Are these days paid?

[LeviOsaNotLeviosaa]

Good morning MN teachers.

I’m a trainee, soon to be ECT, who has secured a job for September. I’ve been invited in for an INSET and transition day this term, but I wondered whether these are generally paid or not? I don’t want to ask my new employer in case it’s a taboo subject (so many things in education seem to be) and google isn’t helping much.

Thanks

I wouldn't have thought so (in my experience). I certainly wasn't paid for visits to my first school before I officially started. Maybe it should have been, as they're specifically asking you to come in, who knows, but know I wasn't paid for it and agree it's awkward to ask. Your contract technically doesn't start until September and, unless you are currently employed by a supply agency, payment could be tricky as schools can't just give cash in hand. The best they can probably do is back pay it in September by putting it through as overtime.

I would just look on these days as vital experience and prep-time and write off the possibility of pay if it was me, but I've never been one to rock the boat (and it sounds like you don't want to, either). Congratulations on securing that all important ECT role!

Welcome to the world of teaching where you're expected to do stuff for free.

Hahahaha, I have just spent £15k to train and basically paid to work for a year, I'm not naive. I'm in my mid 30s and was a TA for years.

It was just a query.

I don’t think you lose anything by asking. I know it feels awkward, but if you keep it breezy, just enquire with personnel/HR if you should put in a time sheet for those days. If you were coming from another school, there would likely be an arrangement that they would pay your school for covering you.

The answer will probably be no but I would have no problem at all with you asking.

It depends on whether you are currently working in a school, paid (I assume not, from your post).

Convention is that your current school gives you paid leave for these days, so your new school will not expect to pay.

I think you should ask because some ECTs get paid from July rather than September.

Probably not, sadly! I asked about this upon joining my current school because I had arranged to visit in what was my holiday. They told me it was reciprocal, so schools were expected to allow their staff to visit new schools and they would do likewise (they then refused two of my new colleagues to do the same when they were moving on, so I definitely had questions about this reciprocity!!). I told the new school I could spare a couple of hours and used that to meet the HoD and get SoW. I declined to watch lessons in the department.

If there is INSET at the start of Sept, that's part of your directed time for the year, so is technically included in your pay in that it's a working day within the limit.

Can't believe how many people are advising these would not be paid - I mean, maybe they wouldn't but they should be! The school could easily pay you on a daily supply rate if these days occur before your contracted start date. Everyone else there will be being paid.