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Original poster

Why do teachers still have jobs?

478 replies

StrangeTimes · 19/03/2020 08:06

So my husband has just lost his job from next week. He's a coach driver. My best mate has lost her job from this week, she used to work in a cinema. I have many friends now out of work and desperately trying to get jobs in supermarkets.

However teachers will not be working now for many months, so how come they're not being made redundant?

I'm not being goady I genuinely want to know. I'm glad they are still being paid, I'd hate for them to be in our position. But why?

Are other jobs "safe" like this too?

OP posts:
Shinyletsbebadguys · 19/03/2020 13:40

Now usually I get mildly irritated at teachers woe is me complex on mumsnet (I have been Social care for 22 years...kinda hard to feel sorry a group that claims intense hardworking with no reward...because hello...anyone seen the care industry lately?) However in this one I am entirely in their camp.

OP are you honestly serious? Either you are not intelligent enough to understand that the schools have ringfenced (albeit small) funding that is not dependent on supply and demand like business is. They are critical and one of the first things to be reinstated will be schooling. Yes for educations sake and also because half the country cant work anyway due to childcare (yes yes I know schooling is not childcare but it has an off shoot effect)

It's honestly sad that this is your attitude (the faux wide eyed " but but I didn't knnnoooowww" fools noone .

Teachers are absolutely essential , it's not to denigrate any other industry but we will not function after this without teachers able to walk back through the door at a moments notice. Not to mention they are absolutely working.

I posted something similar on another thread , at the end of this pandemic, everyone will have to live with themselves . Not just their public behaviour but all the nasty scapegoating and vitriol and bitterness they throw at anyone they think has it easier than them. People can choose to be kind and accepting or they can advertise who they truly are at their core and belittle , blame and be vile to others . I'm consciously making choices I truly know I can live with, I do hope you will be able to do the same and dont wake up after the dust has settled to have to face the person you have become.

ReginaGeorgeous · 19/03/2020 13:42

I actually can’t believe this thread.

My daughters teacher is currently working her arse off. The school is still open, but she’s also preparing home learning packs, contacting social workers of the kids that have them and trying to gauge just how many kids they will need to accommodate as I know there are lots of NHS parents at the school.

She’s brilliant at her job and I’m bloody glad that she’ll still be there when they do re-open.

saraclara · 19/03/2020 13:48

As an ex-teacher and mother of one, I just want to say thanks to the non-teachers on this thread who've stepped up to defend the profession.

I'm sure that virtually every contracted teacher is very grateful for their job and income security right now, and concerned for those they know who have that extra worry. But it's still hard having people like the OP having sly digs at them.

BelleharePenguin09 · 19/03/2020 13:59

DioneTheDiabolist

I am shocked at how little teachers are valued on Mumsnet. It's like they're just consideredoverpaid, mardy childminders instead of highly trained professional educators of the nation's children.

Why is that?

Because everyone remembers a teacher they “hated” so I’m afraid every teacher is tarred with the same brush.Hmm

BelleharePenguin09 · 19/03/2020 14:02

And everyone knows teachers have long holidays and saunter out of the class room at 3.30 pm.
What a breeze.🙄

Bulb1976 · 19/03/2020 14:14

OP those jobs you mentioned are jobs which anyone can do. Teaching is 4 years of training. And yes you are being goody, I will be working from home if that’s ok with you.

Bohomie · 19/03/2020 14:20

I'm not a teacher but I do work in a school. We've been told today that all contracted staff are due in as normal.
We will still be caring for a lot of children whose parents are key workers etc
Business as usual

tenlittlecygnets · 19/03/2020 14:22

Teachers will still be at work, teaching kids of key workers and children with SEN and childen who get PP. They will also be setting and marking work online and replying to student emails.

I'm sorry for your situation, though.

steppemum · 19/03/2020 14:22

Actually many people working for private companies are NOT losing their jobs either. Many companies are trying veyr hard NOT to lay off their staff and to find ways to keep them.

Any responsible employer doesn't want to see people who they know sent home with no pay, they are worried about their staff too.

So, yes, some employers have been forced to lay people off, others are hanging on if they can. Some government measures will help, but won't help everyone.

Teachers are in the group where the employer can hang on.

(but, as others have said, they are actually still working.)

I think being a teacher right now is really tough, working a full day with kids climbing the walls, really high stress, worrying about the kids who are prepping for exams etc. Then after school being asked ot put together work and care packages for kids when they go off next week.
And, many teachers on here have expressed how worried they are about certain kids and certain familes and the home situations they are going to. Some schools are going to do visits and care packages and Free school Meals delivered and all sorts to keep families and kids safe.

