Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

464 replies

Pinky1011 · 23/01/2023 02:47

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?

OP posts:
ChungusBoi · 23/01/2023 07:23

Teachers NEED better salaries and improved working conditions. The profession is in crisis. My kid’s secondary school is a good state school in a nice area and the head cannot even get supply teachers easily, let alone permanent staff.

The OP has been posting all through the (European) night so either they are not in the UK or they don’t ‘work in finance’. Either way, they are full of shit and deserve to be ignored.

differentdish · 23/01/2023 07:23

only work 9-4pm

Stop trolling.

surreygirl1987 · 23/01/2023 07:23

What on earth am I reading? Sorry OP, but you clearly don't have a clue what you're talking about. Also, you called teaching the 'perfect' job... then in that case, why haven't are you not a teacher?! If it's that good, why are teachers walking out in their droves and why is there a retention and recruitment crisis? Go on... do please answer those questions...

Whatthediddlyfeck · 23/01/2023 07:23

OP perhaps you could find a nice teacher to help you with the difference between exasperate and exacerbate….YOU exasperate me!

echt · 23/01/2023 07:24

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

No, the payment of the salary is an administrative convenience. That is all. A £38K teacher is paid £38K.

Teachers are liable to be on the premises for 1265 hours over 195 days. When the school is closed, teachers can't be compelled to come in in excess of those days/hours.

The doozy is the cause that says they have to complete tasks associated with their work and be the judge of when enough is enough.

In addition to the hours for which you can be directed, a teacher may work such reasonable additional hours as necessary. This can include time for planning and preparing lessons and assessing pupils’ work
However, the number of additional hours cannot be specified by your school. As a consequence, it does not count towards your hours of directed time
All work undertaken during non-directed time is determined by the individual teacher and it is up to you to exercise your professional judgement in how you manage this

As you can imagine, the government loves this bit.

Teachers are not paid for the lunch hour.

HappyBinosaur · 23/01/2023 07:24

9-4 🤣

LemonPledge555 · 23/01/2023 07:24

JFC. Tone deaf.

Tremblingtigers · 23/01/2023 07:25

No, that’s the legal minimum requirement.

Neededanewuserhandle · 23/01/2023 07:25

AIBU to feel that teachers just don't know how good they have it compared to the rest of us?
What a shitty race to the bottom mentality.

iloveyankeecandle · 23/01/2023 07:26

Yes you may not have to get childcare during the school holidays but due to needing to be at work to welcome the children and see them off at the end of the day. My child has to go to breakfast club and after school club every day. I often miss things happening at their school because I can't get out of my own job.

Ricco12 · 23/01/2023 07:27

No they don't have 3 months paid leave ffs Confused that's not how it works.

Why do people always think this.

I'm not a teacher but started working in a school after lockdown and my god there is no way on this earth I would be a teacher. The amount of extra work they are expected to do is totally unfair, and they don't get paid for it.

Nope no way, not a career choice I would make.

I fully support them getting pay rises and it's about time they got paid over time too. No one should have to work hours and hours a week for not a penny extra.

Mainlinethehappy · 23/01/2023 07:27

Tricolette · 23/01/2023 07:20

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.

Show quote history

If we didn't do this we'd be facing several classes of 30 students the next day without anything planned or assessed.
Our days are spent teaching, responding to complaints from parents, coping with the latest initiative, providing evidence in case OFSTED come it etc.
The only quiet time we have to plan and mark is in the evenings.

BlueWhippets · 23/01/2023 07:27

@bk1981 Starting salary is about the same as a junior doctor though..

FlairBand · 23/01/2023 07:28

echt · 23/01/2023 07:24

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

No, the payment of the salary is an administrative convenience. That is all. A £38K teacher is paid £38K.

Teachers are liable to be on the premises for 1265 hours over 195 days. When the school is closed, teachers can't be compelled to come in in excess of those days/hours.

The doozy is the cause that says they have to complete tasks associated with their work and be the judge of when enough is enough.

In addition to the hours for which you can be directed, a teacher may work such reasonable additional hours as necessary. This can include time for planning and preparing lessons and assessing pupils’ work
However, the number of additional hours cannot be specified by your school. As a consequence, it does not count towards your hours of directed time
All work undertaken during non-directed time is determined by the individual teacher and it is up to you to exercise your professional judgement in how you manage this

As you can imagine, the government loves this bit.

Teachers are not paid for the lunch hour.

You can’t NOT be paid for the weeks you don’t work, and also NOT be receiving a pro-rated salary.

snowlolo · 23/01/2023 07:29

Tricolette · 23/01/2023 07:20

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.

