To not go on the residential?

[Youthiswastedontheyoung]

I've just started a new p/t teaching role. Towards the end of the academic year the whole year group go on a residential which is about 3.5 hours away, for a full school week.
I have a just-turned 4 yo and other academic commitments outside of school.
AIBU to say I can't attend the residential?
As an aside, my mum (love her) thought teachers got paid for any additional hours regarding this. She was surprised to learn I'd just be getting my standard pay!

If teachers are counting their 13 weeks leave as "unpaid", then the hourly rate for being a teacher is astronomical.

8.5 of it is unpaid - check our contracts.

In research science I was effectively expected to live the job. I often had to go to conferences to all sorts of places all across the world. There's no way I could have done that with caring responsibilities and when my son was born I just lost my career. That was it.

I take kids away several times a year part of my volunteering role. I also regularly put in extra hours for free for my public sector job - and this week im travellingto Edinburgh at weekend. I don't think it's that unusual or crazy that it's hoped people go above and beyond for their jobs sometimes. But then my work and colleagues will rally around to help each other if they have stress in their personal ife, and parents at my kids" school have fought tooth and nail and given loads of their time to fundraise and protect our TAs from cuts. There's a bit of a social contract in place. Nevertheless I was very grateful to the teachers and TAs who took my child on the y6 residential. As presumably you will be when your 4yo is that age someone does it for them. It is such a formative experience they remember forever as cementing their primary friendships and bonds with their teachers. Teacher friends say it's very rewarding to be part of. Does no part of you want to? If you can't you can't of course, but you sound very cross about bring asked when it's a common part of the role.

It's not pro rate, they get the full whack.

When you go on a residential you are working all day and on call all night.

No one can make you go if you are not able to. Just be clear and factual and say I'm sorry I can't because of childcare and other work commitments. If you are a job share your job share partner may be expecting to split the week with you so you might want to check that. Don't make it into more of an issue than it is, just state the facts calmly but without room for you to br 'persuaded'!

I think a lot of parents would be relieved. No more pressure to find the money, no more pressure to persuade kids who don't want to go that their teacher is right and they will have a wonderful time (one of mine hated every minute of their residential.)

It’s not dramatic. That’s what is expected.

Painfully immature comment 🫣

YANBU at all. Just explain that as you’re p/t with other commitments, you’re unavailable.

Is there any useful benefit to the kids for a residential week at Primary school?

We don’t have them where I live and my DS wouldn’t have attended one as he stopped going on school trips after about 9yrs old as he found them very stressful.

As a fellow teacher, you're not being unreasonable to not want to go - it's hardly the only faux-voluntary thing we're asked to do! That said, it will mark your card if you don't go - especially as you're new. If you have any hopes for promotion in the future you do need to go. Could you reach a compromise where you go for the days you're contracted to work, but not the full week, and state that as they're your non working days you simply can't arrange childcare for those days? That might make it less overwhelming in terms of work and time away from your own child, whilst still saving some face at school

Just say you can't go... you obviously don't want to do it. I really don't see the point in the thread when you have made your mind up. If I had a 4 year old at home I would do the same tbh. They would take priority.

@PicturePlace looking at your comments up and down the thread, you really do seem to hate teachers. Is there a reason for that?

My child remembers it as the time when her bullies had free reign to torment her 24 hrs a day, get pushed into a swimming pool and held under the water, thank God a parent governor stepped in on that one as the teacher thought "they were just messing about."

I've been a leader with beavers/cubs and some kids love it and I did it because I wanted to, entirely different if a teacher feels pressured to do it, maybe the teacher who cheerfully watched my child being held under the water didn't really want to be there.

8.5 of it is unpaid - check our contracts.

I understand that's what your contract says. I'm making the point that your hourly rate is through the roof, then, as you are only contacted/paid to work for 52 minus 8.5 = 43.5 weeks = 0.84 FTE. That's some hefty salary for a 0.8 worker! You're not doing yourself any favours with this argument.

Why did you become a teacher? The work load is common knowledge. Of course nobody can force you to go but thank goodness not all teachers have that mentality as children would never get to experience these things.

@PicturePlace thanks for clarifying. My dd has just started a support role in a school and has that “unpaid holiday” clause in her contract. We were unclear if it meant she would be paid the full salary advertised or pro rata.

Surely conducting some out of hours work - marking, parents evenings, trips are part of the expectation for being a teacher. I have an office job - contracted 35 hours a week - but I never work 35 hours and occasional business trips, out of hours calls with colleagues in other countries at anti social hours are just expected and people just prepare for them and suck it up. You have a whole school year to prepare for this trip. YABU

Jeez with the victim complex, already! Nobody hates you.

So you're saying newly qualified teachers are only paid to work just over half the year then? Their salary then is somewhere around 55,000 per year effectively?
That is very high for the public sector, especially as an entry salary.

In comparison, newly qualified social workers are paid about 35,000 per year and do not get 150 days off a year.

I'm.sorry your child had such a shit and scary time. I'm not quite sure what you mean though. Do think residential shouldn't exist? And I'm agreeing it's voluntary, but there's voluntary and voluntary isn't there? I don't always love taking other people's kids away but i do enjoy being part of the voluntary organisation over all and it's an expected part of the offer and why people send their kids. No one is forced. Except my own daughter who hates camping but can't be left behind.

I am on residential later in the year. I will leave at 8.30 am on Monday and return at lunch time on Friday. During that time I am on call 24/7 as well as preparing some of the meals. It is in no way comparable to any conference where your time is your own after hours and you will sleep undisturbed. There is no down time and there is certainly never an unbroken sleep. It’s a massive responsibility and pretending it’s just like any other job where you do some extreme unpaid hours is just nonsense. If any member of staff was found to have had a drink they would be sacked. Absolute zero tolerance alcohol policy which is exactly how it should be.

In the school in work in it's completely acceptable to say no to the residential and there is no pressure, especially if you have childcare commitments, but even if you don't. Of course ideally the class teacher would go but that's not always possible and in my experience there are always teachers willing to go, usually younger child free ones but not always. On my son's residential a classroom assistant in her 60s went and participanted in all the activities, like jumping off a high platform into a loch!

It is a massive ask of teachers, especially when all the extra hours are unpaid. Those who are likening it to a business trip have no concept of what taking kids on a residential is like. It's a 24 hour a day job with kids being homesick and potentially ill during the night. The responsibility is huge, often having to deal with medical issues and administering medication.

I agree it's tough being on cal for kuds away from home at night but i genuinely don't think no alcohol at all is a universal policy across the country.