AIBU to feel that teachers shouldn't really be striking?

[Pinky1011]

They have 3 months PAID holidays only work 9-4pm, no dangerous or really bad working conditions, great job security, good pensions, They had pay rises last year up to 8%!!! I work in the private sector and haven't had a pay rise in almost 6 years! I just feel compared to alot of other professions, teachers have it quite good? I mean their starting salary is the same as a junior doctor. I get it inflation has wrecked everyone, but surely the issue should be getting inflation down? Not just demanding for more money, which by the way only fuels inflation further. AIBU to feel that teachers just don't know how good they have it compared to the rest of us?

It's you that is detached from reality I'm afraid. Im assuming you don't have children because if you did you would know how schools are struggling, and that the majority of teachers really care for the future of our kids.these strikes are more than a plea for better pay!

Tbh you sound quite bitter and I'm sorry that I was rude as I suspect that you are unhappy in your own job and I do not wish to add to your misery. Feel free to get into teaching if you fancy a change.

A medical consultant has done technical training and exams for 7 years, then worked as a junior doctor for many years, before becoming a consultant. The qualification to become a teacher and the qualification required to become a doctor are just not comparable, in terms of academic difficulty, exams or time and experience.

As I said, you’re not comparing like with like.
My brother is a (retired) medical consultant, and I’m a (retired) teacher. I couldn’t have done his job, and he couldn’t have done mine (which he says is far more difficult). He also couldn’t have managed my degree subject, because he’s not much good at Maths. But he earned three times as much as I did. He also didn’t have his career stall due to having children, though his wife did.

Regardless of quibbles about qualifications and equivalence, teachers are leaving the profession for better pay and quality of life.

Personally I am in favour of increasing education budget. However, I’m not convinced that inflation-busting pay rises for teachers is the best use of funds.

I think a 5% pay offer for teachers is fair, and I would offer 7.5% to NHS staff on the basis that they worked through the pandemic while schools were closed for many months.

The priority for me would be supporting DC to catch up from the lost learning during lockdown rather than fuelling inflation further with bumper payouts to teachers.

I think a 5% pay offer for teachers is fair

So you think teachers deserve a pay cut.

The priority for me would be supporting DC to catch up from the lost learning during lockdown

Who do you think would be delivering that support? Clue: It's the people you don't want to pay properly who are quitting their jobs, leaving a shortage of people to do basic classroom teaching, let alone additional catch-up work.

Okay, but that is just anecdotes. Objectively, becoming a medical consultant is harder than becoming a different teacher. It requires more work, rarer skills, is harder academically, requires more commitment for more years of longer working hours generally and more exams.

However, as I've said I don't think teachers are paid enough. Everyone in the public sector should be getting a payrise of 5-7% in line with the private sector average, broadly. It's still a paycut, because we're all fucked. But some in the public sector and private sector have been offered 1% or nothing! That's unacceptable too.

Then we need to look to Government to stop trashing the economy, rejoin the single market and fund education and other services properly. If they weren't wasting so much money they could do this AND cut the tax burden.

Everyone in the public sector should be getting a payrise of 5-7% in line with the private sector average

How will that address the serious staff shortages?

@noblegiraffe

The reality is that no one getting inflation busting pay rises in any sector. We are now seeing inflation on a downward trend so the last thing we want to do is send it spiralling again with bumper pay awards.

5% is fair and reasonable in my view. My preference would be to give higher rises to the lower paid teachers, with a pay freeze for the likes of headteachers.

The priority for me would be supporting DC to catch up from the lost learning

Who do you want to support your children in this ‘catch up’?

And what exactly are they "catching up"? And when?

The reality is that no one getting inflation busting pay rises in any sector.

The reality is that kids don't have a qualified teacher because there aren't enough to go around.

The reality is that there is no cavalry coming to fill these gaps next year as the recruitment targets for trainees have been hugely missed.

The reality is the figures are looking the same for the year after.

Things are going to get worse and worse and worse.

If you are happy with that for your kids, then sure, bang on about how 5% is 'fair'.

Others will be deeply concerned about the state of education and want to see it improve urgently, not deteriorate further.

In my view the shortage of teachers is more about working conditions than pay. The starting salary for a teacher is excellent given the qualifications required for the role.

And yet teacher recruitment improves when the bursaries go up.

Astonishing how many people are willing to argue in favour of shit education for their kids.

It's incredible really. And frightening that they care so little.

As for the starting salary being excellent, even the Tories recognised it wasn't excellent and made a manifesto promise to bump it up significantly (not yet met).

@noblegiraffe

I would increase the education budget but bumper pay rises for teachers wouldn't be my priority use of that funding.

How about any pay rise? You know, one that isn't a pay cut?

How do you propose to improve education without teachers?

CBA with most of the BS that you have posted but UPS pay rise is under 3%.

But you do you.

@noblegiraffe

I would direct funding towards private tutor sessions for disadvantaged DC and those who are still struggling after lockdown.

I would direct funding towards private tutor sessions for disadvantaged DC and those who are still struggling after lockdown.

Oh, you know that there is already funding for that? It's shit though, schools can't get tutors to do it. Guess why?

… I worked right through the pandemic. In the classroom. With no PPE. With no social distancing.

My partner works for the council and for a £500 bonus, plus a 5% pay rise in 2021, backdated. And he got two extra days annual leave for working through the pandemic.

They worked in an office, with the option to work from home, he was only in contact with his direct team (5) and they were able to maintain distance at all times.

Not everyone in the NHS worked as normal. I broke my ankle in Jan 2020 and my physio was one 10 minute phone call, to use a personal example.

I support the NHS and local authority pay rises.

This shows a fundamental lack of understanding of teachers pay structures. The vast majority of teachers are at the top of the scale, and there is really no way for promotion for the majority of teachers, because they are removing all the promoted posts (eg no longer having subject leads, moving to faculty head models) - middle management equates to about £200 per month extra.

@Stackss and what pay rise would you give to civil servants

Schools. were. not. closed.

I would offer 7.5% to NHS staff on the basis that they worked through the pandemic

I know a number of speech therapists who WFH from the first week of lockdown and stayed there for months, yet were still prioritised for a vaccine. The majority of teachers I know were in school, mixing with large numbers without PPE or a vaccine. It’s not quite as simple as NHS= all front line, hard working and risking their lives during covid so are deserving of bigger pay rises and teachers= didn’t work at all because schools were closed to some pupils, so should be happy with smaller unfunded pay rises.