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.

Its very common for bigger schools to poach a more experienced technician and small schools cannot do this.

Yet larger schools often contract the more difficult work and although the network is bigger they employ several people.

Anyway I am not in a postion to do any job hunting.

The post was advertised as 19-24 full time, so I wasn't actually expecting a salary between those figures because of the pro rata arrangement.

I'm not sure why the salary has changed but I am going to query it tomorrow when I go in.

DH is still a bit wobbly about me taking the job because of the money, but I think tax credits will help, especially as he is going to be cutting down his days as the work dries up (DH has to pay rent on equipment for the days he works so his job tends to cost us for him to do it).

I have decided, reading your posts that actually it seems a pretty decent starting salary for a TA, so I am going to go ahead with the job, but just mention it tomorrow when I go in. The contract does say that there will be a wage increase in July so that is something to look forward to. I think I will give it until the end of my initial contract (expires in August) and then take it from there. If the money aspect is still an issue, then I will have to have a rethink and probably go back to working in day nursery which is something I swore I would never do for various reasons but also is not practical with the DC's.

Thanks for your input though. I'm starting to feel a bit better about it now

but let's say it's a 0.5 job. You might think you would get £9.5k. But you wouldn't because then HR will also take off all the holidays that you don't work, so you might only get £8k. Do you see? I object to how they advertise TA's salaries.

Yep PD, I see how it works. Maybe I didn't read the ad properly (I am pretty sure I did because I got a bit excited ) or maybe I misinterpreted the pro rata arrangements (again, I don't think I did, but it is possible).

I agree re advertising of salaries for TAs. It would be better to actually advertise the position for the salary you are actually going to get, rather than some enticing figure that you won't!

This has been a valuable lesson though. This is my first school job so at least if I ever go for another job, I will know what to expect!

Is it because of single status?
Many local authority workers have had their salaries cut as apparently 'we have been overpaid for years'
It should have said in the advertisement though if a single status decision was pending...

TA jobs are only for 39 weeks, and frequently just 30 hours pw so this may make a huge difference once pro-ratad.

agree with pointydog - "fulltime" , may well not be for termtime hours only structure but 52 weeks. I do a 0.5 job termtime, paid over 12 months, but actually do 20 hours a week rather than 17.5 to allow for the prorata hours and holiday.

Doesn't the letter say that the FTE salary is 17K? Which is not in the 19-24 range advertised? That can't be right.

Pro-rata-ing the salary is one thing but surely they can't start chopping it up from a point below the bottom of the advertised band.

I am starting a Level 3 TA job tomorrow and have still not had my contract and I don;t have a clue how much I will be paid! I can't even remember the advertised non-pro rata rate now. I think they said something about scale 19? Does that sound right?

I will be working 21.5 hours, minus 15 minute break a day - so 20.75hrs I think I will be paid for.

How do I work out my pay?

When I was teaching it was far more simple to work out my actual pay packet!!!

I'm a Level 3 TA. In our school we stat on the bottom of the scale and go up one spinal point each year. Point 19 is the bottom point for a L3 (I think).

We have had our jobs evaluated, or rather mainstream TAs have, but the job within a special school is entirely different. We dal, on a daily basis, with levels of behaviour that would not be seen in a mainstream setting, heck we are all advised t have Hep B vaccinatons because biing is s regular injury we incur.

Point 19 is probably abut right then - as job just said Level 3 and doesn't involve anything extra as such.

Just wierd not having a clue how mcuh I will earn this month!

smudgethepuppydog, do they not providing special padding to protect you against bites? The TAs at the school I work at have special protective padding to protect them from bites and kicks. We also had training on what to do if you get physically attacked by a child.

I have found working in a special school very different to mainsteam. Where I work 95% of the kids are nice, they just have learning difficulties.

However behaviour can be odd at times and I think the ablity to cope with the unexpected is vital. Special children need special people and many special schools find it hard to find the perfect person for a job. Even when there are 60 to 70 applicants finding someone with the right attitude and talents is hard.

However I disagree that mainstream TAs have an easier job. There are more and more children with major special needs being included in mainstream schools. They are challenging children wherever they go to school.

fwiw, our local authority recently went through the single status process and I am sure TAs got a better deal as a result - and back pay as compensation for being under paid - lots of staff got back pay in various areas. (I didn't, unfortunately!)

It's worth checking with your local authority if the job has been re evaluated or not.

Secretslattern, if you have a copy of the original job ad with the stated salary, I'd keep it if I were you and also contact your union about it - definitely worth joining a union one if you are not in one.

Point 19 in Herts is the high end of level 4 so authorities must differ. Us level 3s with experience ranging from 5 - 17 years only get a max of £16,600 pro-rata. Which is about £9k actual salary for 20 hours per week.

I didn't say mainstream jobs are easier, I just said the roles were different.

smudgethepuppydog, just wondering why you think TAs in special schools should be paid considerally more than mainstream? The only reason I can think of is that the work is less popular than listening to a bunch of cute six years olds reading.

I agree that the children are more challenging, but the school I work at employs around 60 staff for nearly 170 kids.

I really enjoy where I work. Its a breathe of fresh air compared with mainstream. The people are great and it isn't driven by SAT results. There is a great atmosphere and cooperation between staff.

Hence I haven't got my act together and applied for a better paid job in another school.

Not sure where I said they should be paid considerably more? All I said was that the posts were different, our union rep agrees it is very hard to compare the two posts. I've worked in mainstream and I know that my post in special school requires more experience and more training than it did when I worked in a mainstream class of 30. We deal with a great many nursing issues, mainstream TAs don't (on the whole). We administer meds and deal with gastro feeding, mainstream TAs don't. We lift and handle, again mainstream TAs don't. We are far more involved with teh writing of IBP and IEPs than I ever was in mainstream. We work alongside the therapists to implement all manner of programmes from physio through to communication.

I love my job. I started on a Level 2 as did most of my colleagues, I'd still work there if I was a Level 2 but I do feel the enhanced responsibility should be rewarded (if that's the right word).

Once a week I go into a mainstream school with a pupil from our school and I can actively compare what is expected of tehir TA to what is expected of our TAs.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the posts in the school I work in come with an enhanced responsibility, the teachers within our school receive an enhancement to their wages so why shouldn't the TAs get the same?

How do you know if you are a Level 2 or a Level 3? Is it the same as scales?

SS-It should be stated on your contract or in the advert.

Level 2 (in my area) runs from spinal point 11 (ish) through to 16 or 17. Level 3 starts where L2 finishes and goes up to about spinal point 21.

You also need to consider what is meant by 'full time' hours. As the fte is usually for 37 hours so if you are only working say 9-3 that will only give you 30 hours anyway so will reduce your wages too.

The top tip is to ask at interview (or before you actually apply) what the actual salary is. I got a real shock in my last (HLTA so scale 4 job) with my actual take home before I started as it was loads less than I had reckoned on because it was only 21 hours a week 39 weeks a year, not the 52 I expected so reducing by about 1/3 what I expected.

Sorry meant 'often for 35 or 37 hours' not 'usually'