Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think teachers should not come to work when sick?

73 replies

Yorkie88 · 19/05/2022 13:34

My DH is a teacher in a large secondary school.

DH and both DC have got a horrible tummy bug. Vomiting. Bad nappies (DC, not DH. 😝)

I am actually fine and haven't caught it somehow but obviously have 2 DC with me at home while I'm trying to work which has been really difficult and my boss is getting v. pissed off

The thing is - DH has gone to work all week. He was literally being sick at 5am and in the car at 7am driving to work.

Firstly - he's left me in the shit. Quite literally. Secondly - isn't it immoral to go teach a bunch of kids when you know you have a contagious tummy bug?

BUT - he tells me that it's so so frowned upon to be ill when you're a teacher, and that it's just 'not acceptable like it is in other jobs' and I don't under teaching. It's a new job and I get that it isn't great to be sick in a new job early on, but also - if you are actually sick - stay away. It's immoral. But he insists he would go down awfully if he called in sick all week and that he has to plough on.

?

OP posts:
spiderlight · 19/05/2022 13:38

My son starts his GCSE exams this week. I would be unimpressed, to put it mildly, if a teacher gave him a vomiting bug that caused him to miss exams.

Hugasauras · 19/05/2022 13:38

Ugh going into work with a vomiting bug is not cool 

RealBecca · 19/05/2022 13:40

Could it be that he doesnt fancy staying home and looking after dc and work is a good excuse

Sirzy · 19/05/2022 13:40

His trying to keep going risks causing massive issues for pupils doing their GCSEs. He would be much better taking a few days off

Gymnopedie · 19/05/2022 13:44

BUT - he tells me that it's so so frowned upon to be ill when you're a teacher, and that it's just 'not acceptable like it is in other jobs' and I don't under teaching. It's a new job and I get that it isn't great to be sick in a new job early on, but also - if you are actually sick - stay away. It's immoral. But he insists he would go down awfully if he called in sick all week and that he has to plough on.

Sadly, in the majority of schools, he's not wrong. Teachers are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

KangFang · 19/05/2022 13:45

He's right.
Teachers are not allowed to be sick.
They are expected to go in and soldier on. No matter what.

It's a pity and it's not fair but that's how a lot of schools are.

saraclara · 19/05/2022 13:45

He's right up to a point. Teachers do go in when sick enough to be off, for a variety of reasons. I've done it myself many times. However, I've not gone in with a stomach bug, and while fellow teaching and non-teaching staff can be somewhat sniffy about teachers being off sick, they'd be far more annoyed if someone came in with D&V.

headofpotsandpans · 19/05/2022 13:48

Really, you are right. But in reality teachers are very much expected to turn up to work even if they are practically on death's door. It's one of many reasons teachers are leaving the profession in droves.

motogirl · 19/05/2022 13:48

It's a balancing act - missing work means his class will miss out on lessons, potentially very important if exams are due however making his classes sick would be disastrous. With older children the likelihood of passing on a vomiting bug if he's careful with sanitising hands and distancing is quite low

comealongponds · 19/05/2022 13:49

Going to work with a stomach bug is vile for anyone in any job unless they’re working from home (if well enough).

teachers do get ill, they’re surely at more risk of illness than most adults because of spending all day with germ ridden children.

it’s reasonable to go to work with a cold but not with a stomach bug. surely he can’t be constantly running out of the classroom to the toilet?

AnneElliott · 19/05/2022 13:51

I get that in lots of workplaces it's frowned upon to be sick - and especially teachers if they have to get a supply in. But surely that applies to feeling a bit under the weather - not a sick bug? What is he needs to throw up while in the class room? I didn't think you could leave them alone?

sonjadog · 19/05/2022 13:53

He's right, I'm afraid. Unless you are incapable of getting out of bed, you pretty much have to go in and soldier on.

KatherineofGaunt · 19/05/2022 13:54

I'm sure there are other jobs where it's hard to take time off. But yes, it is hard in teaching.

Often, teachers are expected to provide planning/resources for their missed days or you feel bad your colleagues have to sort your class out as well as their own - either work for a class being split, or for a TA to do with them, or for supply.

You never know exactly what your class is doing while you're off and you worry how much they're not covering from the curriculum and how much you'll have to catch up when you're back. You don't know who's taking them and you worry about x,y,z children who have this need or that need and you have no idea how their needs are being met if you're not there.

