any teachers out there? how many bugs/sick days a year?

[Vi8]

My first one this year at the moment, sore throat and feeling sick, stayed at home today but feel terribly guilty...

Very hard to answer. I gave up teaching in schools a long time ago, but at the start of my career i was having at least one attack of tonsillitis a year- usually Dec - Feb., as well as other colds etc.

Each bout necessitated at least a week away from work.

Certainly, the higher risks of catching bugs was a factor in my deciding not to go back full time- I made asidewya move which meant I still did some teaching but not in a class full of kids!

sideways

Thanks, last year a had the flu in January, plus a couple of other shorter virus type things, about 8 days off in total! is this normal or are they going to point it out during next appraissal? (or do I also suffer from paranoia?)

Zero.

But I only work part-time (so maybe don't get so run-down?), plus my mother was not an uber-cleaner, so I probably built up a high level of imunity as a child

Having said that, DH is a full-timer and has had zero sick days and the DC the same. Or maybe DS had one?

Now I feel bad!

Some people catch everything going, some people seem to be made of steel - it's just the luck of the draw. If you're sick you should stay at home. Nobody's going to thank you for spreading germs round the school.

After my 3rd bad cold in a row during my NQT year, the Assistant Head said to me 'but aren't you taking vitamins?'

It had never occurred to me. Make sure it's got zinc in it and you should come down with far fewer bugs.

you must stay off if you feel unwell. I have had 2 days off this term, always seem to get something in November, then, fingers crossed, make it through to the end of the school year with no more time off. In my first few years, though, I used to get tonsiltis about twice a year, which knocked me for up to a week at a time.