No summer pay

[user1483390742]

Been at my school 4 years on maternity covers (4x1 year contracts). My current contract ends this summer and i am only being paid until the last day of term, which means i will have to scrape by from July until the end of Sep (when i move schools) with no income.
I honestly thought they would pay me for Aug as a goodwill gesture as i have always gone above and beyond my daily duties. How stupid am i to have expected anything in return?

Hmm, we always pay until 31 August but I'm not sure whether your maternity leave will have had an impact. When did you go on mat leave?

Op isn’t on maternity leave.

It is tricky, but goodwill is being pressured by financial costs and cuts. Next time, check the date if the end of your contract and negotiate.

Not stupid, but employers sadly are not acting on this kind of goodwill so much now. All you can do is make sure you don't get taken advantage of in the last part of your time there.

The person i am covering is coming back for the last 2 weeks of term to get her summer pay, so they won't pay me too.

None of us are paid for summer - it is only our annual pay broken into 12 pieces so we have an income all throughout the year. So make sure you’ve been paid enough for the days you worked.

Check with your union?

Yes. Please don’t take it personally, although it is very hard not to. It is the climate of today’s job market.

Can you look for another job from July to September? For example there are many holiday clubs that might be pleased to have a qualified teacher on their staff.

I can't work for the summer- i have my own kids to look after.

If you have been employed for them for over 2 years then you may have additional rights. Speaks to your union

No one gets summer pay, you are paid for your term-time work and that is split into 12 monthly pay packets to help everyone deal with the fact that they have bills and rent/mortgage to pay all year around. Good will doesn't come into it.

If you are working up until 2 weeks before the summer holidays start then you will have worked for 94.9% of the working days of the year and so are legally entitled to 94.9% of a full year's pay.

September to July inclusive - 11 months - comes to 91.7% so assuming you get your July salary in full you will still be owed 3.2% of your annual salary in august. That won't be the full amount you usually get - the pre-tax amount would be about 38.5% of the usual amount but you will pay less tax obviously so tell take home amount could be around half your normal take-home depending what your exact salary and tax code are.

That's not right, as another poster said teachers are paid their years pay over the year. The annual salary of a teacher is divided by 195 for a daily rate of pay - if you have worked 195 days then you should be paid for 195 days so fight this. The fa t you have been there for 4 years and they are trying this is terrible.

Budgets are tight and I have had heads try this but I have stood firm on what is correct and fair when paying staff. If they wanted to get away with this they should have finished you as soon as other teacher returned.

As you have worked for them for over 2 years you are due 3 weeks pay anyway (should be 4 but if they don't pay you until 32 August they get away with a week).

I would contact acas or your union.

But if you have had 4 separate yearly contracts woukd you be classed as being employed for over 2 years?

This is what i'm wondering. I have had 4 seperate contracts so unsure as to whether this counts as continual service.

When does your contract end? If 31/8 then you will get paid for summer. If the end date is July then you won't get a pay date in August as your wage and holiday pay will have been averaged over the length of the contract into equal pay days.

The teacher on maternity has played the system as many do but the school likely can't afford a cross over in salaries especially when you aren't going to be working for them anymore as you have a new role elsewhere.

4 separate supply contracts are just that: separate contracts, so not continued service. I'm doing exactly the same as the person you're supplying for and coming back from mat leave the last couple of weeks of term so I get paid full salary over the summer. Sadly school budget cuts can't afford to pay perm and supply teachers simultaneously over the summer - no such goodwill exists in teaching anymore sadly. Would you consider perm teaching work to avoid missing out on summer pay in the future ?

I had this last year and will never do a maternity contract again. When I phoned my union they said that maternity contracts are the worst. They end when the person you're covering returns to work. My school wanted to pay me for the summer but the local authority wouldn't let them. They did it to break my 20 years of continuous service.

It's really rough if you do a maternity cover that lands in such a way that the permanent staff member comes back at the end of term to go back onto full pay (which no one can blame or begrudge them for doing)... it's just a shitty situation where you really feel for the temporary person - and it's crap, but never ever expect a show of goodwill where money's concerned if you're on a temp or supply contract - something I've learnt the hard way over the years.

If your four contracts were all September to August with no break in pay then it's continuous service. No way they can change that.

They were 4 back to back contracts with no break in pay. Think i'll speak to my union on Mon. Thanks

I agree that I believe this is 4 years service. Definitely speak to your union. And you can sign on once your contract runs out, which will help a little.

Just in case this doesn't work out OP don't forget to claim some tax back.

You will also be entitled to claim benefits, although you will have to do a load of hours job hunting. Unless you can get your GP to sign you off work with 'stress' or some such.

You have worked at the same school - so this IS continuous service! Speak to your union rep ASAP!

I have been on a “rolling” contract for 4 years - I’ve had to clarify a few things recently with my Union. But basically after 12 months service I have same the terms and conditions as a permanent staff member.

Schools also should only be using fixed term contracts for posts that actually need need covering for a fixed term - sounds obvious but it’s not what seems to be happening.

That is quite shitty of them.
I did a mat cover Sept-Dec. They kept me on for the rest of the academic year doing job share with returning mat leaver. I'm getting paid until 31st Aug.