Who to vote for as a teacher?

[Pud2]

I just wondered who everyone is thinking of voting for? It seems to me that the teaching profession is in crisis at the moment, under this government. I think it was in a much better position 10 years ago - there were many more LA consultants, the National Strategies offered good training opportunities and there seemed to be more opportunities for teachers in general. And, of course, stress levels were not as high and there seemed to be less pressure and more time to just get on and teach.

Really? That is so depressing :(

I really haven't decided yet whether to vote Conservative or UKIP, but it will be one or the other and I know other teachers who will vote Tory. And before you ask I work in the state sector.

I worry that the tory's will get rid of pupil premium if they get in again, seeing as that was a lib dem policy.

Yes probably.

Long how can you be a teacher and vote UKIP?

I don't see how you can be in any profession supporting the vulnerable and vote UKIP.

it is easy to vote UKIP because I believe in their policies towards Europe and immigration. But, as I said I may well vote Conservative. I believe in their economic policies and the shrinking of the welfare state. I am a teacher but I am also a person with a life outside teaching (well sometimes when I get the chance). I don't believe in letting my job dominate the way I think. I am also a parent, partner, taxpayer, citizen etc. and I vote according to my overall beliefs.

I doubt if there are too many teachers familiar with social deprivation who believe in "the shrinking of the welfare state", thankfully.

Labour.

Scary.

I am all too familiar with social deprivation thank you. I live and work in a deprived area of the north. I know 3 people who illegally rent out their social homes, 3 people who have recently reduced their working hours when they discovered they could claim working tax credit if only they weren't earning so much, and 2 people caught by the DWP for claiming disability benefits they were not entitled to. They are poor because they will not work. This attitude is widespread on the very large estates near to me.
So, yes, shrink the welfare state and get these people into work.

Good job there's so much opportunity for employment in the North then. You can't move for jobs up here. Everywhere you look, situations vacant... .

Unless you are planning on training them all to be teachers, then that's fair enough.

long, I'm so glad that you are not my child's teacher.

Kampeki - how do you know? We often see on MN people saying ' so glad you are not my DC teacher etc - but really - how do you know that?

Kampeki - how do you know?

Firstly because I don't live in the North. Secondly because my dd's lovely teacher let slip a comment about Farage the other day which made her feelings quite clear and then looked mortified when she realised what she had said!

I would like my DC to have a wide diversity of opinions around them - pretty depressing to hear teachers insisting that you have to vote Labour to be a proper teacher. You can vote anything - being a teacher does not mean being dogmatically of one particular political persuasion.

Kampeki - would you like for all your children's teachers to have political viewpoints that align with yours? Does it make a difference to you if that teacher does her job well?

No, I don't necessarily want their political views to be aligned to mine. However, I would not want my dd to be taught by a teacher who would consider voting for a racist, homophobic party like UKIP. I would have concerns about the kind of values that they might model in the classroom.

There was an article in last Friday's TES - don't think it's online unfortunately - about a survey on teachers' voting intentions. They also broke it down by role. I think (left in staffroom @school so need to look again tomorrow) that 30% surveyed intend to vote Conservative, and 7% Ukip - among supply teachers was 19% Ukip. Deputy heads
most likely to vote Labour. Minimal support for Lib Dems and Greens.

I don't mind what my DC's teachers believe in, as long as they leave it behind in the classroom.
I do worry about intelligent, professional people voting UKIP, seemingly based on a small pool of anecdotal evidence.
I am training to be a teacher, my DH earns exceptionally well (or did before illness). He is by far the one who leans farther left than me politically and always has been.
Having worked in the private sector for years, suddenly having to sign up for a union(s) and having them now cold call me endlessly is very weird.
I know I won't vote Tory, my own personal beliefs, but I do worry about UKIP due to the demographic of the school that I work in and because I have sense in my head, frankly.

I won't be voting Labour because I think Tristram Hunt is awful. I don't know yet who I will vote for.