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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Original poster

teacher car parking fees

78 replies

user1497480444 · 19/06/2017 21:09

I had an interview at a school today which charges staff for use of the car park. I want to withdraw because I hate the impression this gives of the attitude of the management. Is this a thing? do schools do this now?

OP posts:
C0untDucku1a · 19/06/2017 21:12

Omg! I resent paying for milk!

offblackeggshell · 19/06/2017 21:12

A friend has this at her (private) school. However the school is on a tiny plot. It is on numerous bus routes and has two main line stations within a 10 minute walk. She solves it by parking on the next street, which is not controlled! That was the first time I'd heard of it though.

user1471134011 · 19/06/2017 21:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

seven201 · 19/06/2017 21:16

How much and is it in a premium land spot? I wouldn't be happy either. I moan about having to park in puddles then walk up a hill. Is there valet service?!

Original poster
user1497480444 · 19/06/2017 21:17

no, it is an LA school.

OP posts:
Alphvet · 19/06/2017 21:17

Yes. Our car park doesn't have enough room so we hired one down the road to cover the excess of cars. As a result we all pay, I don't know, maybe a fiver a month to cover the cost of the hire

GoneDownhill · 19/06/2017 21:21

It's annoying but I don't think it shows anything about the management of the school. Schools are skint and parking is one way to raise revenue. I don't know many people who work who have free parking 🤷🏻‍♀️

PuppyMonkey · 19/06/2017 21:25

Numerous jobs involve paying for parking.Confused

NewIdeasToday · 19/06/2017 21:27

My employer charges for parking. And it's a great place to work. No connection between the two.

wobblywonderwoman · 19/06/2017 21:30

This would go down like a lead balloon in our school. We do have to pay for tea and coffee but that's fine. Paying for parking is really strange but I suppose a lot of jobs don't provide parking.

YogiYoni · 19/06/2017 21:59

I think it depends on the reasons. If it's a school with plenty of public transport links and not much parking then I think it makes sense to charge - it encourages people to avoid driving. If it's a massive site with crappy transport links, and the charge is solely a money making exercise, then I'd have walked away too.

InLovewithaGermanFilmStar · 19/06/2017 22:04

Gosh yes. I work in a big university and everyone pats to park unless you have a blue badge. You could always chose to take public transport or walk.

Original poster
user1497480444 · 20/06/2017 05:20

so how much should a teacher pay to park on the school site then?

OP posts:
UsedToBeAPaxmanFan · 20/06/2017 05:39

I've not heard of teachers paying to park at school but lots of public sector workers have to pay to park at work.

I used to work in a large hospital. All staff had to pay for parking. It was about £25 per week.

NiceCuppaTeaAndASitDown · 20/06/2017 05:42

I'm not a teacher but I pay £4 a day to park on site at my office.
I don't really see how the teacher thing is relevant, lots of people have to pay to park where they work - it's not really any different than having to pay for public transport to get there.

HunterHearstHelmsley · 20/06/2017 05:48

I'd have to pay £10 a day to park at work, instead I get the train. I don't see why a teacher specifically shouldn't have to pay.

MaisyPops · 20/06/2017 05:52

I guess why the OP finds it unusual is because schools don't generally charge for parking.

There's a couple of reasons they might. One could be to do with good public transport links and their green plan is to encourage more people to use them than drive.
Another (which I fear might happen more) is that the school land is being 'managed' by a lettings agency to bring in more money for the school. Because there's community things on site then there's a charge, and/or the lettings agency is passing it on to staff. I feel quite uncomfortable with the last one. It's like using my wages to prop the school's finances up. But it might happen more given schools are being chronically under funded.

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 20/06/2017 05:54

We don't pay. We have enough spaces for about a third of our staff but a lot live locally so will walk. We are too far from a train (there isn't one from where I live anyway) and no bus stops near by.

We also don't pay for our tea and coffee.

Leanback · 20/06/2017 05:54

I work for an LA as a social worker and we have to park in Asda as there's no car park for our building. Don't have to pay though.

cocoaonebum · 20/06/2017 05:55

I work in the public sector (not teaching) and have to pay £55 per month to park in the staff car park. It was £15 when I started 5 years ago. I think it's just the way of the world now

Karlakitten1 · 20/06/2017 05:58

I don't think that a lot of people realise that often people don't teach in the same town/city. I work in a town 17 miles away, it would mean a bus to the centre of my town, then a train and another bus. To get there for 8am or before. With a child to take to a nursery near work this would be impossible. The cost of travel is enough without having to pay for parking at a school! Never heard anything so ridiculous.

n0rtherrn · 20/06/2017 06:02

A lot of people have to pay for parking at work, whether on site or a pay and display elsewhere.

I don't think there is any connection between paying and it being a bad place to work or bad management.

Why should teachers specifically not have to pay? It's pretty much the norm to pay for parking in every day to day life/

ModForLangQ · 20/06/2017 06:16

I don't think that a lot of people realise that often people don't teach in the same town/city

Of course we realise this! You do realise that a lot of people don't work in the place they live, don't you?

MaisyPops · 20/06/2017 06:17

The OP wasn't asking 'do people in other jobs pay for parking?'

They were asking if SCHOOLS do this now.

It is not common for schools to charge parking. That's what the OP was asking.

SallyGinnamon · 20/06/2017 06:29

I've never had to pay for parking when in a staff car park OWNED by my employer. None of the schools I worked in as a TA nor in teacher training; not in pharmaceuticals previously nor in banks now.

I've worked in places without a car park where the options were to park in local streets or a public car park and obviously had to pay then. Seems a bit off to me.