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AIBU?

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Original poster

To wonder who funds a teacher's school trip

482 replies

iwasjustwonderingreally · 06/04/2022 10:41

My daughter went skiing with her school in February half term.

Four teachers accompanied them.

Do teachers pay for themselves, or a contribution, (I appreciate they are working though), or is the cost to the pupil inflated to cover the cost of the teachers?

OP posts:
MrsWooster · 06/04/2022 11:30

There are free pro rata places. Saying the parents pay, or being disingenuous: the companies know that the trips cannot run and therefore they cannot make a profit from the children without supplying free places.

I’m sure there is a little extra on each child place to cover some of the costs but as a veteran of organising and running many school ski trips, this is not something you do for fun! The teachers should not have been drinking to any degree, and certainly not to get drunk but that is a specific issue and would need to be very carefully proved as very few teachers these days would dream of doing so.

ExMachinaDeus · 06/04/2022 11:30

the teachers who were meant to be caring for them were all tipsy (one particularly drunk)!

What is your evidence for this? A group of teenagers?

MySecretHistory · 06/04/2022 11:30

Your life must be very limited if you are concerned about it 2 months later.

AnIckabog · 06/04/2022 11:31

You know that teachers also aren't paid for their time on these trips right? They are working for free. The idea that they should both work for free AND pay to do so is laughable. The trips wouldn't run.

LittleGwyneth · 06/04/2022 11:31

@IceVolcanoes

Some kid took a photo of the teacher holding a beer presumably. Then spread it around on social media claiming the teachers were all wasted. That’s my guess at what’s really happened.

Meanwhile, little Johnny didn’t get personalised nursing care like he would from mummy, when he had a bit of a headache.

So the teachers should all be hung. Clearly.

And the HT is trying to cover it up too. 🙄

This has happened on every single school trip I can remember. Teachers have a couple of drinks, pupils get over excited and claim that the teachers are wasted, rumour goes around. Usually parents are sensible enough to completely ignore it.

Honestly I feel so bad for those teachers who gave up their holiday to do something nice for the pupils and have ended up having their names dragged through the mud. Entitled little shits those kid are.

MySecretHistory · 06/04/2022 11:32

@Sarahcoggles

If the teachers were drunk then that's wrong and a complaint should be made. I got very ill as a teen on a school trip - had my first ever seizure and spent 2 days in hospital - if the teachers hadn't been fully coherent and sober it would have been very scary.
I don't think there is any suggestion that all of the teachers were drunk and there was no-one capable of supervision

Your experience is sad but not relevant to this

NotNotNotMyName · 06/04/2022 11:33

It’s a contentious area because teachers don’t actually get paid for their extra time. Occasionally they get time back in lieu but this doesn’t usually equal the amount of their personal time they’ve given up.

It sounds like the teachers in this case did have some time off during the day though so not a bad deal.

Nevertheless, they shouldn’t have been drunk. They are bad role models and anything could have happened. This was incredibly irresponsible. I hope the child concerned was ok.

HoppingPavlova · 06/04/2022 11:33

It’s not an ‘inflated’ cost as you have put in the OP, it forms part of the cost. Anyone would realise that’s a given so a strange question.

Do you know teachers were drunk? If it were me I’d probably be mentally deranged/loopy without alcohol by the time evening rocked around if forced to be with kids all day in a trip style environment. I couldn’t do it and you couldn’t pay me enough so I take my hat off to those that can do it.

00100001 · 06/04/2022 11:33

@NeverDropYourMooncup

The trip companies price it with x free staff places. If they need a 121 for a child on an ehcp, that often comes out of the extra funding attached to that child. Which means they get to access the same opportunities as other children.

PARENTS DO NOT PAY FOR THE TEACHERS

We'll, they do technically. The cost for the pupil is increased, and the 'free' places are spread across.

So let's say the cost for each person is actually £10 (Staff or pupil). If 30 pupils and 3 adults attend. The e tire trip would cost £330.

The 30 pupils will pay £11 each for a total of £330. Thus making the staff costs £0.

