Scottish teachers strikes

[museumum]

How have other Scots found the teachers strikes?
I’m seeing a lot of stress from English parents I know on Fb as well as on mn but it seems to me in my bit of Scotland parents have said “fair dos” to the teachers and just got in with things/arrangements quietly.

I’m not sure this is necessarily good for the teachers cause….

interested to hear from other Scots around the country….?

So you’re ok with different areas of the nhs striking?

Teachers also need a post graduate to teach in secondary and sometimes in primary. This obsession with it only being valued according to a degree is very odd. that’s usually the minimum when applying for a job and your other qualities are what make you a great employee. Yet these other qualities don’t appear to be worth much here..

Im not comparing the pressures of teaching to any other job, I’m listing the myriad of tasks etc that has been added to our job. I’m sure there’s huge pressure everywhere, and so, others probably are overdue a pay rise too. The lack of available staff is evident of the terrible conditions. But every time someone mentions why we’re striking, the retort begins with “what about..”

All public sector jobs aren’t the same, and so wont get the same salary, even if we all have a degree (and post grads).. Part of the problem is everyone thinks they know what being a teacher entails.

There’s very very limited scope for any promotion in teaching too but I know some areas of nhs have more options in this regard.

I don’t think anyone in teaching thinks that we’ll get an inflationary pay rise. But we would like a new offer. We’ll soon be coming into the new year where the next years pay award is discussed, with no previous one resolved.

What do you think is an acceptable salary for a teacher?

That threat has been held over our heads for years now. It no longer rings true. If they don’t give us a higher pay rise, they’ll continue to slash budgets and it’s going to get worse anyway. Look at what Midlothian Council are proposing. Education is about to be decimated and that has nothing to do with pay rises.

It always amuses me on these threads that people always have a friend or relative who do the opposite of what the actual teachers on the thread say.
I have 3 degrees and I teach in a primary school. I also have 20+ years of experience. I don’t want promotion as it means I will not be in the classroom anymore which is the way it goes in management in schools. No need to worry about new teachers reaching the 5 year pay mark. The burn out/ drop out rates are so high that many new teachers have left before they get to 5 years.

If people are going to use the pay scale to
batter us with, can they at least read it correctly?

Doctors and lawyers only need one degree too, so I hope they don’t expect anymore pay in the near future..

You’re surely not equating the many years it takes to become a Dr to a degree/PCGE in teaching are you? Come on. If you’re asking what an appropriate pay increase would be then I would suggest the NHSS pay increase (with the difference pay increase rates across the bands) would be it.

If I’ve misread the EIS pay scale @IamMummyhearmeROAR then I apologise - what is the pay after 5 years?www.eis.org.uk/pay-and-conditions-of-service/salary-scales

No, I’m just highlighting that the focus on the need of ‘only’ a degree is such an arbitrary argument, which many have made here. And here you are, understanding why it is a ridiculous argument; to not be allowed a certain salary based only on the qualifications you need to meet the basic requirements.

I think all the public sector wage demands are unrealistic.

I'm third sector - no pay rises here.

My kids aren't at exam age otherwise I'd be really annoyed

The pay award you’re referencing ranges from nearly 6% to almost 12%. Which is far more than has been offered to teachers thus far..

I think its important to point out that the pay rises for those first five years and then you stay on the same point for the next 40 years or as long as you can last! Promotion involves leaving the classroom in the majority of cases, and there are only a limited number of those posts available.

I work in private sector in a professional role. As a comparison, my job requires a degree, a 3 year training contract and to pass 15 professional exams to reach chartered status. Pay is similar to teacher pay for the first 5 years, with arguably longer hours.

I feel that the unions have lost touch with reality for private sector workers. There is no magic money tree. If pay increases come from existing budgets I'd rather not that other aspects of education suffer. I'd like to see public sector inefficiency and waste reduced instead of children losing even more time in school.

