To say no! Twilight sessions (unpaid)

[LorlieS]

Can't sleep I'm so stressed!!
I'm working as a HLTA - paid hours 8.30 until 3.30.
Just picked up an email sent today telling me I need to attend two twilight sessions from after school until 6pm. Needless to say these will not be paid for and the first one is this week!
AIBU to say no?
Oh, and I also have a 3 yo and her childcare only runs until 4.30.

Eh?

Inset days are there for staff to attend training.

So either your kids are off because the staff are in training, or your kids are off because school decided to split the training into 3 evenings so the staff have a day off toil. Either way the result is the same - staff work the hours they are paid for, and children are off because of staff training.

Are you suggesting staff essentially do their training for free? How many training sessions do you attend at work for free?

What you quote is correct for a teacher but not necessarily a TA. Some TAs work 39 weeks, others only have 38 weeks a
yr and, therefore, are not paid INSET. The lady, herself, says that it is unpaid. (I do know what I am talking about. I was a headteacher for 17 years.)

Iamgettingolderandgrumpier
The OP has said she's on 39 weeks.

Average £12-something p/h. Paid for 5.5 hours a day (27.5 hrs). 39 weeks in a school year.

This will include the inset days.

It's poor leadership and disorganised not to give staff appropriate notice, but it's not unpaid like OP has suggested.

Thanks for clarification. If that’s the case, you’re right. Apologies. Heads often trade INSET for twilights, but you’re right when you say it’s poor management only giving a weeks’ notice.

Iamgettingolderandgrumpier

To be fair it was buried quite far down the thread after lots of insisting that there's no TOIL, it's working unpaid, no overtime being paid for it, and other issues about being an HLTA/what HLTAs can do and general discontent.

@LolaSmiles Still haven't checked contract re 38 or 39 but will do when get a chance! I'm more than happy to do training in my own time, just can't get childcare with 2 days" notice.

The lady herself also said she is contracted for 39 weeks but she's off to check that now.

@Zonder I didn't actually. Grow up.

You said this:
Average £12-something p/h. Paid for 5.5 hours a day (27.5 hrs). 39 weeks in a school year.

Don't be rude.

Not referring to me personally though was I?
Anyway, I'm too busy to argue. Off to yet another meeting in my lunch half hour. Is that paid as well do you know?!!

Well it looked like it. Why would you be talking generally. Anyway I think you should definitely hand your notice in. It doesn't seem a job that's working for you.

Not referring to me personally though was I?
Anyway, I'm too busy to argue. Off to yet another meeting in my lunch half hour. Is that paid as well do you know?!!
Like Zonder said it certainly looked that way.

To be honest OP you're being really arsey and it's clear you're not happy being an HLTA and what it entails.

You could probably have checked your contract several times in less time than you've spent moaning on Mumsnet about your job.

FWIW you're well within your rights to decline to attend meetings in your lunch break and your union would back you with this.

I don’t mean to sound rude but rather than spending hours on here asking random people, have a look at your contract and speak to the head of your school.

@LolaSmiles Wasn't me who started with the being arsey.
I'd love to know what those of you saying I'm moaning do for jobs. I could hazard a guess you earn more than £12 an hour? 😀

Child care is noone else's problem if attending ng these sessions are in your contract you have to fulfill contractual obligations having a child is not a reason not to In future don't take on a contract you can't fulfill Harsh but true!

The list of expectations was for teachers not HLTAs - that’s the point I was making!

support staff salaries obviously depend on their grade, job and hours but , in my schools they range between JG3 and JG7 (HLTA). As I said before , an experienced TA earns about the equivalent of an ECT hence why they are employed for whole class cover etc.

'An experienced TA earns about the equivalent of an ECT' @Castleview6 where do you live?
Where I am no one gets anywhere near that TAing.

HLTA not TA. They are different jobs on different grades

@Castleview6 I know I was quoting you.
Thanks for clearing it up.

Teachers are paid for holidays, support staff are not. There's probably a better way of explaining that but you'll know what I mean...

Teachers are paid during the holidays. Not for the holidays.

I'm not sure why they're treated differently when both teachers and TAs are paid for 39 weeks. But teachers' pay is evened out over 12 months while TAs' is not.

*I mean the ones in addition to "normal" holiday entitlement.

@saraclara Thanks. Yes, that's what I meant 😀

Well they must be paid for some holiday they can’t just be paid for actual time as everyone is entitled to the legal minimum of holidays, are you saying teachers don’t get any paid holiday?

A teachers contract is for 195 days of which 1265 hrs can be directed by the school.
There is nothing in the contract about holidays. (this is in England, In Scotland it is different)