To teach all day for £11.90 p/h?

[Sooooootired01]

I'm a qualified teacher primarily working as a SEN HLTA. Pay £11.60 an hour. OK I guess.
Last week I covered for a teacher who had gone on residential. This meant teaching all day from Monday - Wednesday, a full and routine curriculum of English and Maths etc. 30 kids in a class, no supervision, completely left to own devices. Again, I'm qualified so fair enough. Lessons preplanned but of course still needed delivery.
AIBU to think that paying me rate of £11.60 p/h for this is not OK?

It's really hard OP, especially when you are qualified.

I will earning £34.50 p/h during the holidays working in a private school teaching ESL.

I loved my TEFL work but there are very few full time and permanent positions where I am.

So what doesn't mean people don't work hard and deserve more.

I've always noticed fiercest critics of minimum wage are usually 100,000 plus wages.

Also these on high wages always come out with crap they work harder. Not in my experience.

A carer or nursery worker is not 'unskilled' work either. They're very highly skilled and often have to work towards qualifications.

It is though. Every bit as much as a teacher. Neither are paid enough, but tas tend not even to get paid in holiday time.

Yes, but they most likely didn't spend thousands of pounds on university when they were younger.

Many TAs are university educated now and have lots of experience in education.

Self employed cleaners are not comparable. They have to pay for their own pension and sick leave.

Most supply ‘teachers’ are actually cover supervisors and many gave not stepped in a school since they attended themselves and have had no training. We get a lot of out of work actors. Some are fine most are not. Education is in dire strsites and it’s getting worse. If your child has a qualified teacher or a qualified ta in front of them I’d be grateful. But yes op, you are being exploited.

OP says they are a qualified teacher so I was wondering why she doesn't work as a teacher if she's just going to get roped into doing the job of a teacher

I can answer that for myself not the OP.
I do Cover supervision, at half the supply rates, because I want:

a) a job where I go in, get on, get out
b) school/child-friendly hours as I am a single parent
c) delivering lessons only as planning and marking will mean I can't lone parent two ND kids of my own very well
d) regular hours/school as Supply unpredictable
e) same school so that I can make positive relationships

If I was a HLTA expecting the bulk of my job to be 1-1 interventions, that's a very different job to what I do. Cover is Performance/Delivery/Classroom management. It's akin to doing stand-up with an unpredictable audience.
I only do it for the reasons above.
If I was the OP with a different job spec but being hammered for cover, every time a teacher was out, that would get on my tits. Just because they can use her, doesn't mean that they should.
They are, because it is cheaper, the kids know her already, they'll probably get more work done.
I think it would be fair, that even without marking or prepping, she got at least M1 daily rate/or the lowest they'd pay an agency excluding the agency fee - because day-to-day supply do not prep or mark either. The only reason I don't do that gig anymore is that it is unstable and you feel like a ho, being pimped out by your agency, who sometimes lie to both parties about what they're getting.

In your shoes, OP, I'd count how many teacher days you've done over the past two terms and point out what they have saved and what % of the job you applied for, you actually do.

I am not returning to teaching full-time with all that that entails.
I do know that what I do, I get around £65-70/day for. Supply sometimes get double that and are not as good as me. Them there's the breaks.
I have been asked to actually have classes though when no teacher. Not meant to do longer than two weeks (union)/known absence/proper vacancy.
I grew a pair and insisted on M1 for a % of my week as once you take a class, even with a set scheme of work and little planning, you still have the ball ache of assessment, marking and data input. If it's not in your job description, you shouldn't be doing it without extra remuneration. If it is in your job description but they are taking the piss m ore often than they're not, you need to be prepared to walk or see your union rep.

How long did you teach for? The hours can be awful in the first few years but lots of more experienced teachers don't do those hours. My sister teaches, she does go in early (7.30am) but leaves at 4.30 most day, and does not work all evening every evening. She has two young kids. A friend also is a teacher & does not do this - she does evening gym classes with me & actually teaches some dance classes on weekends (she loves dance).

Can you consider going into something different? Look at HR roles - training/learning and development? What is your degree in? You'll earn easily double doing an ordinary office job.

I’m sorry what?

