Independent school teacher forced to leave due to pay cut.

[Pensionworries]

I left the state sector to teach in an independent school a few years ago and I have loved how much more freedom I have had to be creative and really be the teacher I’ve always wanted to be. Having smaller class sizes has meant I get amazing job satisfaction from meeting the children’s individual needs. My colleagues are lovely and it’s a beautiful, friendly environment to work in.

But… recently us teachers were told by the governors that the school, like many independent schools, is not able to keep up with the Teacher Pension Scheme contributions so all teachers are now encouraged to either go to a different scheme (all are rubbish compared to the TPS) or take a 10% pay cut in order to pay in to it ourselves. There’s a hike in April and apparently another 5% hike due later in the year. Thanks government. 😔

I was happy-ish to take the hit now and maintain my TPS pension but, because my pension is based on my average earnings over the course of my career, I can’t really justify staying somewhere where I’m about to lose £5K a year plus take a hard hit on my pension just because I’m happy there.

I feel like it’s taken me years to find a school that I’m really happy working in and now it’s all been taken away in the blink of an eye. I’m gutted. 😞

It’s pretty galling that the school is also currently having a new swimming pool and equestrian facility built, ‘to attract new customers’, whilst I’m pulling 12 hour days and set to lose so much money. It feels like a real kick in the teeth.

Aside from asking for a pay-rise, I can’t think of any other way to go other than to leave.

I’m already worrying about awful academy chain schools run by toxic managers, under managers, executive managers and so on. I’m a good teacher and work extremely hard. Is it too much to ask to commit to a good school and be rewarded financially for my skills and hard work?

Don't understand the 'thanks government' comment?

Not sure you can blame the government when you have chosen to work in an independent school?

Presumably you are still paid more than you would be in a comparative state school? If so, I would stay put and keep that in perspective.

Or look around at other independents and see how you benchmark.

More and more private schools are coming out of the TPS because it's just not affordable anymore. I think if you want to work in the indie sector you have to accept this. You may move jobs to somewhere else and find they do exactly the same thing just a year or so behind.

As for building new facilities to "attract new customers" - to put it bluntly those customers are what pays your salary. No customers, no school, no job! Independent schools operate quite differently from state schools.

I'm in a very similar position. I've got primary aged kids, and always assumed I'd move them to my school in year 7. But fees are going up so much quicker than salaries that I just can't afford it. So I'm busting a gut (including Saturdays and evening boarding duties) for kids who are perfectly pleasant but who certainly don't understand or appreciate how hard I work, and how much I miss being with my own kids.

But I'm terrified of ending up back in some awful, soul-destroying academy (even though I could earn up to 10-14k more than I do currently).

I think once you start noticing and resenting a clear financial and social disparity between yourself and the kids you're teaching, that's basically the beginning of the end.

Presumably because it's the government that sets the contribution level to the TPS. Private schools, particularly smaller ones, just can't financially keep up with the increases which is why they are coming out of the scheme.

Get a side hustle.

Pay is often less than the state sector

I get paid less at my independent school than I would in the state sector. There tend to be more opportunities for extra (paid) responsibilities in state schools as well - you're expected to do a lot of extras as part of the standard contract in an independent school.

The main benefits of teaching at an independent school are usually discounted fees for your own kids, smaller class sizes, and generally easier kids.

I think it's your choice to work in the private sector, so you have to accept the pros and cons that go along with that.

My priority is the salaries, pensions and working conditions of the hardworking teachers who stay in the state sector, despite the many challenges. If there are some perks like pensions that help to keep them there, that's brilliant.

I get it OP but you make your choices. Im a nurse and I stick with the NHS despite the workload as the pension, mat leave, sick leave etc are good. I have friends who earn double my salary doing permanent agency but don’t get the benefits. I have a friend who works in a private hospital for a lower salary but much better quality of life.
Its shit and I wish the nhs jobs were better and less stressful but it’s a balance.

It annoying, but there any way you can afford to stay and still pay in? The teacher's pension is worth an absolute fortune, even with the changes. If you love your job and can see a way to keeping the pension I would really do everything to stay. Life's not worth doing a job you hate.

You made the choice to go to work in a school where of course they’ll prioritise getting more paying customers through the door above other things - they’re a business.

My teacher friend gets £18k in an independent school. It's an 'alternative' school so aligns with her values but she still has to pay full fees for her dc. She teaches Eng lang and lit so has so much marking to do, so taking that into consideration she's paid quite a bit below NMW, which is quite soul destroying.

Was shocked tonight to learn that a friend of my son in his forties packed in teaching had a breakdown. He's now earning £1k a week as a Just Eat delivery driver, happy as a clam and has set up a private pension to make up for losing his teacher one.

Yep NHS here too. Hence the user name! I chose to stay for the pension, benefits and annual leave. However with the stress I worry I may not live to benefit from it.

Private schools are struggling to attract enough people who can still afford the fees, whilst simultaneously facing higher running costs. Some have already closed. This is the downside of opting out of state provision. As PP have said, your choices are really around balancing lifestyle, happiness and prospects.

Really @justasking111 ? I thought delivery drivers where striking for more pay today!

They’re putting up the contributions so that it’s financially stable. The alternative would be that the pension collapses in years to come.

The government (through taxation) are increasing their contribution for state school teachers. To suggest the general public should subsidise private school teachers’ pensions so that OP can stay in a cushier job helping elite children get an education that will help them continue to take more of the country’s resources than average is incredibly self-centered and entirely unreasonable.

Yes, but that's because the independent schools are choosing not to prioritise the budgets to pay for teacher pension contributions. The government is not responsible for this.

Schools could choose to prioritise teachers pensions instead of investing in fancy equestrian centres and swimming pools, but some choose not to. I presume that they think their paying customers care more about the swish facilities than the teachers' terms and conditions, and they may well be right. If the decision to pull out of the TPS results in a massive exodus of staff, then they'll have to rethink - either reprioritise what they spend their money on or charge the parents more to cover their costs.

As a teen my ds worked weekends in a takeaway and he said there were so many professionals working side jobs as delivery drivers.

The TPS contributions are unsustainable for both sectors - it’s just the independent can choose to leave or share the costs.

The capital projects likely have been in the pipeline for years and come from reserves fundraising - not operating surplus.

With VAT coming, loss of charitable rates relief the TPS is another item that will just hit surpluses too hard.

I’m not doing a poor me - I think independent schools should be paying full rates and VAT. It’s just a fact that 30% employer contributions are insane.

*They’re putting up the contributions so that it’s financially stable. The alternative would be that the pension collapses in years to come.

The government (through taxation) are increasing their contribution for state school teachers. To suggest the general public should subsidise private school teachers’ pensions so that OP can stay in a cushier job helping elite children get an education that will help them continue to take more of the country’s resources than average is incredibly self-centered and entirely unreasonable.*

I didn't suggest anything of the sort - just explained what the government had to do with it as a PP asked 🤷‍♀️

Well, quite. It isn't the government's responsibility.

The point still stands. Spend per pupil is higher in the private sector than in the state sector, so it comes down to how schools prioritise the funds.