Show quote history

They do it because if they don't they will walk into a classroom with no lesson plan, no work marked and a group of 30 kids in front of them. In this situation, teaching/ learning would be incredibly sub-standard if it happened at all, but that is the funding that is available. Teachers want to (and need to) give more than that to our upcoming generation of children and young people.

The job has inherent problems, as you need more preparation time than you can fit into a 7 hour day with 5-6 lessons to teach. There is simply not enough funding to employ more teachers to allow more breaks in the day to actually give the necessary prep time, there never has been.

Teachers are (for the most part) passionate about what they do and care about the children they teach, and this is taken advantage of. That's why they are striking.

cyclamenqueen · 23/01/2023 07:30

Inflation at the moment is not the result of wage inflation . Giving people on lower levels of pay will not increase inflation because it’s largely about the scarcity of resources and the increase in the cost of raw materials .

if we were really going to let the market decide the level of pay then wages would rise so that the supply of labour met the demand. The problems with nurses , teachers, doctors et al is that wages have been artificially suppressed leading to a shortage of supply. The free marketeers have meddled in the market and now can’t correct it.

snowlolo · 23/01/2023 07:30

@Tricolette You also can't compare teaching now to how it was in the 80's. In the 80's there was much more leeway for teachers to do their own thing, fewer regulations and boxes to tick for Ofsted. It's an incredibly stressful job now and completely different to 30/40 years ago.

Mainlinethehappy · 23/01/2023 07:32

Neededanewuserhandle · 23/01/2023 07:25

AIBU to feel that teachers just don't know how good they have it compared to the rest of us?
What a shitty race to the bottom mentality.

@Neededanewuserhandle
Imagine yourself trying to teach a group of 30 teenagers in a subject you don't know because you're having to cover for a colleague who is off. You have to be funny, loud, quick, knowledgeable, the most confident person in the room, charismatic... and you have to sustain that for 5 hours a day, then run after school sessions, mark the stuff that has been produced, and plan your 5 sessions for the next day.
When was the last time you tried this? I'm assuming you've tried it so that you have a frame of reference for your claim.

QueenofLouisiana · 23/01/2023 07:32

@Pinky1011 as always, we welcome new recruits to the profession. However, I note that you have no interest in it. It’s amazing how many people are keen to discuss our working conditions without ever trying it, mainly admitting that they couldn’t cope in our job.

As for safe working conditions, I’m completing my restraint training tonight. This will give me the skills and legal understanding of my rights to restrain children attacking themselves, peers or me. This will be followed up by a higher level one, specifically for those of us dealing with children with weapons or self harming. Mainstream, primary.

No other job I’ve had (yes, I’ve done other things) has required this.

FlairBand · 23/01/2023 07:33

snowlolo · 23/01/2023 07:30

@Tricolette You also can't compare teaching now to how it was in the 80's. In the 80's there was much more leeway for teachers to do their own thing, fewer regulations and boxes to tick for Ofsted. It's an incredibly stressful job now and completely different to 30/40 years ago.

Tbf you can’t compare anything to how it was then, not just teaching.

snowlolo · 23/01/2023 07:35

FlairBand · 23/01/2023 07:33

Tbf you can’t compare anything to how it was then, not just teaching.

Show quote history

Yep, that's true.

The comment "In the 80’s our ndn was a teacher and other than parents evening only worked 8.45 until 4pm" is just really blind, bordering on ignorant as to the changes that have happened since then.

It's a different world. If teachers could only do those hours then I'm sure they would!

echt · 23/01/2023 07:36

FlairBand · 23/01/2023 07:28

You can’t NOT be paid for the weeks you don’t work, and also NOT be receiving a pro-rated salary.

Show quote history

Teachers are certainly being paid, they just don't have any liability to attend outside directed time. As I said, it's admin.

sparkellie · 23/01/2023 07:37

Are you a teacher?

Whatmarbles · 23/01/2023 07:41

FrippEnos · 23/01/2023 07:06

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,

Show quote history

I have seen a teacher's contract, the pro rata calculation isn't in it.
I have seen a support staff contract, the pro rata calculation is in it.

I really can't see how you claim it is a pro rata salary.
Can you enlighten me?

pleasehelpwi3 · 23/01/2023 07:43

Swissmountains · 23/01/2023 07:21

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

Yes, I get home most days by 4.30 so my son (Y7) isn't at home too long on his own. But then I work late after he's in bed. Last night I worked 10pm- 2am.