I'm also happily pulling my kids out of school in term time to take a cheap summer holiday this year!

£40107.

This ! Also as a community nurse for every strike day I have to cancel 6/7 patients some of whom have had to wait up to 18 months for an appointment . I’m more than happy to tell them it’s because of the teachers strikes and that they’ll now need to wait another 3 months before they can get a new appointment. Can’t wait for it to be an actual teacher who gets cancelled. Not supporting them at all anymore.

I've aso worked in other private sector, sat multiple chartered exams ( to diploma level). Unless you teach, it's impossible hard to understand the demands of the job.

That being said, I agree that strikes should be for improvements in education. There seems to be huge amounts spent on laptops/ tablets for children ( who, in a lot of cases, spend most of their life's staring at screens) yet ASN support and support for those with behavioural issues has near enough disappeared into the oblivion.

It was 11.3% with an average uplift of 7.5. I’m not aware of teachers on the equivalent of a B1 or B2 salary (the ones who received the 11.3). Teachers are asking for 10% - more than their equivalents in the NHS.

@MistressIggi I think it’s important to remember that’s the case for many, many other public sector workers. B5
nurses on the top of their grade won’t earn what a teacher does after 5 years - and likewise will sit on their salary.

You’re having a laugh surely? Don’t be fucking ridiculous

So the EIS figure is incorrect? www.eis.org.uk/pay-and-conditions-of-service/salary-scales
And tge Teach in Scotland website? teachinscotland.scot/why-teach/benefits/

Perhaps education really is failing when people can’t recognise tone or link arguments..

You do see the irony in writing “children lose more time in school” the in the paragraph below writing you’re happy to take your kids out of school for a cheaper holiday?

@staggie I'm not saying teachers have it easy, just that there are plenty of other professions in the private sector that are equally challenging (maybe in different ways) that ae similar paid but aren't/can't strike.

My DM retired recently as a maths teacher of 20+ years experience. She was sick of spending far too much time on crowd control instead of teaching and the backchat from some high school kids was unreal. She was lucky that she didn't need to keep working and decided she'd had enough. No amount of payrise would have helped her with the unruly kids or crazy bureaucracy that sucked the joy out of her work.

Pay is similar in the first 5 years..then?

Of being a teacher is so easy in comparison, then I’m sure you could switch roles. I’m sure you deserve what you get paid, and probably more. And I feel the same about teachers.

A stand needs to be made in regards to the absolute state of education in Scotland and so far this is the only one that’s having any impact at all.

@michellexxx yes its entirely ironic. I used to think it was really important my DC were in school 100% unless unwell but now I've seen teachers taking so many days off I figure I may as well benefit myself too.

School can hardly complain of a couple of extra days pupil absence can they? I'll just tell the head my DC are on strike as they don't like the classroom conditions and we're going to be home learning Spanish intensively for a week.

I think the SG are going to let this continue until teachers get fed up with reduced wages due to strike days. Should have accepted the offer that the rest of the public sector workforce accepted...

Teachers actually don’t whinge about pupils being off- especially not in Scotland. A week absence truly doesn’t make a huge difference on progress, so go for it.

Strikes also aren’t ‘days off’. It’s honestly a little insulting to read some of these things and genuinely makes me feel like the extras that we have been doing are really not appreciated. I wouldn’t come to you and make a condescending comment about a day away from work..because I don’t understand the day to day workings for you, and you don’t understanding teaching, at all.

Teachers also don’t get paid for strikes. But, not to worry, after 6 days of strikes the government recoup enough to pay for a backdated pay award.

I am surprised you’re so happy and unconcerned about your DC classroom conditions..so maybe it genuinely doesn’t matter to you as long as they are physically there.

That is the same in most careers, degree qualified or not, where you stay in the same post with the same level of responsibility/banding, you hit a pay ceiling.

You can become better and more experienced at your job but the ceiling is still there unless you go for promotion (at your company or another company /location).