I have been offered consultancy work at my child's school

[portfoliowork]

After a year running a project in school on a voluntary basis, I have been asked to become a consultant by our head. I have no formal qualifications. I will be paid to do what I was doing before (a music ensemble).

I'm going to say yes because I think what I do has value. However, can I expect a change in relationships with the staff? At the moment of course they all love me because I add value for free. But I've already been asked "will you be paid teacher rates?". I'm from a business background so the idea of (i) set rates and (ii) disclosing your rates is a bit of an anathema to me.

I'd be grateful if teachers and other staff could share any thoughts/cautionary tales. My instinct is very much to keep a distinction between me and the "real teachers" and to present myself as an outside services provider at all times.

I suspect that the idea of external consultants may be a bit strange within the state school system perhaps?

Lots of schools have peripatetic music teachers with a range of qualifications. It's not that unusual.

I think your instinct is correct. I am in a vaguely similar position but with a different group of professionals. I just say firmly "I am not an X; I am a freelance Y" and if anyone asked me about pay would say I had no idea as not an X. You are right to be cautious I think as your rate will sound high but rates are not directly comparable (benefits, pensions, IT etc etc). I can't see any reason why you should disclose your rates to anyone and in many circumstances would be unprofessional I think.

thanks that's helpful.

I think I can use both those approaches.

Yes: teacher rates - what are they? answer = not my job to know.

Employed staff won't "feel" the value of their pensions, that's for sure, so discretion is the best approach here I think.

I have worked as a consultant in a different area for 8 years with no problem. The difference is that there I was leaving an employed professional qualification (solicitor) to do, essentially, in-house law, so could still cite my professional pedigree.

But on this project, I have no paper qualifications whatsoever.

The Arts Council is due to create a new "music educator" qualification in 2013 and I think I may ask to be funded to get that.

As a ks2 teacher myself (and a music specialist who runs choirs, orchestras, ensembles, etc. as a run of the mill part of my job!) it wouldn't occur to me to question what you were being paid, or whether you were being paid. As you say, you are adding 'extra value'. For me, the cost to the school of that extra value is irrelevent, as long as it's a good quality service which is benefitting the children. I think it's incredibly rude of them to ask about your pay - wouldn't happen in our school. (Well, not to your face, anyway!) To be honest, I would assume that you were being paid on the unqualified scale, so it wouldn't occur to me to question what you were getting, especially as you have no relevent qualifications for education. I think you're probably over-thinking the situation and should just get in and enjoy it, as you have been doing already.

Exactly - why on earth would you know?

Yes, I'd be very very discrete. And firm. It really is no-one else's business and whatever you said would be misleading as you won't be able to give the full picture.

Umm, I think given how damaging bad feelings and misunderstandings about pay are, it is well to have a strategy in case questions are asked/eyebrows are raised. Teachers are in dispute over pay and conditions at the moment, and feeling hard done by (you may not be personally). And I have found it surprising how little people understand about how different being self-employed is financially.

Good luck OP, it sounds like a great opportunity.

You must be doing a good job and be providing a valuable service with running this group for the school to agree to pay you. I know of many parents running clubs and activities in schools for years on a voluntary basis for whom this hasn't been offered.
However I would be wary of using the term "consultant" in this context. An education consultant in a school context is someone who provides advice in management issues within a school.
I would describe myself as a freelancer in this context. Really it's none of their business what rate you get paid, but there are budget categories for peripatetic teachers, for PPA cover time staff and for sports coaches (or similar) so it likely that the funds are coming from one of these.

Aha! so even a term like "consultant" which I might think of as a "safe" term is liable to be misconstrued.

thank heavens for mumsnet!

I suppose in some ways it is almost advice on management issues. Over the next 5 years the head wants the methods I use to stop being "portfolio's methods" and become "our methods".