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AIBU?

HELP! I'm having such a crap day. Teachers advice needed too!

154 replies

tryingtobemarypoppins · 26/08/2009 19:43

What a rubbish day. First thing this morning I send my boss (primary head teacher) an email to ask about the first day back which is an INSET day. It is on a day I don't work, Thursday and so asked him if he wanted me to attend and if so I would put a pay claim form in.

He sent the rudest email back saying that although I work Mon-Wednesday I needed to attend all INSET days and just 1 this year is on a day I work so the others I would have to go unpaid! I am too pissed off to email him back, but phoned my union who said he was way out of line and had to pay me or give me time off instead. The childcare costs would be £120 if nursery could even help me out!

Trouble is it?s the sort of school where you get an outstanding observation if you conform to these mad systems and a crap observation if you say anything out of his dislike! AIBU and should just keep my head down and hope family and friends can help out? I only have until Feb and I'm on maternity leave.

Oh and then just to tip me over the edge went to play at a friend?s house today and my toddler of 22 months refused to share and bit my friends son

He has never done it before I feel CRAP!

OP posts:

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IOnlyReadtheDailyMailinCafes · 27/08/2009 18:20

I get a free meal every day of the week in return for doing one breaktime and one lunchtime duty. I can be paid for it but get the meal instead, ours are yummy.

In June I was out every weekend on residentials, I got expenses/ food but that was it. We are a very extra curricular and trip heavy school and just rely on goodwill.

IOnlyReadtheDailyMailinCafes · 27/08/2009 18:22

I was offered a ridiculous amount of money to do a summer school when I worked in a school in a deprived area. But I know that we all would have done it without the offer of a wage.

tethersend · 27/08/2009 18:23

Ionlyreadthedailymailincafes- I agree with you, I am not badly paid either; but I cannot afford to buy a home.

I suppose a lot depends on where you are as to how comfortably off you may be on a teaching salary; being in inner London is (to use teacherspeak) challenging.

I am also very jealous of your school's attached nursery!

vinblanc- I agree that teachers should attend relevant INSET where possible, that in itself is reasonable. To echo Kembletwins, to not be paid for it is not.

Also, many pt teachers work elsewhere on the days they are not teaching at that particular school.

cascade · 27/08/2009 18:28

Yes thats the thing, I only, goodwill the key word, if you want to do it and its your choice, then thats fine, its when someone demands it becomes an issue. I have a confession I used to work saturdays all the time for free, many a time down hackney marshes. But then inner city london schools were being given lots of money to raise achievement so HT started paying staff.

IOnlyReadtheDailyMailinCafes · 27/08/2009 18:28

I couldn't afford to teach in London, I hold my hand up there. It is sad as I was approached about a job I would have loved in London but we would never have been able to buy our own home. When I lived up north living on a teachers wage was easy, down here not so much so but still doable.

It was my previous school that had a nursery, a sure start one. It opened as I started my teaching post, for the first few weeks she was the only child in attendance so she had all the staff running around after her.

When I worked part time and had another job, I had to make it clear to my other employer that teaching came first. I was lucky that they supported that. But to be honest very few parents of pre schoolers have it easy if they both work. Most of us have to make compromises,

cascade · 27/08/2009 18:32

Yes really expensive, but luckily me and dp worked in East London, so we could move out slightly to the cheeper areas in Essex/London border. A lot of my friends did the key workers scheme.

IOnlyReadtheDailyMailinCafes · 27/08/2009 18:38

I do think teachers in London do deserve much more money. When I taught in London I watched a very good school disintegrate into a nightmare because we could not get staff. In all the time I was there we only had 2 maths teachers for a school of 1500, one of whom was a deputy head so he was on a reduced timetable.

I loved teaching in London but until dd leaves home there is no way I could go back.

IOnlyReadtheDailyMailinCafes · 27/08/2009 18:39

The key workers is only for 1st time buyers isnt it? We looked into it when we wanted to move to London but I was told I was not eligible.

cascade · 27/08/2009 18:45

Yes I think so, we looked into it but decided we wanted to have our own mortgage. To be honest we were paid very well at the school me and dp worked.

tethersend · 27/08/2009 18:52

They've pulled that scheme now- you can only buy a new build property that has been pre approved (mostly 1-beds), or shared ownership (also newbuild).