MichelleScarn · 06/04/2022 11:33

@PAFMO is probably more of an entitled master-serf attitude. 'You there don'tcha know you are only here because of us benevolent parents funding you, be at our beck and call, we own your time'.....

MySecretHistory · 06/04/2022 11:34

This is the reason that so many schools have stopped residential trips
Too many teens with cameras
Too many keyboard warrior parents who think their little angels can do no wrong.

Maireas · 06/04/2022 11:34

@Itloggedmeoutagain

I'm staggered that you need to ask
Exactly!
Notdoingthis · 06/04/2022 11:35

The pupils pay.
It's cheaper than term time where they would have to pay for the cover too.
In return the teachers work at least 13 weeks non stop and give up a week of their holiday.
As a teacher, I would never do a trip in the holidays. That is my time.

Highfivemum · 06/04/2022 11:35

My eldest DS a teacher. He is low paid and works so many hours outside of school. He has just placed an order for well done stickers and props to help him trying to teach science to year 5. Total cost 80 pounds all out of his own pocket. He is also going in the school holidays on an outward bound course with 42 8-10 year olds. His time and all unpaid. Teachers are saints as far as I am concerned

afuckinggoat · 06/04/2022 11:35

@tinytemper66

When I have organised a school ski trip staff have made a sizeable contribution. No one went free.
Surely this isn't true? You asked staff who would be spending a week away from their families, who were responsible for children abroad 24/7, who would be offered no compensation for their overtime, to pay for their work trip?

This thread reaffirms how glad I am that I left teaching. The shit pay, the scathing scrutiny and the crushing, thankless responsibility was just not worth it.

Benjispruce4 · 06/04/2022 11:36

Keep in mind that teachers are losing their evenings and weekends with their families and not getting paid overtime.

MichelleScarn · 06/04/2022 11:36

But it's OK isn't it, this issue won't arise again as no teacher will be foolish enough to even consider giving their time at this school again once the complaint is raised. What absolute little sneaky arseholes videoing the teachers in their private time, I hope you all reprimand the children for going into an area where alcohol was being served!

Chakraleaf · 06/04/2022 11:37

If they didn't go then nor could the children! Same with helpers. I've helped on many trips yet never paid, If we don't have enough helpers the trip can't happen.

Notdoingthis · 06/04/2022 11:37

Have you ever planned a school trip? It is an enormous amount of extra work, again, that teachers don't get paid for.

Meadowbreeze · 06/04/2022 11:37

That's really messed up that they were drunk. I've been on a week long school trip with 30 kids and it was haaaard. Most trip companies offer 1 free adult space to whatever ratio they require.
I would complain if those teachers were drunk, that's really unprofessional and irresponsible. I had a few nights where I had to stay up with a child. Can't imagine that drunk.

00100001 · 06/04/2022 11:37

@Highfivemum

My eldest DS a teacher. He is low paid and works so many hours outside of school. He has just placed an order for well done stickers and props to help him trying to teach science to year 5. Total cost 80 pounds all out of his own pocket. He is also going in the school holidays on an outward bound course with 42 8-10 year olds. His time and all unpaid. Teachers are saints as far as I am concerned
What would happen if he didn't spend that money? Why isn't he asking for it back?
Maireas · 06/04/2022 11:37

@iwasjustwonderingreally

Jeez, it was just a simple question to clarify a situation as a parent is complaining that the teachers were drunk when their child was ill.

I'm not saying teachers should pay!!!!

That does clarify it, but it may have been better to include that in your original post. You will concede that it was not clear.

HesterShaw1 · 06/04/2022 11:37

When I went on school trips to France it was the most exhausting work I have ever done! Why would I have paid to do that?

HesterShaw1 · 06/04/2022 11:37

(as staff obviously)

Chakraleaf · 06/04/2022 11:38

@HesterShaw1

When I went on school trips to France it was the most exhausting work I have ever done! Why would I have paid to do that?
Yes. Plus I end up buying food or drink for kids that don't have enough / forget water bottles/socks/pants/trousers etc