Because there is so much pressure on schools, and this is passed on to the individual teachers, for pupil progress and attainment, it's hard to leave that for even a couple of days.

That said, for sickness I would be of the recommended 48 hours. But I have been known to dose myself up on cold/flu medicine and go in regardless, if I feel under the weather.

MinglingFlamingo · 19/05/2022 13:59

KangFang · 19/05/2022 13:45

He's right.
Teachers are not allowed to be sick.
They are expected to go in and soldier on. No matter what.

It's a pity and it's not fair but that's how a lot of schools are.

Pretty much

It's easier to drag yourself in when feeling shit. Than to set cover etc and stay at home

maddy68 · 19/05/2022 14:06

He's right. It's really no allowed to be off sick one of the (many) reasons I left

BoredatHome321 · 19/05/2022 14:18

Some pupils will be starting their GCSE exams very soon and he's gone in with a sickness bug?

FitAt50 · 19/05/2022 14:41

spiderlight · 19/05/2022 13:38

My son starts his GCSE exams this week. I would be unimpressed, to put it mildly, if a teacher gave him a vomiting bug that caused him to miss exams.

In the same way as most parents would be up in arms if their childs teacher went off sick just before exams.

flumposie · 19/05/2022 15:06

It's often easier to go in when sick as you still have to sort work out for classes from home. However I would never go in with a sickness bug, irresponsible.

MrsTWH · 19/05/2022 15:52

When I was teaching and had a D&V bug, I took one day off.
I was screamed at by my line manager the following day for doing that, and I quote - “YOU don’t decide if you’re sick enough for a day off, I do. You come in, prove you’re too sick to work and wait for me to send you home if necessary.”

it is a horrendous and thankless job, and calling in sick is extremely frowned upon.

Whitedamask · 19/05/2022 15:56

He is right as far as my experience goes. We had a head who would limp in on crutches, complain that she was ill, but was coming in to work anyway.
That put a ton of pressure on the rest of the staff to turn up however we were feeling.

saraclara · 19/05/2022 16:00

Whitedamask · 19/05/2022 15:56

He is right as far as my experience goes. We had a head who would limp in on crutches, complain that she was ill, but was coming in to work anyway.
That put a ton of pressure on the rest of the staff to turn up however we were feeling.

Yep. I had a head like that. Very proud that she had never had a day off sick. I doubt that she ever believed that anyone was ill enough to be off.

Of course she had a nice office to sit in and avoid people if she was unwell. She didn't have to face, teach and control a class full of children all day.

DogsAndGin · 19/05/2022 16:10

I’m a teacher - I’ve never found a place of work to be so understanding of absence due to sickness. Of course he shouldn’t be in school when sick.

There are unions to protect teachers, meaning schools have to play by the book. In fact, in our school, you can be signed off sick for 6 months on full pay!

Sugarpuffsforbreakfast · 19/05/2022 16:16

Yeah tbh I never have days off, even if I'm ill, because it's just not worth it. You are made to feel bad for everything as a teacher and one of them is being off sick. It's also so much hassle setting work and then dealing with the aftermath that I'd do the same as him.

saraclara · 19/05/2022 16:31

DogsAndGin · 19/05/2022 16:10

I’m a teacher - I’ve never found a place of work to be so understanding of absence due to sickness. Of course he shouldn’t be in school when sick.

There are unions to protect teachers, meaning schools have to play by the book. In fact, in our school, you can be signed off sick for 6 months on full pay!

I think that you're conflating two different things. Our terms and conditions for long term absence are very good. Assuming that you have a serious condition and are signed off by a doctor, you get full pay for the period, which is good.
However, self certification for periods of a few days of sickness? That goes down like a cup of cold sick at most schools. If you have an understanding head/HOD at that school, then never leave. You're very fortunate.

Bluepolkadots42 · 19/05/2022 16:49

I echo what othe PPs saying that it's more work as a teacher being absent and having to set work, sort behaviour issues that happen in your lessons whilst you're absent etc. That said though I think it's selfish and grim for anyone to come into work with vomiting and/or diarrhea issues. Stuff like that spreads like wildfire in a school and with kids beginning GCSEs and A levels it's outrageous your DH has still gone in IMO. If he feels well enough to teach but has vomiting/the shits he could ask work if he could dial in and teach lessons remotely on MS Teams or Google classroom whilst another staff member sits with the students in classroom. Or he just needs to suck it up and set work and deal with the inevitable carnage on his return.