnyrabbit]@cuttlefishgame

That's exactly what I'm trying to say, except you said it much better.[/quote]
Except teachers are on nowhere near minimum wage so the argument doesn’t work

Working long hours isn’t the same thing as being hard.
Spending your days outside cleaning sewers or doing manual Labour is hard work.
Marking work is not.

@MereDintofPandiculation

I regularly daydream of a minimum wage job 9-5! I suspect most on minimum wage dream of this too.

Have you ever wondered how you manage a social life, or even celebrate family events with your wide family, when you don't know till midway through the week beforehand which days you will be working, whetehr you will be asked to start work at 2am or finish work at midnight? And you don't know in advance when you'll get a Saturday off (and a whole weekend is something you can only dream about)? And Public Holidays are just normal working days for you.

I know not every minimum wage job is 9-5. I was just imagining what it would be like if I had a 9-5 job. I already work evenings and weekends but get no extra pay for it. Numerous times I have turned down social events during term time because I simply have too much work to do, there's a parents evening or open morning that I have to do. We also deal with abuse from students and parents and it's just not worth it for the pay and hours. I can't leave teaching now because the drop in pay would be too drastic. I'm at the top of my pay scale so my pay is unlikely to increase, but if NMW keeps on increasing its looking more appealing for me to leave teaching.

@LittleBearPad

Have you given an answer to my silly comment, then?

Announcing someone as 'immature' does not mean you automaticaly win the debate. That shows a lack of intelligence, maturity and ability to debate on your part. ;)

Go on, humour me - why do you clearly think that trained jobs should be paid similarly to those that require no qualifications?

www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1870718759725920

Like I said previously- most people know that teachers work long hours preparing for lessons/ marking. It goes with the territory. Hence why many people choose not to be teachers 😜

@missbunnyrabbit

Don’t call me hun, firstly.

I know what you said; I can read. You made it very clear in your first post that you had so much experience in the retail sector, I was simply outlining some of the key responsibilities. Then, as it turned out, you hadn’t done half of them. So your experience of retail in a long term capacity doesn’t really count. Same with your experience in teaching, with it being 3 years. 3 years is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

I still work in a store, management now, though. I worked as a customer advisor through university (to get my very important degree which I must brag about more often to be taken seriously) and then was promoted into management. Why? I took on a lot more responsibility than was typically at my level and excelled.

The real NMW are those who make everything happen in a store. Yes, it’s very easy for me to prepare for a visit but it cannot happen without their hard work and attention to detail. My staff are absolutely excellent and go above and beyond every single day. A lot of them are studying for degrees as well and we offer an excellent graduate scheme programme, too.

They are not stupid nor lazy. And they also don’t complain. They come into work, ready to work, do a great job and go home. An attitude you could learn a lot from.

If you don’t want to be a teacher, nothings keeping you there. It’s okay for it not to be the career for you, but attacking other people for not having gone to university and/or having a “professional” job is not the way to go. Our stores pay above NMW for everyone, anyway (excluding bonuses), but they absolutely deserve a pay increase. These last 2 years have been tough. They’ve had to work through it all, every single day, face to face.

If you aren’t happy with the pay rate your job offers then unfortunately that is something you should have researched before you applied for your wonderous degree. It’s a bit silly not to have done that, really.

I take it you're a carer? The way carers are treated is honestly disgusting.

Crap wages, and they wonder why they can't keep staff. I appreciate you and everyone who works in this sector. But look after yourself. It's a tough gig x

There are 2 separate issues getting confused here, and I suspect it’s exactly what the government wants.

Minimum wage needs to increase so that those earning it can afford to live. It’s literally that simple. People who work full time still can’t afford to live with out state support. That’s criminal. It’s not about being able to afford a life of luxury. At this point it is literally a case of being able to put a roof over your.

Public sector pay needs to be looked at as a separate issue. Ensuring that those on the lowest salaries do not starve, is a completely separate priority. We can have a conversation about fairly rewarding people for education/training/responsibility etc without appearing unhappy that people on the lowest incomes are hopefully going to be able to afford to turn the heating on.

What’s happening here is instead of asking the government ‘why am I not being paid fairly’. You’re asking ‘why are those in lesser jobs that me being paid a fairer wage’ (although I’d argue that it’s still too low). They’re manipulating people into thinking that the government isn’t the ‘enemy’, it’s the regular hard working people.

If a business can not pay a decent wage then they are not a viable business anyway so probably should shut.

I agree. But the problem with a very large number of the MW jobs is, they are public sector.

I’ll happily forgo the knock on 59p per hour wage hike I’d get if everyone’s wages up the chain goes up, as long as they put that back in to paying care workers, nursery staff, road sweepers and any other public sector MW job, a decent wage they can live on without having to rely on benefits they can lose at the drop of a hat at the government’s whim.

@Kimjonghealthy

I take it you're a carer? The way carers are treated is honestly disgusting.

Crap wages, and they wonder why they can't keep staff. I appreciate you and everyone who works in this sector. But look after yourself. It's a tough gig x

Sorry that was to @travellingspoon

Quick Google for my area and NQT primary school teacher can expect a starting salary of £22540 with a more experienced teacher getting a basic salary of £26500. Jobs for subject leads, etc attract more but even the NQT starter salary of £22540 is above NMW, has better T&Cs, no weekend working, no working on public holidays, pension, pay progression, paid sick, etc.

@littleBearPad Except if you add up all the hours we work, it's definitely not far off. I haven't done the maths myself, but experienced colleagues of mine admitted they have and it's less. I'll trust them.

I feel the same way. I qualified 10 years ago in a role which required a postgraduate qualification. The salary range has changed very little and I have yet to earn over £30k per annum. Meanwhile my cleaner is now charging £17.50 an hour. I find it all quite depressing

[quote missbunnyrabbit]@LittleBearPad

Have you given an answer to my silly comment, then?

Announcing someone as 'immature' does not mean you automaticaly win the debate. That shows a lack of intelligence, maturity and ability to debate on your part. ;)

Go on, humour me - why do you clearly think that trained jobs should be paid similarly to those that require no qualifications?[/quote]
You don’t get paid an hourly rate that is equivalent in any way to the minimum wage.

You have benefits (and a career path) that pretty much all NMW employees would dream about; particularly the ones on zero hours contracts.

But you want to quit. That’s fine. Let your Headteacher know and you can be done by Christmas. But oddly I don’t think you will…

Announcing someone as 'immature' does not mean you automaticaly win the debate. That shows a lack of intelligence, maturity and ability to debate on your part.

Actually, it confirms that the person posting utterly immature drivel needs to stop and think about whether their rosy, childlike view is based in reality or fantasy. I thought I knew it all at 26 too. Turns out I really didn’t.

Teacher also get pay progression every year as long as they have met their appraisal objectives which most people
on minimum wage can only dream of.

@Clocktopus

Quick Google for my area and NQT primary school teacher can expect a starting salary of £22540 with a more experienced teacher getting a basic salary of £26500. Jobs for subject leads, etc attract more but even the NQT starter salary of £22540 is above NMW, has better T&Cs, no weekend working, no working on public holidays, pension, pay progression, paid sick, etc.

OK, this shows you have no idea what you are talking about. Teachers don't work at weekends? In what world? :D and yes, we also work through holidays. I have worked today, first day of the bank holiday, and have much to do for the rest of the week.

It's not a 9-3 job and we work weekend and holidays.

@LivingNextDoorToNorma excellent post. Right to the crux of the matter.