To think that the local authority should stick to the salary advertised, rather than change it at the very last minute?

[SecretSlattern]

I applied for a TA job in December which is due to start on Monday. The salary advertised was 19 - 24k pro rata. I applied for this job because for a TA, this money sounded good, especially as I have just completed an early years degree, have 8 years early years experience, various other early years qualifications but also, a suitable amount on which to live on with DCs, household bills etc.

I received my contract today and actually, my starting salary (pro rata) is going to be 2k less than was originally advertised. My starting salary is therefore slightly over 12k.

AIBU to be pissed off that the goalposts were changed just before the job commenced? If the job had been advertised for 17k pro rata, I would not have applied for it tbh. But now I have signed a contract with a CM for the DCs as well as informing the tax credits people of a change in circs.

I am so annoyed about it and DH is now saying he doesn't want me to take it. I have to add that I am working towards being a teacher and I need school experience, so money aside, this opportunity would be perfect for me to gain this experience. I can just see it all come crashing down around my ears.

why has the salary been changed?

could it be because you're not paid for holidays? or is that part of the pro rata deal?

I'm a TA and your salary is much more than mine!

so much depends on your local authority - mine's crap...

Very odd.

Have you queried it with appropriate person at the school? It is very likely that the contract has been sent out by an administrator from HR in HQ, who might have made a typo.

Worth querying before you start thinking about how to tackle this. Did you discuss starting salary when you were offered the post?

Congrats on getting the post, there is usually quite a bit of interest in TA posts.

I looked for TA jobs the whole year last year and never found one paying anywhere near that! Maybe it was just an error?

£12k pro rata is also the very top end of everything I saw advertised last year (I wanted a way into teaching, but on that money there was just no way I can ever change career to that)

It makes me think they just made a mistake, TBH. I would certainly query it though; you've taken steps in good faith going on what they advertised it as, and even if they won't change it at least they should have their cages rattled about it!

I don't understand, surely 12k is half (ie. pro-rata) of 24k? - are your doing part-time hours for 12k take home?

There are different levels of TA jobs, aren't there? At least they are around here...

lauriefairy - TAs only get paid for the hours they're in school, so they finish when the kids go home & don't get paid for holidays either. i.e 39 weeks of working a shortish da.

have you queried it? That was a very high starting salary for a TA, you're right.

Hi there,
I am deputyhead of a primary school and recently appointed 2 tas. We had a similiar situation in which the county advertise the job as the full pay (i.e what you would get if you worked every week of the year)no idea why they do this! We realised this and before offering the job to the successful TA we told them what their actual salary would be and left the decision to them. It may be different in your authority? It's a horrible shock for you to have had but looking on the bright side (to make you feel better) you can get your school experience - I know that in my school we haveto turn down about 10 people a week that want to come in voluntarily to gettheir exoerience as we have so many in already. Plus congrats on getting the job - we had 60 applicants for one TA job.
Hope this helps x

good point, mummy. Yes, they often advertise the salary as fte and then only tell you afterwards that TaS are never paid pro-rata of fte. You do need to check actual pay of TA jobs very very carefully.

That sounds like a Level 2 TA post in these parts, was that what you applied for? We are paid for 43.1 (or something in that region) weeks per year, 39 weeks in school+4 weeks holiday.

Sounds like an average TA wage to me unless it was a HLTA post or a post in Special school?

crikey, i'm a TA and don't get paid anywhere near that amount!

Infact I have never even seen a TA job advertised with that pay, not even a HLTA!

smudge, what part of the country are you in that a level 2 TA get 17K pro rata?

I need to move there!!

No, not 17k, 12k is pro rata for a level 2 TA in these parts. Level 3 is around £13k have a few (very few) Level 4's who are HLTAs earning slightly more than L3s

I agree its deceptive how they advertise school salaries. Its get even worst when you see how much tax, national insurance and pension eats out of your salary.

How many hours are you doing? 12K sounds pretty good? Do you have any aditional responsiblites beyond a normal TA?

It is true that pay structure of support staff is a pity of a joke. There are people with similar but less challenging jobs than me in the LEA who are paid more than me.

It makes me sooooooooooo cross how poorly paid TA's are. I teach and earn fives times what my TA does. She works bloody hard!

I thought job evaluation would have addressed that, reallytired? Do you think it hasn't?

I doult there are many teachers who earn 5 times what I earn and most TAs at the school I work at are paid at least as much as me if not more. Admitally being a special school the TAs are paid more than the average TA.

The difference is the level of responsiblity. I can take time off in lieu when I need to for child medical appointments, etc. I only do 37 hours a week where as a teacher does 60 hours a week. I never take work home with me nor have to work anti social hours like parents' evenings. I do not have to get in conversations with irate parents or put up with the sh!t teachers have.

Infact I suspect that if you do the Maths you might find that the amount I am paid hourly is more than many teachers.

What's job evaluation? How do you get your job evaluated? I often work independently without any input from my line manager who is part time. Sometimes I have to problem solve on my own and manage the network in his absence for days at a time.

I have Microsoft qualifications as well as degree. Its not an unskilled job. Infact I could earn a reasonable salary in the private sector. The reason I work in a school is for the holidays.

I am paid the same as a level 2 TA.

5 times? Are you a head?

My TA earns 10K a year. Head? No way!

here

I've linked you to Unison's page on equal pay, which is known as Single Status. Your post should have been "evaluated" across a range of factors including some of those you mentioned earlier. This will generate a score, which is compared with other local authority posts. Points are converted into a cash value on the pay spine, and graded accordingly.

This process has had a massive impact on local authority pay bills, and I'm surprised you haven't been involved. Some people have had retrospective pay awards going back a couple of years, and have had cash settlements. Others have "lost" and will have their pay decreased. It is possible that all this happened before you started working as a TA perhaps?

I am not a TA, I do IT support. I am paid less than most people who do IT support in schools and certainly far less than people who do IT support in country offices.

It would be silly to compare my job to a TA, and there is certainly more skill in my job than many admin staff. A lot of admin staff are paid far more than me.

Still when I return from maternity leave I might apply for one of the jobs that are better paid in a different school. Its sad as I rather like the school I work in.

It is sad, but the bigger the school in most cases the bigger the pay cheque.

reallytired, all jobs have been evaluated and compared, not just TAs.