Sick of the cliches - on our knees, leaving in droves, unprecedented, we’re all so tired etc

[splittinhairs]

The same old phrases spouted out again and again when explaining why certain professions should have a pay rise. Can’t people think of their own way of describing how they feel? In my opinion what they’re trying to say just completely loses all impact.

Scuse typos #onmyknees 🤣

I now have CCTV outside of my office in a secondary school due to my door repeatedly getting kicked in along with physical threats of violence from teen boys a lot bigger than me.

How about we can’t recruit nurses to the chemotherapy unit and therefore we are having to close chair space meaning that waiting times to start treatment will be increased. Is that a good enough phrase?

That's weird.
On the other thread about the UK being on its arse quite a few posters were saying that no one they knew was struggling financially, life was great, restaurants, cafes and shops rammed, heating turned up to full wack.

Anyone saying any of the strikes are out of order is obviously happy with: hideous waiting lists, not being able to get a GP’s appt., A and E and ambulances being too busy to even cope with the life or death cases, oversized classes, teachers not having time to mark homework, let alone give attention to a specific child, impossible access to mental health/social care, roads full of potholes, swimming pools closing, being policed by so few officers it is worrying….

How many times: it’s not just the pay ffs! But yeah, let a multi billionaire tell you greedy teachers are ruining your kids’ education. I am beginning to think we get what we deserve with some of the attitudes here.

I express my gratitude to this worker going above and beyond what I possibly could.

More cringeworthy stuff coming- Thank you to all the others who have added their own words and the ones using the cliches. - in my case particularly those in health services as I have used the services so much. I’ve seen the desperation and pushing through just to help me.

I can vote, thank people at the time, say I’m prepared to pay more tax for better wages. And I can thank people anonymously.
after some of the days described here it’s the least I can do. If it brightens someone’s evening great. I didn’t think it would do any harm.

Have all the teachers gone to be now lol

'bed' that should say

What an inane thread to start. Of all the things to worry about!!

What an inane, and sanctimonious, comment.

I'm sick of the clichés too and I work for the NHS. Yes, we are busy; yes, patients are being more aggressive, rude and demanding and yes, we are tired and stretched but no, the people I know are not leaving in droves.
The cliché I am most sick of is "x,y,z are leaving because they can get paid more in a supermarket" It's a miracle there's any shop jobs left that aren't filled by teachers and nurses

As a Care Supervisor, I have thought many times about working in a supermarket. I would miss my residents though, if I did.

But there’s plenty of parents who don’t get to spend summer holidays with their kids, because you know, they’re working too. My dh gets 5 weeks holiday a year inc bank holiday. He’s worked late every night this week and he’s working Saturday and Sunday too this week and then he’ll be in Monday- Friday next week as usual.

Hmmm I guess this thread is on your level then. Enjoy!

I was going to comment "hello, colleague" and then realised that the OP was not in fact talking about my office.

I do get to go to the loo though..

I'm with you for the most part but complaining about looking after your own children on the school holidays is out there.

Do you imagine people in other professions are provided with free childcare so they can spend their leave at a day spa unencumbered by their children?

We all use our leave to look after our kids...

I respect that teaching is a hard job but they lose me when they complain about things that are just part of having a job.

But that poster said "looking after own dc in.the holidays whilst still working" not just "looking after dc"

nobody (except possibly the French) would make an "action" film featuring a dozen glum characters stood at the side of the road doing nothing for 3
🤣.

school 'holidays' are spent looking after my own dc (as I can't afford holiday childcare) whilst marking and planning next week/term/year

Do you imagine people in other professions are provided with free childcare so they can spend their leave at a day spa unencumbered by their children?

No, she said looking after children whilst working.

How about: I’m absolutely buggered and genuinely feel this job will kill me.

I was looking at a staff contacts list pinned to the notice board today. It’s a few years old now. I’m the only one out of 25 on the list still here, many of those who’ve left haven’t been replaced because they can’t recruit, and I’m currently the only person in the county doing my specific job where there used to be five of us. More of my time is being taken up explaining to angry people why things aren’t being done. Children and families are enduring appalling delays around decisions being made which can profoundly affect their future.