I understand that. Although, I temped a PRU and was earning £130 a day. I did less than five hours a day. Although, the kids had high and complex needs. I was often working 2:1. I could work half the time and earn the same pay. It's worth looking to see what's out there.

Don't let people take advantage of you. You are a HLTA. You are not supply.

Many teachers change to HLTA or part-time HLTA and part-time teacher combination in an attempt to mitigate the effects of the ever-growing workload, demands and accountability. Especially if there are family commitments. HLTAs are expected to do things like supporting groups/individuals, run interventions, cover the odd absence eg main teacher on a course, an unexpected day's absence whilst the school sort supply for the next day.

The trouble is, some schools take the piss and don't even try to get supply in. They use HLTAs as cheap cover - there's no uplift in pay for those hours, as it's part of your HLTA role. There's no choice over accepting or turning it down. You're directed to do it by your line manager, so have to do so. Schools push the boundaries of what's okay - and as the union informed op, technically it is okay. You can't blame the schools in some ways - budgets are dire. But it rankles.

I was planning on going back to uni to do a Masters in order to retrain, but I can't find a part-time teaching job that requires an experienced teacher (too expensive).

It is though. Every bit as much as a teacher. Neither are paid enough, but tas tend not even to get paid in holiday time.

Im sorry but many TAs are still mainly poorly qualified. The schools in my area will hire almost anyone with a pulse as a TA, they require very few qualifications. It is much as it was when i was a child - most TAs are mums of youngish kids wanting school hours work.

@Lancrelady80 You are absolutely correct. 100%.

@SkyBloo I disagree. Personally speaking I have an honours degree, postgraduate qualification, and years of working with SEMH children. My hours of work are 8.30 - 3.45 (min) so do not fit in with school hours.

Ridiculously low.

Carers are highly skilled and have qualifications but are on pittance. So are nursery workers.

School wages are terrible for what you do. But if you get paid over the holidays it is pro rata so the hourly rate is a bit more as its spread over them so uou get pay days over the holidays

I’m 7 years in (secondary core subject) and the job has changed immensely even in that short time. Our TAs are all under 20 - one is 17 - and unqualified. Our SEN children get barely any support apart from sometimes someone sitting next to them saying “go on, write the date” until they have a meltdown and they walk around the school with them until next lesson. @Sooooootired01 I’m sorry you’re in this position. The Facebook groups Life After Teaching and U.K. Tutoring Network have lots of advice, and also opportunities - I have a CELTA and taught abroad, although English is not my secondary subject, and there are many opportunities available outside core teaching hours? Also lots of people in your and my positions who get it!

I also have a good degree from a good university. My hours were 8 - 4.30. I was also expected to stay late to invigilate exams or provide access arrangements. Most of the other TA's in my old school were overseas graduates coming to the UK for a year to work and see Europe.

This.....

How rude amd demeaning to those in important jobs that pay less

Op im not doubtimg your skills and qualifications but in some areas schools don't require any of those for a TA role. Our school requires only a GCSE pass in maths & english & DBS etc.

Out of curiousity, if the pay is no higher why go for the HLTA role over TA? I think usually its less likely a TA is asked to take a class.

I have two degrees, a PGCE and many years of experience.
Many Cover Supervisors and LSAs are QTS but have caring responsibilities.
I know of good supply and terrible supply. I worked in recruitment for a very short time for a Supply Agency and it felt like Shave A Tramp sometimes - they just wanted a warm body and to get that Teacher Day on their books.

Most supply ‘teachers’ are actually cover supervisors and many have not stepped in a school since they attended themselves and have had no training
Might be the case now because of academies but it didn't use to be the case.
You'd pay cheap rates to an NQT (ECT), you'd have a not qualified scale for mentors/adult ed if not QTS.
You do get agencies only paying QTS Cover Supervisor rates as the school are playing hardball or it's a good school or they're lying about what they are actually charging the school. They are still QTS though, even though some (not all) are doing supply due to burn out or work-life balance. The idea that Supply can charge what they like for their services isn't the case if you are restricted in location or have a greedy agent.

How much would you get paid to work at tesco or lidl as think it might be more. The planning is very time consuming though but surely you still teaching. Can you teach at another school for more money