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,

Absolutely this. Very well said!

Um so you yourself have had experience then with 30 school aged children and managing them well for 6 hours a day 5 days a week then? Interesting that a woman can be utterly exhausted with one child to look after but then disses on someone who looks after 30!!

Exactly.

OR a rotation of 6 or 7 different classes of 32 fifteen year olds, all stroppy, difficult and many with extreme behaviour difficulties.

Followed by 5 or 6 hours of admin AFTER 5 or 6 hours of full-on teaching.

The problem for teachers is that a lot of adults have kids at school so it’s a very “aware” job for that demographic and everyone feels they have an opinion. There are a million other jobs that might or might not be stressful but the majority of people don’t come across them day to day. A teachers strike impacts a large proportion of the population, a strike by architects for example maybe less so!!

The role does come with good holidays and to parents with 4 weeks annual leave trying to juggle school holidays that can feel unfair, but it’s a “perk” of the job that’s always been there and other careers have different perks. Some people work 3 x 12 hour shifts and therefore have 4 day “weekends” every week, to a 9-5er maybe that’s “an easy life’!!! To the nurse or whoever doing it, probably less so.

If you don’t have kids or teacher friends, school holidays and teachers jobs are far from your mind. August is just another month of the year (when the commute to work is easier!) but those with kids suddenly think they are experts on all things school. On the reverse, a lot (but obvs not all) of teachers have gone from school to uni to schools so aren’t always aware of the pressures that exist on the other side too.

If people don’t want the stress of teaching they can (and some do) switch careers, and if non teachers decide they’d rather have the life style they think teaching gives them they are welcome to retrain too.
Every job has pluses and minuses - it’s all subjective.

It's amusing that it's often the same parents complaining about entertaining their own children in the holidays who also moan about teachers having the holidays. We're knackered after looking after your kids in large numbers as well as actually teaching them and doing all the associated paperwork that goes with it, we need a break!
I'm going in to school for 5 days this summer to prep displays, label exercise books, empty cupboards, sort out resources. Then I'll probably do 3 days' work at home redoing the planning for September as we have new text drivers and a new maths scheme. I will also be enjoying time with my kids.

Remember teachers can't take holiday during term time and as such have to pay astronomical prices for holidays with no choice. On pretty crap pay.

The legal minimum holiday in the UK is 5.6 weeks. Parents getting four weeks should be contacting their union.

It’s 4 weeks plus bank holidays generally. But if that’s what you choose to tske from my post!….

Twice posters have talked about 4 weeks of leave, not counting the Bank Holidays. They count them in teachers’ holidays though.
Of course teaching has long holidays. Everyone knows that when they decide on a career. I do agree with a lot of what you said about different jobs and people’s awareness of them though.

Whilst I get it is a tough job, teachers are the one profession where every single teacher are there complaining about how hard their job is. I have family members and friends who are teachers and god do they moan more than friends I have who work for the ambulance service, are surgeons, work as a carer for people with special needs. Yet teachers complain far more than the people who work in life or death situations and literally see people die

and don’t get me started when they complain about pay. Every teacher I know who dont have kids work during their holidays off, so basically during half term and the 6 weeks they get double pay because they still get their wage from school. And the ones with kids don’t have to pay childcare fees.

now I will say that children with additional needs being let down by the system and not able to get into special schools, the mainstream schools who are not equipped to handle these children have to ‘deal’ with them. My son is autistic and I know he is a ‘handful’ and the school has to manage his needs on a daily basis so I get that it is tough in a lot of ways

Nonsense. I’ve taught for 35 years and never known anyone take on holiday work. TAs do. Not teachers. You would have to get permission for a start…
Everyone I know moans about their job. Even when they love it there are things to moan about. Teachers are no worse about it than anyone else.

I think teachers are entitled to moan.

I really don't know why people can't just think and realise how difficult teaching is?
And how important they are to our kids.

I'm just a normal parent, nothing to do with teaching but it doesn't take much to have a think about what they actually do and what it involves.

I've been a nurse which is also demanding and exhausting but I still think teachers are up there with having the most difficult.

Enjoy your holidays teachers, even though I realise a fair bit will be marking, planning etc.

I and my family fully appreciate what you do ❤

“Teachers are the one profession where every single teacher are there complaining about how hard their job is.” So this plus the recruitment and retention crisis doesn’t all point to the fact that it’s probably one of the more challenging/exhausting jobs you could do?

I mean, this is a pretty moany post, so perhaps you, your friends and family are just, you know, moany?

I don’t know a single teacher who has a holiday job. Not one.

I'm a nurse and have friends working in education.

There's always a few who claim to be working in ways that other people don't recognise.

I'm now band 7 WFH after almost 30 years in the NHS and have definitely had my years of shit shifts and working double shifts because of sickness etc but never really had patience for the martyr nurses who claimed they hadn't had time for a piss on shift for decades.

We took the piss out of them and they didn't progress beyond band 5 or 6 for decades.

Then complained about no career progression.

I think the same applies to most public sectors.

We can all talk about our worst days at work. It doesn't mean they're happening all the time.

I've known people do festivals, tutoring, marking, hospitality while teaching. It's relatively rare, especially once teachers have their own children, however there are people who do work in the holidays.

a private school in a lovely leafy suburb is completely different to an inner city comprehensive. How deluded

Ok, marking, yes. It’s as much a CPD event as a job. The poster was suggesting they had jobs through the holidays though. That doesn’t happen.

Also the ‘same lessons for years’ crack. I have lesson plans/PPTs I’ve used for multiple years, but I still have to review them and change my approach based on; the class in front of me. It’s not work free.

It does. I know people working in hospitality, lifeguarding and childcare through this summer. It's not common, but it does happen.

Marking isn't a cpd event anymore, see recent threads.

I’ve never known even one in 35 years in a range of schools across a range of areas. I accept it possibly does, but it’s very, very far from common.
Of course marking is CPD. You get to be party to what the exam board credits.

I've taken on extra work this holiday in catering. I need it, I have 2 teenagers, one with driving lessons to pay for, and my UPS1 salary isn't enough, once the mortgage is paid and bills paid. I never have any savings left so I need to do extra. I'm bloody exhausted, mind.

Sadly, it's becoming more common. I know at least two from our local school that are working a second job part time through the holidays because they need the top up to pay mortgage and bills etc. That's on top of the curriculum planning etc they'll be expected to sort.

What do you mean, making isn't CPD anymore? I marked this summer for the CPD...

That’s terrible.

I agree with this. I know of teachers taking on summer jobs at play schemes, sports holiday clubs and teaching swimming lessons.