Part-time teachers, are any of you UPS?

[GraceGrape]

I teach in a primary school, 0.6 contract. Have been teaching several years so I reached the upper pay scale before having children, then returned to work part-time. Since my school recently converted to an academy, the Head who employed me left and the new leadership have implied that expensive part-timers are a drain on the school's finances. I'm not happy working there but it's so hard to find part-time teaching posts. Any that are advertised seem to be only on the main pay range. Has anyone else on the upper pay scale managed to find part-time teaching work?

I'm UPS and 0.8 but that is only because my situation was similar to yours ( although have moved up withIn UPS) have not seen any part time UPS jobs ( and I've looked!). Seems like a pay cut would need to be taken in order to move schools.

Why is an expensive part timer any more of a drain on the school finances than an expensive full timer?

Yes-I'm part time and UPS2.

the new leadership have implied that expensive part-timers are a drain on the school's finances.

That's rubbish. Are they happy to pay for expensive full timers!?

I'm UPS3. But I've been at my place for years, crossed the threshold when it was first brought in as a full time teacher, then changed to part time.

0.4 and UPS but only because I moved before the new pay arrangements came into place

I think the SLT sound horrid! Maybe contact the heads of the other places you are looking? For the right candidate, they may be willing to pay more?

Main pay scale jobs include UPS, but not a TLR. Or at least they do when I advertise them!

To be fair, in my school the new leadership has given the expensive full-timers a hard time too! (but have been very nice to the nqt's..) I think there are more options to find a new job if you work full-time though. There are hundreds of full time vacancies in this part of the world.

Yes I am (Ups2) but I had that as a full timer and then switched to p/t. All p/t jobs I've had a look at recently have been MPS.

I was at the top of the MPS, left to have kids. Under the new rules, and only wanting part time, I started right at the bottom again. No school has to honour grayscale now, and part time is so rare they can bargain hard. For me it was worth it as I got a life back ( returning ft nearly killed me and my kids) but financially it is crap!

UPS has to bring something to the party in my school, beyond experience that is. They have a specific objective that relates to department/whole school development depending on scale point. We have recently appointed someone to UPS1 for September with extra mentoring responsibilites.

I think that's part of the issue. It's hard to carry out extra responsibilities if you're only in school 2 or 3 days a week. I think the answer will have to be to look for a job on the main pay scale. I just wonder what prospective employers will think about a candidate who says they will take a lower paid job than the one they already have.

I'm UPS3 and have worked part time in 4 schools since being at that level. One was the school I'd worked at for 10 years, the other 3 were maternity or sick-leave covers, where the schools snapped me up and didn't seem to care how expensive I was. No matter x tra responsibilities. Maybe that was because it was temporary though.

Oops that should have said 'no extra responsibilities '.

If there are 100s of full time jobs in your part of the world (like there are in my part too), then I'd seriously consider picking some you like the sound of and visiting them, then while you're there, ask if they'd be interested in an application to work part time. I know so many schools which can't recruit at all, they'd rather have a decent part time teacher than no teacher at all.

I agree it's hard to carry out extra responsibilities when you're only in school 2 or 3 days a week. But it's not impossible - it depends on what the school wants/needs. I also agree that under the new career stage development profile (locally agreed so it might differ from area to area), it's clear that to justify a UPS salary you need to be contributing across the whole school. But that could be that you are a specialist in a particular area and colleagues come and observe you so they can pick up on your good practice, or you teach demonstration lessons/coach/mentor colleagues to improve their own teaching. That could be done part time.

I'm watching this with interest.

I have applied for a few jobs in my time. All of which have been advertised as ft but I asked if pt would be considered. The schools invited me along to the interview process but inevitably employed a ft nqt at roughly the same cost as my UPS pt salary.

I would like to return to teaching after a year off with my family. I desperately want a part time position but they don't seem to exist. I am reluctant to waste my time at an interview for a full time post and be pipped by a cheap nqt.

I had to go back in at M6, after a number of years at UPS3, when I wanted to go back to work after having children. We'd moved areas, so I didn't have my old job to go back to. It was difficult to even get shortlisted (because I was too expensive), so I ended up in an academy that could pay whatever they wanted.

Looking for full time permanent work now, and thankful that I don't have a 5 year gap on my application form. The part time, lower paid work has been worth it for that alone!

I am secondary, but have a 0.6 contract (but agreed to do 0.7 next year) on UPS2 and a head of department. It is doable, but hard work and have to a little flexible in terms of answering emails etc on days off as a HOD....