Teachers - is it preferable to teach in private schools?

[Horseradishes]

I have some teacher friends who teach in private schools and love it, sing the praises of the schools etc. I know it's impossible to generalise, but do private school teachers get better pay/conditions etc? I'm talking about selective primary schools, so possibly the children are all motivated by keen parents.

I think private schools are less constrained by curriculum and have smaller classes, so I'd imagine could be less challenging to teach teach but I'm not sure. I get the impression state teachers are dissatisfied (strikes) but what about private?

It depends on the school, they can be very different. Look at the ones near you and see if you would be a good fit ?

Dp works in an independent school, but earns less than state. He prefers the school though and it's a great fit for us. Previous school he was at not so much, state school he started teaching at has changed a lot and seems not for the better.

The hours are longer, we work 6 days but have longer holidays.

DH visits lots of schools and has coffee in lots of staff rooms.

Private school teachers get more shit from parents.
State school teachers get more shit from Ofsted and the government.
Private school teachers are more likely to be fired for not "getting the results"
State school teachers are more likely to have to deal with uninterested kids and parents.

Pay and conditions even out over the academic year.
There is a lot of flow between the two sectors.

The happiest teachers are at Special schools in his view.

My local state school has classes of ten projecting and as I've said already there are fifteen in my class this year. I work for a head who believes his staff should have a good work life balance and that a teacher's efforts should be put into teaching not pleasing outside forces ... no onerous paperwork or jumping through hoops Remember only the National Curriculum is statutory all the other initiatives can be ignored as Long as pupils achieve we are free to get on with the job of teaching.

Sounds fine mrsz but don't pretend all states are like yours.

They aren't but neither is the picture you paint applicable toare all private schools l

It's horses for courses or should that be courses for horses ... Talkin's DH obviously likes Special schools yet they make me very sad when I visit ... A good school looks after their staff regardless.

I've never taught in a school with a class size less than 27!

I would say class sizes of 10 or 15 in state schools are fairly unusual.

My friend teaches in a school with only 15 pupils in the whole school ... It depends where you work/live.

mrz you're being a little obtuse

Is it obtuse to provide balanced evidence?

Many rural schools have small class sizes ...fact!

Agree rollon

Mostly they blend classes. Our small rural school has 3 classes, a YR/y1/y2 one, a 3/4 and a 5/6

Yeargroup does not equal class any more. Thought that changed everywhere?

Most classes in the schools around here are 30. KS2 classes are bigger. My last Y4 class was 34.

I can think of 3 or 4 more rural schools nearby-they either have N/R, Y1/Y2, Y3/Y4 abd Y4/5 or a KS1 and KS2 class-all of about 30.

I believe you that some small classes exist, Mrz, but I think those smaller class sizes are in the minority in state education.

mrz, why do special schools make you feel sad when you visit?

I wouldn't want to send my child to a school with 15 in a class. DD has fifteen in her class this year due to a series of coincidences and it really is too few. Ideally, at primary level, I would like a class size of between 20 and 26 with an even number of children.

Ours is a state school, too. We are in SW London.

My visits usually involve pupils that don't "belong there" and would succeed in mainstream primary and I feel they've been let down.

I agree low twenties is a much better class size.

Nimbly in the case of my local school R,Y1 & 2 equalled 30 pupils (PAN of 10) 2 classes of 15 and KS2 40 pupils 2 teachers 20 per class.

I went to a private school at secondary level, btw, one of those that regularly tops the league tables. The behaviour was a little better than at my previous school (ordinary state primary), but not by so much that it was particularly striking. The lunches were about a million times better, possibly two million times better, but cost approx three times as much. The class sizes were all between about 20 and 28.

Fifteen is really not that good - I think it's hard from a friendship point of view, which is really the most important thing IMO at primary level. I also think it's hard for the teacher as differentiation seems to be tricky if you have a child without an appropriate peer group (whether low or high attaining). It's not good in our school atm whereas differentiation in previous larger classes was really really good. The child who sticks out gets mushed into the nearest group, whereas in a larger class it's more likely they would have someone who was working near to their level.

Private / prep. schools are now under significant strain through increased OFSTED pressure. This is having an effect on planning and administrative workloads of certain schools that were focussed on academics, teaching and results - but not on administrative paperwork.
I've worked in both state and private sector schools (with selective intake). Although I was nervous of working in prep. schools before I'd experienced it (fear of more demanding parents lol) I found that, in reality, oarents were generally more supportive of their child's education and more appreciative.
pay at my first private school position matched my state school's - although I was on a high point scale, due to being on the Senior Leadership Team, so this wasn't bad (and, on reflection, I shouldbe bartered for more at interview ;)
I'd not go back to teaching in state schools. My reasons are not because of the parents or pay, but because I like to TEACH.

The prep school nearest to me had huge problems trying to recruit decent teachers . The excellent ones in the state system wanted to stay there. Many teachers want to work in a well led school with a sense of purpose. It may have been harder work in the state system but teachers seemed to prefer it. Possibly because the children are pretty well behaved around here! Also too many parents at the prep school has grossly inflated views of their children's ability, especially in getting a place at a grammar school. The vast majority didn't so parent angst was huge.

From what I have observed, there are plenty of teachers coasting in the private schools because they don't have to work too hard to get decent results. The Head teachers in the private schools never go into a classroom to see whether a teacher is an effective teacher or not. Mostly they are concerned with marketing and getting money out of parents!

Milly, you're right in that not all prep schools are the same. I'd not work at one that didn't have high expectations of me as a teacher. Been there, done that and felt considerably out of place and undervalued. Likewise, not all state schools are the same. Until one works at a school, or unless one has a close friend who works there, it's impossible to say what the ethos of the school will be.
On another note, what one puts into teaching isn't all about expectations (Head, SLT or parental). Much comes down to personal standards (wanting each pupil to reach their individual potential vs specified level), pride - and a dash of perfectionism.

I've worked in state and independent.

The prep school I work at works me far harder than I had to at state school - and I thought I was working hard there! But now (in independent sector) my expected hours are 8-5:10, which is when the children are in school. During that time I rarely get breaks (there are no lunch staff - teachers have to serve lunch to their class and tidy up afterwards) and other activities often run across the children's playtimes. I get 2 lessons of non contact a week - one is an hour long, the other is 20 minutes. So obviously starting early/staying late/working at home are necessary.

For the privilege of doing this, my pay is approx 90% of Payscale. With whispers of a pay cut in the near future.

On the plus side, in the independent sector I am trusted to get on with my job without anyone constantly looking over my shoulder. Most of the parents are broadly supportive of their children's education and of the staff. Behaviour is generally reasonable - we have difficult/challenging children, but children with really extreme behaviour don't stay long. And long holidays....

DH and I were chatting about his work today.
The only types of school/ pupil group he's not worked with are
(a) big name public school
(b) prison

He much prefers non selective state schools for all age groups.