I am not sure I agree that Teachers have absolutely exhausting jobs - much more so than most jobs - as said by man on r4 this morning

[RevolutionHere]

i am not sure what my dh, former welder would make of this statement

this is an argument regarding long summer holidays,

Please read my other posts.

I can't. I'm too busy marking.

I think it's a calling for some people.

Well I guess everyone salaried is paid to be at home when they take holidays. Teachers get a lot of days holiday but next to no flexibility (possible exceptions for a wedding or funeral but that seems to be about it).

I often think it would be helpful for parents and probably quite nice for the kids if the summer could be 4 weeks vs 6, all the half terms could be 2 weeks and all the inset days could happen within holiday weeks. The odd days, often different between schools in the same area are particularly tricky for managing childcare and while it’s not the primary purpose of school it’s definitely relied upon quite widely.

I’ll summarise quickly - I said I have a huge degree of respect of admiration for teachers and not to confuse that comment with me saying they shouldn’t be properly compensated.

Sure enough, I’ve checked my work inbox and I had a looooooong email from a parent at 9am. No acknowledgement that we broke up on Friday and I don’t have to respond over the holidays.

I also have 50 learning plans to write for incoming Y7 pupils.

Usually I’m really responsive and get back to parents straight away but I need better boundaries.

It's true. And I'm sure you got the responses you wanted.

Pop an out of office on and dont check it again. I used to do this, otherwise people do expect an answer over the holidays when its not realistic or fair. Plenty of chances before the holidays to ask questions, if its actually super urgent then the school should have some sort of arrangement which isnt teachers. It'll never be enough, the more you do often the more is expected and the more frustrated people get when you reasonably no longer do it.

You implied it might be.

But doing some of that would mean raising teachers' wages - inset in their unpaid holiday time can't happen. I have seen schools try this on - indeed I did not get a job because I was unwilling (unable, it would have meant giving up 3 days of a paid for upfront holiday!) to 'come back early from my holiday' - no-one bothered to ask where I was going or how (Scotland, day's journey by train so would have to give up 3 days, the day of the inset, a day for travelling, and the day on the other side of inset when I would have been on holiday) doing such a thing is almost impossible! They didn't like my objection to 'having' to do an after school club either, but this is not statutory at all!
Schools try it on all the time and this squeezes teachers to the point some decide to dump the lot and go and work somewhere less stressful.

Yes, my out of office is on! I hope they got the message, literally and metaphorically.

I replied to an email at 10pm on a weekend eve last week and the sender told me off! 😆

The INSET days ALREADY happen in holiday weeks

@ProfessorRizz

At my daughter’s secondary school - they shut the email link the day she broke up. Your school need to make it clear about communication over the holidays!!
50 learning plans is ridiculous. Are they actually a valuable use of your time?

Early Years, but I used to get half a day per week to update a ‘learning record’ with photos and tick boxes. Half the parents didn’t look at it, and I still think it was the most incredible waste of time. Especially to have this prioritised over providing children with the basics - i.e. supporting and interacting and teaching face to face in a classroom.

Where?

Also do you think that being a teacher is harder than being a lawyer? Because that’s what you and the previous poster are both implying, going by your logic.

Sadly the government use this rhetoric to guilt trip teachers into working very long hours and taking on poor conditions. It’s a ‘calling’ and ‘doing it for the children’.

Nope. Teachers are like any other job. They deserve to be paid properly and have a good work life balance just like any other job should have.

Absolutely- the rhetoric that teachers, nurses, social workers are following a 'calling' just gives licence to quilting them into working unpaid. It is my job and pays my bills in the same way any other job would.

The teachers I know work for a few days after term ends and starts. And then they go away or enjoy the time off at home. One teacher friend invited me to their holiday home next weekend but I could not go! On here though there are many teachers who work all holiday. Variable I guess.

You said: I’ve worked as a solicitor in a small firm with statutory annual leave (and a lower rate of pay than my teacher friends). That is not funny.

I'm just politely asking why you didn't decide to be a teacher instead then, as you'd have apparently been paid more and got longer holidays...? 😊

Oh I could not agree more. This 'calling' nonsense is awful - propaganda to try to keep teachers working for free.

Am I the 'previous poster' you're referring to? Can you please quote where I implied that being a teacher is 'harder than being a lawyer? All I can see is me politely asking why you chose not to be a teacher when you are saying teachers get paid more and longer holidays than you got as a solicitor! 😊👌 Would love to know the answer!

I don’t really understand why you’re arguing the semantics with me 🤷🏻‍♀️ you’ve misunderstood my post for a start. I don’t begrudge teachers their holidays. The point I was making was that I support better working conditions for other professions, rather than taking it away from the teachers, and I was backing that up by saying that in my experience the terms for solicitors in small firms can be really poor.

But clearly it’s touched a nerve.

It's tiresome to have to keep explaining that when INSET was implemented the days were taken from the holiday entitlement of teachers in the first place and pupil days in school were unaffected.

I can see why the OP didn’t want to mention their job, considering how vociferously so many doctors are claiming to be over-worked, exhausted, underpaid and under-appreciated.🤣

I think the problem is, we do actually want people in caring professions to care, and even the most caring person begins to wonder whether they do actually give a f* when under chronic stress and feeling emotionally and physically exhausted. We don’t question pilots getting minimum rest, but for some reason have made little scientific effort to study the effects of an excess of stress on emotional IQ in professions that require a lot of it.

Not sure why you think I'm 'arguing semantics'.... I'm simply asking politely why you decided not to be a teacher, considering as a solicitor you say you were paid less and has less holiday. I've asked you that multiple times and you haven't answered (other than you 'didnt want to'). Sorry if it's touched a nerve 😊