Spacecadetagain · 19/03/2020 14:22

My daughters boyfriend is a year 7 teacher .. he will still be teaching key workers children

housepurchaseanger · 19/03/2020 14:22

DH is still working - key workers children are still in school so someone needs to look after them and teach them!

Also - teaching is a skilled profession and takes years to master, unlike a cinema worker or even a coach driver, so getting rid of them when there's already a shortage of teachers makes little to no sense.

Dumbest post I've ever read and that's saying something on here.

poppy1973 · 19/03/2020 14:23

Schools are still being kept open, teachers are getting paid, as they have to come in and cover the key workers children. Also, looks like they will have to work in Easter holidays as well. So, yes, they should still be getting paid !!!

Usernamealreadyexists · 19/03/2020 14:39

No remote working from teachers at our prep. We’ve been given login details to some AI driven ed tech software. No doubt we’ll receive a 6k invoice after Easter.

Schuyler · 19/03/2020 14:40

Even though schools are closing, they aren’t closed. Children of key workers, vulnerable children and those with ECHPs will be entitled to attend. In some areas, this means there will still be a fair number of pupils. Special needs schools remain open, as they should.

Secondary teachers will continue to provide remote working support. I am assuming primary will do the same for the older years and possibly the younger years.

I used to think there are some whiny teachers on here who think they have the hardest job in the world but then I see posts like this and realise why they’re so defensive. Cheers to all the teachers. Wine Thank you.

michaelbaubles · 19/03/2020 14:43

We are expected to:

  • set work remotely for our groups either on a weekly or lesson-by-lesson basis as appropriate
  • find work to do for those groups who would ordinarily be doing practical work they can't do at home (which means writing new work or re-jigging units around so every student has meaningful tasks to do)
  • take in and mark work weekly
  • respond to emails/messages from students about the work
  • copy the HoD in on all communications with full classes and provide a weekly report of what we have set and which students aren't engaging.
  • probably provide teacher assessment levels in lieu of exams and be able to provide evidence backing these up

Oh and I will have two school-aged children at home! Sounds like working to me...

michaelbaubles · 19/03/2020 14:44

And in any "spare time" we need to write schemes of work and get organised for next year too!

haverhill · 19/03/2020 14:44

Because we're still very much needed by society and still working very hard. The 'closure' of schools is misleading a lot of people.

longcoffee · 19/03/2020 14:50

I work in communications. No, I'm not out running the countless events I would be usually doing over the summer because they've all been cancelled, but I'm frigging frantic, churning out internal and external comms trying to keep staff, customers, suppliers and support services informed about what is happening as the twists and turns develop. Busier this week than I have been for a long time (and I'm not normally quiet!)

Yes, people could glue themselves to the news, but it's not the same as having it delivered from someone you know, broken down to the bits that impact your day-to-day. And if they all stopped and stared at the news, your essential services would stop too. Should I be fired?

Teachers aren't in schools. But, like me, they're at home, keeping our kids going online, and through other means of support.

People are fucking ridiculous Hmm

saraclara · 19/03/2020 15:00

I used to think there are some whiny teachers on here who think they have the hardest job in the world but then I see posts like this and realise why they’re so defensive. Cheers to all the teachers

@Schuyler even as a teacher, I sometimes wish we'd shut up. It's not a good look, and I'm very aware that lots of my non-teacher friends have it just as hard if not harder. But yes, it's really hard not to defend one's self at the daily sneering. And though there are a few other professions that get it, they're very much in the minority. So thanks for the lift!

Flatwhite32 · 19/03/2020 15:05

Once self isolation is over due to DD having a temp and DH coughing, I'll be working teaching the vulnerable groups, setting home learning packs, and we have been told we are expected to be in school when the children aren't there. That's why I'm still being paid OP...

Sallycinnamum · 19/03/2020 15:12

Fuck me, just when I didn't think MN could get any worse, this thread pops up.

PandaBabies · 19/03/2020 15:21

Because they’re salaried

Because they’re still working

Because schools will benefit from having the continuity of the same teachers when this is over

Because the government will lead by example in continuing to pay public sector workers

Because they are needed to provide care to the children of key workers

PicsInRed · 19/03/2020 15:25

Ours aren't proving anything online, email etc.

Printouts only, collect only.

DakotaFanny · 19/03/2020 15:29

Our entire staff is in on Monday.

excitedmumtobe87 · 19/03/2020 15:29

Some are still teaching key workers’ children and the vulnerable. Some are assigning work from home. Lesson plans. Scheduled holidays. I doubt they’re getting anywhere near as much time off as you think