What sort of discount off fees is typical when a teacher works at the same indy school as their kids?

[fivecandles]

What would you say is the average? 20%? 50%.

Could make a difference to whether I apply for a new job or not but don't want to ask directly.

I don't have any experience of this myself but there is a local independent which advertises jobs in our local paper and they say that staff get a 75% reduction in fees! No idea if this is typical or not.

I think it can vary widely from nothing upwards. Not all schools offer discounts to children of their staff.

Friend pays 50% at local independent. Another friend only had to pay for lunches and other extras for hers (probably exceptional as I think 50% is more the norm).

Thanks all.

Anything from 0% to about 90%.

You really can't generalise.

Most round here seem to offer about 20-25% off

And I have asked directly for several jobs and been offered them

At DS's school it starts at a very low level of discount and rises to a total of 75% over the years - I think you have to be at the school for quite a number of years to get the full discount. which I think is right - our children benefit hugely from the lower staff turnover that results.

One word of warning though. I know another mother who is a teacher and although the reduced fees and longer holidays are very appealing, she said the thing she had never appreciated before making the switch is that during term times you are expected to devote yourself almost completely to school life. Which means for example sitting down with the children at mealtime (no chilling out in the staff room for an hour), monitoring late club/library/study evenings until maybe 8pm two or three times a week, 'voluntering' for full involvement in an extra-curricular or sporting club (including giving up maybe one or two weekends a month during term time). And of course Saturday morning teaching at many schools. My friend still thinks it is 100% worthwhile but it means that during term times she spends hardly any time with her own children because she is so involved with everyone else's. Logistically it means her own children have to go to late club and get very involved in the extra-curricular stuff too. But then again, they are getting the most brilliant education as well.

Ou local school is two thirds off. Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) schools don't offer any money off.

In the Dulwich college group (Dulwich college, JAGS, Alleyn) teachers get an 80% discount straight away.

Am considering retraining

crikey how does one get a job at one of the Dulwich schools?

I mean after retraining as a teacher (and already considering those schools for dc.)

Uh-uh. Two thirds.

My husband gets a 50% discount and it comes out of his salary before tax so it's actually worth more than that ... Hope it's still on offer when our kids are old enough to go to his school!

Also, one of the local independent prep schools offers a discount (not 50% though) to kids whose parents teach at my DH's school - it's some sort of feeder school apparently ...

I think that's fairly standard for private day schools. No idea about boarding schools though - but that a whole other thread!

Do you think it's reasonable to ask before or at interview then?

I wouldn't ask until after receiving an offer.

two thirds is typical (in central scotland)

that should read "two thirds off is typical"

Do support staff get these discounts too? eg Bursars? Dinner ladies?

At ours, I know some support staff (PAs, bursar, librarian) all do. Catering staff don't, but that's because it's done by a separate company.

souds good because as you don;t get paid it you presumably don't get taxed it - if that makes sense. (or is it taxed as a benefit in kind?)

My friend gets 25% off.

MrsGuy In the Dulwich schools, you get 2/3 off at any of them if you work in one, but you have to pay the tax on your saving if you don't send your dc to the school at which you work.
If that makes sense.

I got 50% at Newton Prep but the librarian got nothing. However the pay at Newton was pretty awful so it kind of undermined the value of the benefit.

I would ask at interview, personally. Sometimes you can negotiate it up. It's just like any other employment-related benefit.

Staff at DS's school get 90% but I know that is unusual. I would say 50% would be "average". It's certainly not unreasonable to ask - schools are not naive, they know it is a major factor in attracting staff.