Scottish teachers pay offer

[GneissGuysFinishLast]

AIBU to think that it’s not really an improved offer, and that 12% over 2 years is overall a worse deal than 10% in one year, and that they are only making this offer to delay strikes?

(reported on BBC News here: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-64642699)

For those that are finding they have to set up classrooms / jotters etc during break - try having the kids do it for you.

Last 2m of a period are two kids collecting jotters and resources and packing away, first 2m of the next period are two new kids passing out things as the class discuss the starter task Qs on the board. Makes life a lot easier.

"Turn a pc on".
log on, open up PowerPoints (there's a two step thing involved in this), open up Teams, open Google classroom, open outlook and the registration system.
Nothing "hard" about any of that, but it's time consuming. And you can't just do it all at the start of the day as someone else will use the room at some point and you have to log everything out.
The government must love this NHS v Education stuff.

I think you can want extra pay and think you / teachers deserve it and still acknowledge that there are breaks built into the day.

class discuss the starter task Qs on the board

That mysteriously appeared on the board while you were in the staffroom on your bum actually having a break?

I’m wondering if the pp counts her lunchtime meetings as having a break as well.

Photocopying a class set of workbooks easily takes 15 minutes and again, this is a key part of my job role.

I sincerely hope photo coping is not a key part of your job role, seeing as you are being paid a relatively good salary. Small, minor part of it I’m sure…

And you can also acknowledge that it is extraordinarily easy to work through them instead of pretending that working through your break is actually having a break.

Tbh, it’s by the by @noblegiraffe

Even if it’s true that every single teacher in every school the length and breadth of the United Kingdom works solidly from the kids entering the school at 830 to 330 with no peeing or drinks or food in that time, I don’t think the public would ever believe it. They don’t believe it because it isn’t true. Even in the minority of schools where that maybe is the case I don’t think it would be accepted by the public. So insisting that it is the case and thus better pay is deserved does come across as scraping the barrel.

Much better IMO to have the view that teaching is frantic and very varied and having adequate time to do all the tasks is difficult. Now THAT is true.

I am not sneering. I'm not sure why you think I am. Of course setting up for lessons is important but it's not the same as setting up an operating theatre. If you had picked a less important part of a theatre nurse's role to compare it to I could have seen your point.

I regularly check my work emails in my breaks or even at home as there is often no time to do it at work. I am not saying it's right but to be honest I think lots of people do this.

Of course setting up for lessons is important but it's not the same as setting up an operating theatre

Entirely missing the point that regardless of how important you consider it to be, it is still working.

@noblegiraffe

But seemingly optional?

Whereas the other, isn't

I presume thats the point?

I am not missing any point. Out of interest how to you set up and clear classrooms between each class when it's not a break?

@noblegiraffe I’m wondering if the pp counts her lunchtime meetings as having a break as well.

I don't count it as a break but I also don't take an additional break. I eat quickly before or after. Like I said earlier it's a compromise for professional jobs.

@Treaclehair Much better IMO to have the view that teaching is frantic and very varied and having adequate time to do all the tasks is difficult. Now THAT is true.

100%, this is totally understandable

I don't count it as a break

Great, so other people who work in their breaks don’t count it as a break.

The class wait.

I am supportive of the strike action of all but seriously to use university entrance requirements as a justification?!

let’s take vet medicine for example, only the most academically able stand a chance and it’s notoriously badly paid until you make partnership.

Many nurses enter as mature students with a degree behind them, should you be paid more for this? I don’t think so. Make your case on the job demands and conditions. Dividing and alienating people who also work long hours in difficult conditions is not how to win support.

This is off topic but I am someone who likes having the lesson set up: it just helps things go a bit more smoothly. The school I teach in isn’t an easy one, either, and a flustered start isn’t good for anyone.

I have four rows of four on either side of the room so eight in total. Last five mins of the lesson the kids pass their books down and put them in piles at the end of each row and I whiz round and collect them. Then I put out the books for the next class. Because I collect them in order they can be put out in order. Press a button on the computer and next PP comes up. If they need a sheet I give it to them as they come in.

So OK, conceded, I don’t teach Art, or Food Tech or science. I can see they might be trickier. But it takes two minutes, if that.

Now actually planning those resources and marking those books - yeah, that takes work, a lot of work. But putting them out isn’t!

Having your own classroom obviously helps.

Yeah, it’s a pain in the arse when you have to move around the school. That happened to me a few years ago and it was a nightmare.

But IME that is the exception. Pretty much all primary teachers have their own permanent base and secondary teachers do as a rule.

Agreed and social workers and other local government workers whose unions agreed
to 5% get 15 next year ! What a joke teachers in Scotland are the second highest paid next to London ! They got a 10% raise back in 2018 when social
workers got 3%

Agreed ! Teachers thinks they are more qualified because they got a A in the highers is laughable teachers in Scotland are well laid ! Second highest in the country next to London! its time to invest in other public sector workers and the NHS nurses (who actually worked in lockdown!) and allied health professionals.

@Janeay teachers actually worked during lockdown too - re-writing courses to make them accessible whilst having their own children to home school etc. yes they weren’t in risking their lives in hospitals but do you know who’s fault it is nurses aren’t better paid, but got a pin and a ‘round of applause’ - just incase you missed it - Westminster is to blame - the money is there, they need to hand it over ✋🏻

No. We got a three year deal of 3% each year.

from the Herald, I believe teaching along with many other professionally qualified
Jobs is a difficult career and hard working however personally I think it’s a good wage.

The study shows the average annual salary for full-time teachers and other education professionals north of the Border is £41,350. This compares with a UK average of just over £40,000.

Salary levels for Scottish staff are also second only to those in London, where average annual pay is just under £43,500. Yorkshire and the Humber reported the lowest salaries among teachers and educational professionals in the UK, with a figure of £35,306.

Teachers worked in lockdowns, including online lessons and staffing the key worker hubs, and returning to the classrooms without social distancing and pre-vaccines while most of the country were still working in their living rooms.
Nothing compared to being a nurse during covid, but a claim that we didn't work cannot to unchallenged.

To answer your original point OP (given the new info of rejecting offer) I think the offer was reasonable, was it what was asked, no.

I believe they asked for 12% in one year, and they’ve offered 6% in one year, and to offset any future strikes and stop the current campaign (unions would need to re-apply for strike action and Tory’s have passed new laws making this more difficult in future - how sneaky)!

The reality is they have suffered through a year (as have we all) where inflation has risen ~10% and they’ve been offered 6% - this equates to a real term pat cut of 4% for 2022-23. can’t say id be chuffed at this given we know the reality of things costing double, let alone ~10%.

The reality is we don’t know how inflation will go for 2023-24 - but it’s predicted to be as high as 12% (correct me if I’m wrong) and they’ve offered 5.5% so another real term pay cut of ~6%.
Therefore in 2 years their wage will have diminished by ~10% and they should be happy at this?

Just because other professional unions are not as good as theirs, others needs to stop ‘throwing their toys out the pram’ - we’re all feeling the pinch, we all deserve to be paid more - and who’s fault is it that we are not? I know it’s not the teachers fault - they work a tough shift and I’d rather my children were taught by those who were well remunerated with good T&Cs to ensure good mental health - that only benefits our children, everyone’s children!

You know what else benefits everyone - well paid nurses, who aren’t strung out worrying about finances whilst carefully balancing life and death situations.

Point the finger of blame where it belongs - get mad at the man in charge - demand better for yourselves, your colleagues, and your sister professions all round instead of trying to find petty squabbles that really don’t benefit anyone except the establishment that caused it - cos we ain’t banging down their door demanding better!