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AIBU?

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Original poster

To complain about a teacher having honeymoon leave before the end of term?

168 replies

janegrey · 30/03/2009 19:01

DDs are both in secondary school, DD1 doing GCSE.

One of their teachers, who teaches both of them, has been allowed to take leave to go on honeymoon this week even though it is still term time.

DD1 has already had issues about this particular teacher, whose marking has been inconsistent...fortunately her class is being taken by the subject head while he is away...and the subject head has helped her sort out the problems she had because of the inconsistent marking.

But DD2's class was supervised today by a teacher of a completely different subject. They had no work set, and in DD2's words they did "nothing".

I'm seething - I just cannot comprehend that the school/education authority has authorised leave in term-time for a non-essential reason...why couldn't he have gone on leave over the Easter holidays?

Do others agree? And if so, what's the most effective way to complain?

OP posts:
onagar · 30/03/2009 19:57

Given how much fuss they make about kids having time off for family things I think it's a joke that they can do that. They should be embarrassed as hell at the hypocrisy.

pointydog · 30/03/2009 19:57

oh please. get some perspective. The barely suppressed stress on here is palpable.

herbietea · 30/03/2009 19:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

herbietea · 30/03/2009 20:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster
janegrey · 30/03/2009 20:04

I think the marking problems are relevant, because it makes me wonder how seriously this particular teacher is taking his job.

If it had been just the marking alone, given that DD1 sorted out that issue with the help of the head of department, I wouldn't be so worked up about the week off.

But it's a subject which DD1 is planning to study at A'level and although this particular teacher isn't currently nominated to teach the A'level course, he may do (the head of year has recently returned from maternity leave, so it's possible, for instance, that she might have more maternity leave).

OP posts:
emmabemmasmom · 30/03/2009 20:05

I am also quite shocked by the responses on this topic.

I used to teach and although my kids were everything and I loved them like my own...at the end of the day it was just my job, not my life. Of course I would always try to sort my life around my commitments as a teacher but sometimes this just could not be done. Everytime I had to leave it was harder work for me as I had to plan everything detail by detail and go over everything with my replacement.

I will even admit that I had a year contract and planned on getting married in the summer. I had moved the wedding up to December (during break) but as my DH is from here and I am not, during the break I realized I could not be without him until the end of my term, so I had to go back in Jan and put in my notice. It killed me but they totally understood. I helped to hire who replaced me and I spent a month training. At the end of the day my life came first, and I still keep in touch with some of my students parents!

Oh and as a side note...I always had kids being pulled to go on holiday. I even had a kid who missed a month to go to India...so it happens. Life should always come first!

twinsetandpearls · 30/03/2009 20:07

exam classes do serious work in the last week, my year 11s are doing practice papers this week. My year 12s are doing times essays ( year 10 on work experience.)

My other year groups are working hard as a matter of fact.

It is not about being self centred it is about expecting people to meet contractual oblligations.

samsonthecat · 30/03/2009 20:10

Are you sure he is really on his honeymoon? I was off work sick for 6 weeks a few years ago and when I came back some of the kids asked me about my "honeymoon". I have no idea where they got that from but I was quite annoyed by it.

pointydog · 30/03/2009 20:10

The HoD is taking the exam class. Other arrangements can be made when necessary

cory · 30/03/2009 20:12

Most schools I know no longer allow children to take time off in term time for holidays so it would seem a bit odd if teachers were allowed.

hotcrosspurepurplesleb · 30/03/2009 20:13

are we still talking about this?
yawn, a bit boring now

twinsetandpearls · 30/03/2009 20:14

Having been ticked off by hotcross I am off to mark a set of books that are not going to do themselves.

ellceeell · 30/03/2009 20:14

I thought that it was actually in teachers contracts that they could not take leave in term time unless there are exceptional circumstances? And their own weddings are not considered "exceptional"? Or has that changed?

SoupDreggon · 30/03/2009 20:16

If he was a "good" teacher who your DD liked, would you be so angry?

There must be a good reason or it would not have been allowed. You have no idea what the story is.

Littlefish · 30/03/2009 20:17

I moved local authorities when I got married. The holiday dates of the two authorities did not match up and I was given 4 days unpaid leave from my new job so that I could go on my honeymoon.