I am a social worker who’s had to accept a 2% pay rise because my union hasn’t even voted to strike.

It’s sad because I love my job but the reality of it is overwhelming right now.

On our knees: beyond exhausted from working in a system that has gotten worse and worse in recent years. Expected to put myself and family at risk through a pandemic to help others for claps not extra money to say thank you. Even supermarket workers got bonuses and pay rises (mostly) covering for staff that are off sick or just aren’t even employed anymore, so not even just doing one persons job but more, tired of staying hours after work has ended, working through breaks and no eating or drinking. I didn’t have a wee for 6/7 hours the other day. Not great for my health.

Pay rises: 1% here and there or 6% over three years ffs and were told to be grateful . Also years of pay freezes. Last year was better but in a year where inflation has rocketed it really didn’t touch the side. Who wants to go to uni and get all that debt for a degree to work for responsibility of nhs healthcare, teachers, uni workers social workers etc when you can get a job somewhere that now pays similar for much much less hassle, less legal risk, less responsibility, less take home ( emotional or physical work)

yes we have good ‘benefits’,sick pay and pensions blah. The pension has been changed under this government btw. Sick pay: we still get flag and sickness monitoring it’s really not a free for all and I’ve seen staff dismissed for sickness. It’s all not enough to attract staff l like it did, oh the pay is less than the private sector but the benefits are better. A decent pension is no good if you burn out or can’t afford to live so leave within a few years.

sorry the ohrases annoy you @splittinhairs and others but if the same language is used maybe the general public are likely to listen than thousands trying to explain their own experiences in their own terms. Also the term used are very valid and true.

I’m not sure why parents aren’t more angry that their children aren’t getting the education that they deserve because of how poorly staffed many schools are to be honest. It’s only going to get worse. Who would want to go into teaching watching this? Hearing how bad it can be?
I saw one teacher on tv say that their budgets were so bad they had run out of resources in May way before the end of the school year. Yet the head was expected to find pay rises from the same budget which couldn’t even cover what they needed.

But it’s ok because the government members children won’t be affected will they. They will still get an education. Not teachers scrambling around trying to cover and using TAs as sick cover to teach on regular basis while they are paid minimum wage

Well my colleague was beaten up by a child on Wednesday, but still went to work with a black eye yesterday because there were no cover teachers available and the rest of the class needed an education. I was told ‘fuck off you fat cunt’ yesterday by a child because I asked him if he had his packed lunch for a school trip. He still came on the trip because a) we had no one to leave him with at school and b) his parent refused to come and collect him. So he’s now learned that he can speak to me in this way….

yeah we are all tired and fed up!!

I’m not sure why parents aren’t more angry that their children aren’t getting the education that they deserve because of how poorly staffed many schools are to be honest

In very general terms, this has always been a thing - or at least it has since I started teaching (2002

When I started, recruitment was primarily different in maths (nothing has changed there!) English, MFL, science and ICT. Various incentives were offered to make the PGCE attractive. Yet the TES forums were filled with experienced teachers unable to get full time permanent work, there was a lot of concern about TAs covering classes as this was detrimental to many who were relying on day to day supply.

Over the course of the 00s, while some subjects had an overall shortage some areas and some subjects were doing just fine for recruitment and there was a surplus of teachers, while in some more expensive areas it was always harder to recruit.

Teach First started life as trying to get people who would perhaps ordinarily have gone into a more lucrative career to give teaching a go: it’s now ah, not. There has been talk (while I’ve been teaching) of ex army officers, retired postal workers, various schemes and so on.

Stats tell one story, but someone’s school may tell an entirely different one. And many of the schools who struggle most to recruit and have the most turbulence in staffing will often have parents unlikely to complain.

I also think that a lot of the stock phrases have been overused and thus have lost their impact.

That sort of thing was a fairly regular occurrence in my first school, @FrenchFancie . That had an ineffective headteacher and management were downright corrupt (employing their spouses and friends in invented roles.)

I am really sorry it happened to you and to your colleague. But that particular issue isn’t a government one, it’s a school one.