I know because I got accepted for the old scheme, then they cancelled it Grrrrrr

cascade · 27/08/2009 18:58

oooh thats a pain tethersend, yes we looked into it in 2003 and loads of young teachers applied.

charliesweb · 27/08/2009 19:04

I haven't read all the message. But I have been teaching part time for 6 years. (I only attend insets on the days that I work.) However, I have recently been appointed as a children's centre support teacher and my new employer asked me to stipulate the days I would be working (0.4) as it is a new EU directive that this has to be done (something to do with a teacher going to court about part time pay or something). Surely this will put an end to the grey area of inset days if you are contracted to work specific days you couldn't be asked to work on non-contract days?
For the record I think there is a huge amount of guilt amongst teachers about how much they put in and not wanting to let colleagues or the children down. I also think that this is exploited by some and that teachers have traditionally and continue to do above and beyond their job descriptions. If I hadn't had my first child and gone part time I would have probably left as I felt my job was all consuming. But part time teaching can be really hard. I felt often out of the loop and got my new job hoping that I will find the work life balance easier to juggle. (I will find out in September). I love teaching and hope to return to classroom teaching when my children are older.

tryingtobemarypoppins · 27/08/2009 19:28

Thanks KembleTwins. The format of the day will be

Everyone moans about being back
Dates read from a piece of paper
APP, but won't decide what we are doing
Sort your classroom

Our room is sorted, MTP all done, first 2 weeks detailed planning all done and my job share and I are all ready to go. All done in our own time BTW!

This coffee morning will cost me £43 and I have no choice but to go! Ah!!!!!!!!!!!! I(goes off to find a job at Tesco)

OP posts:

tryingtobemarypoppins · 27/08/2009 19:30

charliesweb if I could have afforded it I would have done the same. Love the job but your right, its totally all consuming. Enjoy your babies!

OP posts:

charliesweb · 27/08/2009 20:22

Marypoppins the great thing about my new job is that it's teacher pay and conditions, but I can opt to work extra days in the holidays (as I will be based at a children's centre which are open all year round) and then take the time of during term time. So, gone are the days when I waited anxiuosly to see if any of my children's assemblies, trips etc clashed with one of my work days.

I empathise with you doing things and then thinking what was the point of that? Ditto staff meetings. Before children I was happy (ish) to do everything that was asked of me. I organised the school performance etc. However, since my children (I have 3) I have become much more concious that I don't want to waste my time (that I could spend more productively) and that has made more frustrated with the needless talking in circles or about nothing that often seems to happen. Personally I blame our profession I have found we are a talkative bunch.

DebiTheScot · 27/08/2009 20:33

IOnlyReadtheDailyMail... Teachers do sometimes have to pay childcare over the holidays. I was lucky and only had to pay half but I know some people whose children are at a nursery and they have to pay the full price for the holidays unless they want to lose their place.

tryingtobemarypoppins · 27/08/2009 20:34

Ah sounds perfect charliesweb. Good luck with it! I will be looking next year, just got to get to Feb then maternity leave starts!

OP posts:

IOnlyReadtheDailyMailinCafes · 27/08/2009 20:37

Debi but the dont have to pay for childcare schemes for older children which cost a fortune.

DebiTheScot · 27/08/2009 20:45

oops that's true, I hadn't thought about older children. Doh

Littlefish · 27/08/2009 20:55

Charliesweb - I was a CC teacher for 2.5 years. The flexibility was fabulous - the best of all worlds. There were a few downsides however. It was very strange going back each September, knowing that everything had been carrying on without me. It was quite hard to keep up with all the changes that happened etc.

Wonderstuff · 27/08/2009 20:55

I think how well paid you feel depends on where you live. I am just outside the area that gets outer london weighting and our schools have a nightmare recuriting staff, I certainly can't afford to buy a house on my salary. If the school can't afford to pay teachers for inset then they are mismanaging the budget imo, our school has money for everything.

I think that the head is being totally unreasonable but I understand why you don't want to rock the boat.

charliesweb · 27/08/2009 21:00

Little fish - quick hijack if you're still about. Have you any advice for me?
I am now at the stage of abject terror because I have no idea what to expect. I have been teaching in the same school for 11 years since I was an NQT, so part of me can't quite believe I have actually been brave enough to 1) leave the safety and security of all I know and 2) to have a go at a completely different job.

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Littlefish · 27/08/2009 21:11

Charliesweb - I'll start a new thread in Primary Education and we can chat there.

Sassyfrassy · 27/08/2009 21:11

Even with older children you still have to sort out childcare for before and after school, and if the school doesnt provide scemes then you'll need a childminder who'l most likely want paying during holidays as well.

charliesweb · 27/08/2009 21:15

Thanks Littlefish I opened one just for you in chat because I couldn't work out the best topic.

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