There is presumably a good reason why this teacher has been given permission. His wife may not have any flexibility on dates and this is the only way they will have a honeymoon.

gingernutlover · 30/03/2009 20:20

if you are annoyed about the teachers marking then complain about him to his manager - although if it bothered you that much you would have done that by now.

if you are annoyed about the time off, complain to the school about THEIR decision, they are the ones who allowed him to take it. Rubbish timing maybe but it would have been the schools decision to allow the leave.

Not that it would matter (I am guessing), but the leave would be unpaid and he would be perfectly entitled to apply for it. You dont know the personal curcumstances involved, but obviously his manager did when he/she made their decision and they decided it was acceptable to let him take the time off.

I am a teacher and have never asked for time off in term time but I know a member of our staff has requested a month off unpaid to go travelling with his wife for his 50th birthday.

Sassybeast · 30/03/2009 20:20

Oh - what do people think of my mate - head of department who times her pregancies so that she finishes her mat leave the week before summer holidays, goes back for a week and then has her summer holidays paid for ? It's worked out perfectly for her FOUR times - she's been at the school for 5 years and has been on mat leave more than she's taught - is that fair?

qumps · 30/03/2009 20:22

i am a teacher and took 2 weeks unpaid leave for my honeymoon. my husband is a rugby player and june was the only time we could go. we teachers are so lucky that we get lots of hols but they are restrictive and we really had no choice if we wanted a honeymoon.
i did feel bad but i also arranged my own supply cover, did hours of work planning lessons and had a bloody good time!
i love my job but i love my life and my husband more.

Hulababy · 30/03/2009 20:23

By herbietea on Mon 30-Mar-09 19:58:36
.

Hula - IMVHO he has 13 weeks in which to take his honeymoon and so he should have used one of them. Unless his wife is dying or something exceptional like that.

But what happens if he booked the holiday before accepting this job? Should the wedding then be cancelled and him and hi partner lose their money, etc and have to start planning again?

Or in my case - when the airline were at fault, not my planning - should I have had to cancel my whole wedding for the sake of a week?

gingernutlover · 30/03/2009 20:24

sassy beast, i would say if she is lucky enough to get pregnant the moment she wants to - fair play to her

are all her childrens birthdays in the same month? Not good haha.

JudithChalmers · 30/03/2009 20:25

arf

gingernutlover · 30/03/2009 20:28

ooooh just remembered somthing that happened last year, our secretary typed the term dates up wrong, and someone did book their holiday the wrong week, one of the TA's, they were allowed to go.

any chance this might have happened?

Hulababy · 30/03/2009 20:29

By Sassybeast on Mon 30-Mar-09 20:20:28
Oh - what do people think of my mate - head of department who times her pregancies so that she finishes her mat leave the week before summer holidays, goes back for a week and then has her summer holidays paid for ?

Sassybeast - that is how my maternity leave worked. I went on mat leave the week after the February half term (so in effect got Feb half term full pay for free) and then went back for last 2 days of summer term, and was on full pay for summer holidays. I then went part time as of 1st September.

In reality you do not even have to go back for any time at all before the summer holidays. You can simply say that you are returning to work as off and still be paid. I did go in for last 2 days so I could sort timetabling, etc.

chosenone · 30/03/2009 20:29

IME teaching in 5 different schools it seems to be at the discretion of the head how these things are dealt with. I have known a teacher have unpaid time off for her honey moon and only booked it when the head and governors agreed it, she left thoroughly planned work and her groups were fine! I've known people have time off if they've won a holiday, for family weddings in Oz and South Africa, graduations etc we can't expect our family members to plan around our holidays can we? and if its unpaid then what can the employers really do?

The issues important are here are because its at the heads discretion, like so many things including, time off to see childs assemblies, funerals etc if its not granted morale is affected and as so much of teaching relies on goodwill of staff to work extra hours, holidays, weekends, assist on residentials etc its a shame when staff get told they can't go to a funeral or something then good will and morale starts to evaporate.

The 2nd issue is that another qualified teacher should be able to teach work that has been planned and prepared by absent teacher, unfortunately most schools now use unqualified staff or cover supervisors who are often left covering sick or absent colleagues for weeks without even having an A level in the subject they're teaching! More parents should be up in arms about this tbh!

JudithChalmers · 30/03/2009 20:30

dont you?
I think you do HUla.