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?

This is utterly BS, talk about cherry picking.

if they’re that worthless you won’t mind moving to a DC scheme with 3% contributions like the private sector then will you?

Some of what the govt saves can then be used to fund legacy pension payments as and you can look after yourself in retirement like the rest of the country?

Deal??

Most of the people I know who become teachers weren’t exactly the most robust individuals, which is why they became teachers, and not firefighters or oil rig workers, for example.

I have to say I considered both of these but the 9-4 working and the holidays swung it. The thing I really miss in my gold-plated retirement is the breaking up of fights as mentioned by a pp. What’s a workplace without a weekly fight to enliven the day? Midweek is best.

No there is still an issue that all WORKERS have had a huge salary reduction. Many of us in the private sector have seen little or nothing either.

Pinky, please learn to spell exacerbate. Old gimmer here, retired teacher, 38 years at the chalkface. I support striking teachers.

Although I said I would never do this again.
Teachers are paid for 195 days per year, that is it there is no holiday paid at all.
The advertised figures are not pro rata the pay is stretched out over 12 months,

@Pinky1011
"compared to working in healthcare teaching seems like a dream."
It's difficult to paint a picture of what teaching is like to workers in other professions. But imagine having to run 5 hour long ace-to face meetings a day. You also have to create the agenda for each one. You also have to provide the resources for each one. You also need to have spent hours going over the results of the previous 5 meetings that each of the 25-30 delegates produced. You are also expected to know which delegates in each meeting are name-changing, which pronouns they have decided they want, who is vulnerable (so that you can contact another team immediately if they drop out the meeting, (whilst plate-spinning the interest levels and behaviour of the other delegates), which delegates have SEN and so need specialist provision and resources, which delegates are deprived and so need specialist provision and resources... and you've only got some of the list of delegates yesterday because their usual meeting host has gone off sick or left the profession.
Then, in the 5 minutes you have between these meetings, you have to disconnect everything and move to a different space where the IT stops working and the delegates respond with rude disregard for everything you're trying to do.
Your breaks are spent moving between spaces and having to deal with situations like colleagues whose names you don't know vaping in toilets, throwing things, wearing the wrong coloured socks - because if you don't challenge these things you're seen as weak. But the colleagues don't give you their names, tell you "this is fucking stupid", call you " a fucking idiot" and, because you don't know their names, you're faced with trying to identify them on CCTV - but the CCTV is broken and even if it wasn't that would take a 30 minute trip to IT and you haven't got 30 minutes because your next meeting is due to start in five.
Then, once your meetings have finished, you are faced with emails from the family members of the delegates complaining about so, SO many different things - X didn't have his green overlay for the screen, so how was he supposed to access the meeting, and what did you do about it? You called "Y" by their assigned name at birth rather than their preferred name, and the parent TOLD the school yesterday that this was not to happen because the emotional ramifications for Y are awful, and you've just made it worse.
Oh, and in some of the meetings vast majority of the meeting delegates don't want to be there at all. They use the chat box to gang up, swear and poke fun at you.
Yeah; it's not like working in healthcare at all. They don't have it easy either, but just try a day working as a teacher - I dare you.

I feel sorry for you @Pinky1011 . I feel really sad reading your post

Your strange fervent anger (don’t try and deny it, folks don’t usually post capitals for EMPHASIS unless they’re riled)., followed by the even stranger pointless arguing around inflation (“I didn’t say it caused it, just that it fuelled it”) - this is semantics !

look, it’s pretty clear you’re one of those people who believe public sector staff have it easier than you in the private sector. You’re bitter, you’re not willing to accept facts or evidence, and you’re so busy watching other people’s wallets and your perception of their unreasonable requests, that you won’t see the big picture even if it’s verbally drawn for you on here.

As I said, I’m genuinely sad for you that you’re bitter and so worried about other people’s struggles, that you felt the need to come on here and post this.

If you want more money in life, then you too can join a union, or take professional exams, or position your work better at annual reviews and ask for that promotion.

Posting on Mumsnet about other people asking for more money, won’t drag them back to your level. Let them soar - let them get what they deserve, you my friend will need to fight for yours - pocket watching doesn’t make you richer.

YABU.

Why is your ire not reserved for the crappy government? I was a teacher in the UK. What an absolute joke. I started on about 19k a yr. given the work I was expected to do, my hourly rate was well (WELL) below minimum wage. At the time I taught, there was a teacher shortage. The requirements for entry were 2’2 in any subject from any uni. The teachers I trained with were not the best job candidates. Grammar and basic maths were an issue (primary teaching). “Was you at the lecture this morning” etc. Time keeping was another problem. All in, a good 50 per cent should not have become teachers. Made me wonder…. Then I did the job! The lack of respect, the work load, the lack of pay, etc etc etc. Then I understood why people were leaving teaching in droves. Then I understood the need to recruit poor quality teachers.

I am so glad they are striking. I am also glad that in Ireland we have not completely followed the neo liberal decimation of the educational system that the UK started. Basically- you reap what you sow!

How else should the govt tackle the 6000 infilled teacher posts? There are lots of great perks to teaching but market forces dictate ?

The pay rise was unfunded. Conditions for children, teachers and support staff has already been badly affected because teacher pay rises came out of existing school budgets.

Which means that your actual annual equivalent salary is around 15% HIGHER than the headline figure because it’s prorated.

Therefore meaning…. A £38k (average) teacher salary is same as about £43.8k for an employee.

I’m not sure why teachers continue to peddle this line as it hugely undermines your argument about low pay!!

Op there is a whole cabal of militants on here there is literally no point in you voicing what most people in real life are saying, no point. You will be screamed down with a pile on. Happens ever time and is allowed to continue.

Of course you are right. 100%

The “it’s worse in the private sector” argument doesn’t work because that’s not how the private sector functions. My pension contributions from my employer are far higher than 3%. If they were shoddy, or if the pay was as low as it was when I was a teacher, or if the working conditions were shite I would leave that company and get a job somewhere better.

It doesn’t really work like that in public sector roles because pay etc is set centrally. So the only way to demand an improvement is to negotiate collectively, which may include striking. Unions and collective action are so important for public sector workers.

Frankly I’m on the side of any public sector worker who is highlighting what a shit show this government is making of providing basic public services. We should all be out on the streets. It’s a total disgrace.

This has to be a wind up right?
Did you cut and paste this from the Daily Mail comments section?
Quite apart from the fact everything in your post is wrong, a pay rise is needed from the purely utilitarian reason that good teachers are leaving to earn more in other jobs, or even just to earn less in other jobs with less stress. My school lost three excellent teachers this year, and we're a good as any school to work in. One set up as a tutor, one just quit the profession and the very best of all became a TA.
But this can't actually be a real post- it's like a drinking game of teacher cliches.
And the long holiday- it's just that- why the complete obsession with the fact we get more annual leave than you? Jealous? Come join us!

As a teacher, I find comments such as we stop working at 4pm really offensive. I get into work at 6.30am and work until 6pm. I go home, sort my daughter and then start working again. I work weekends. If that is someones perception, with the huge amount of available teacher posts and turnover of staff, I am positive you could fill a role.

The average private sector worker gets 3%. Look at the stats.

This 👌

Genuine question but why do teachers do this?
Why don’t you all say no? We’re working 40 hours a week. No more.

In the 80’s our ndn was a teacher and other than parents evening only worked 8.45 until 4pm.

the teachers I. My family Are home by 4.35pm so clearly not everyone is overworked.

Have you ever worked with teachers that sit there crying because they have no time to spend with their own children? They maybe working till 2am? Way to many people seem to think teachers have it easy they certainly don't.

How long have you been living with your head injury?

@LadyJ2023 you're absolutely right in that you sign up knowing pay any conditions.
I started teaching in 2006.
Pay conditions and expectations are now unrecognisable. That is why teachers are striking. That is why my local uni only has two maths trainees this year and that is why we cannot recruit science teachers .
Experienced staff are leaving in their droves.

2am?

Honestly some of these posts are making a mockery of what is a real problem that many people sympathise with.

I agree that you should have spent more time with your teachers in the classroom 0P, it may have helped your clarity of thought. Other than that, YABU.