£60 enforced fine for an unautharised at ours, only changed this year (althought the rule has existed for some time). Its a fair rule as far as i’m concerned, some parents properly take the mick ( two weeks off for a trip to Disney!!). Ours isnt on strike as far as im aware but this may be a timing thing. I have to say I know a fair few teachers and am very good friends with a deputy head and they dont share some of the views expressed on here. They may be exceptional and i suppose it depends on the school but they dont allow themselves to be stressed and generally enjoy the work (just the parents who are a PITA 😉 )

Does that apply to doctors too. I’m always amazed that we pay a GP so much and a teacher so little, given the responsibilities assumed for teachers. If teaching attracted the same sort of salary as accountancy, we’d see far more of the top quartile of graduates applying.

I’ll happily join you in your argument that GPs are overpaid 😉

My point which seems to have been missed is that teaching should be a vocation rather than just another job – surely the best teachers see it that way. I’m less than convinced that attracting people who might otherwise go into accountancy because they want lots of money would improve the standard of teaching.

Not a job I would want to do and good luck to anyone prepared to stand up for their terms and conditions.

Amazed how so many people are vindictive because somebody is getting something they are not like a final salary pension.

We should all strive for a better deal rather than sink to the lowest common denominator

My point which seems to have been missed is that teaching should be a vocation rather than just another job – surely the best teachers see it that way.

What sort of messed up logic is that? It doesn’t matter what anyones motivations for going into teaching are (vocational/holidays/money) it matters whether or not they do a good job. If you pay a competative salary then you would undoubtedly attract more people into the profession. Afterall no-one is going to say “sorry I got into this as a vocation so I’m going to leave because you are going to pay me more”

Mine is off.

Whats not to like about having a bit more time with her for riding bikes in park, going for a walk ?

Amazed how so many people are vindictive because somebody is getting something they are not like a final salary pension.

We should all strive for a better deal rather than sink to the lowest common denominator

Exactly. +1

We are such a bankrupt country that we were ready to find the money to launch a shed load of cruise missiles at Syria at £100k a throw before someone saw sense.

My point which seems to have been missed is that teaching should be a vocation rather than just another job – surely the best teachers see it that way. I’m less than convinced that attracting people who might otherwise go into accountancy because they want lots of money would improve the standard of teaching.

Part of what teachers are striking against is the introduction of performance related pay because the evidence shows that teachers are not motivated by money.

What we are motivated by is doing a good job and getting the best results for our students. I’m not convinced that I’ll be able to do a good job at the age of 67, which is why I’ll be striking on 17th October as a way of protesting changes to the pay and conditions which I signed up to 14 years ago when I first started teaching.

I don’t particularly mind that I’m paid considerably less than most of my university peers. I don’t even mind that my friend who drives the little local train to the seaside is paid slightly more than me. I am concerned that my class sizes are getting bigger, my salary is frozen, that Ofsted* can come in at any time and deem my teaching to be unsatisfactory, that we’re getting less cash per student than previously, that we’re not replacing support staff that leave meaning increased work load for those left, or the constant meddling from central government.

That’s why I’ll be striking on October 17th.

*or whichever private company gets the contract to inspect us. It could be Serco or perhaps a company who also own a chain of academies. Who knows?

You appear to have just agreed with me, miketually. For those like gonefishin who still don’t appear to have actually comprehended what I wrote (I do hope he’s not an English teacher 😉 ) I’m not in any way having a go at teachers or suggesting that the current changes are right – I do agree that they work pretty hard for their money and don’t begrudge their current holidays or pension at all. I do reckon that it’s unlikely the quality of the profession would improve a huge amount if salaries were doubled though – the majority of those who want to teach and would make good teachers aren’t that motivated by money (but understand how their motivation is affected by all the other changes being imposed).

Or in case you need it spelling out in smaller words, I support the strike action.

No I’m not an english teacher; I’m not a teacher at all. I just can’t get my head around the logic that says that paying more won’t get you better candidates. A persons motivation for doing a job is irrelvant if they are good at it.

Or in case you need it spelling out in smaller words, I support the strike action.

That was far from clear from your initial post.

I didn’t ask what can be done I asked what was actually done. It doesn’t matter who is responsible (incidently there are plenty of others mentioned in your link that aren’t teachers) it is still “the school” and the educational authorities that actually implement it. Plus given the potential holiday savings I’d have thought that a fine of £100 would still make it financially worthwihile to take your kids out of school.

Yes… Obviously teachers play no part in this…

The weird thing about teaching is you can start school as a child, go onto secondary school and then become a teacher after going to univercity school, all book learning and no real job in between, no experience of working on the shop floor in industry, in an office,restraunt and numerous other jobs etc etc.

Just a classroom for life, then theres the problem with discipline, the children are told what to wear as a uniform, the teachers dont seem to have any corporate uniform, which most large companies have, you dont see staff at tesco in badly fitting suits or cheap dresses, our local so called academy, the children are told not to smoke yet every break a group of the most unfitest ,scruffily dressed teachers turn up round the back in the park smoking their heads off, and then throwing the fag ends in the hedge.
A lot of the wildlife now has a serious cancer threat to their health.

But enjoy your strike, strike for weeks and youll probably not be noticed youre off work,(probabllier quieter roads) unlike the emergency services who strike for 4 hours and get live reports throught their strike on the media, and will probably get what they want.

wrightyson – Member
I’m in construction! I manage anything from big factory builds up to £10 million to sitting on a mini digger. That’s how we work as a very small company. Just two of us. Before the last 18 months we hadn’t done any industrial work for three years, the whole business was very close and the only thing that saved us was the fact we had such small outgoings wages/office wise.
I’ve no pension as I’ve never had the spare cash to pay into one. As for hr and stuff like that

So you work in Construction. What are the pay and conditions like?

The weird thing about teaching is you can start school as a child, go onto secondary school and then become a teacher after going to univercity school, all book learning and no real job in between, no experience of working on the shop floor in industry, in an office,restraunt and numerous other jobs etc etc.

Just a classroom for life, then theres the problem with discipline, the children are told what to wear as a uniform, the teachers dont seem to have any corporate uniform, which most large companies have, you dont see staff at tesco in badly fitting suits or cheap dresses, our local so called academy, the children are told not to smoke yet every break a group of the most unfitest ,scruffily dressed teachers turn up round the back in the park smoking their heads off, and then throwing the fag ends in the hedge.
A lot of the wildlife now has a serious cancer threat to their health.

Hmm.
A lot of staff (including myself) have done other jobs. All will have done part-time jobs at some point.

Our staff look smart and none smoke on-site. We certainly wouldn’t get away with what you describe. There is no staff uniform, just guidance as in most office jobs? I think many staff would like a ‘uniform’ – it might make life easier. We were recently given fleeces with the school name on and they have proved very popular!

Project that post is priceless, great work on commenting on something you clearly have no clue about. I admire people like you in so many ways.

There is no need for a teacher to have spent time working in “other” jobs. “Real-life” experience can have advantages, yes, but it can also have disadvantages.

Clink

We were recently given fleeces with the school name on and they have proved very popular!

Don’t say things like that! Someone will be along in a minute saying they have to buy there own uniform. 🙄

I agree that teaching seems to be a very stressful and demanding job and appropriate terms and conditions are worth fighting for. The only thing I take exception to is the comments I hear from teachers that parents treat school as glorified childcare. I can only imagine that the teachers who think that don’t realise how disruptive it can be to working parents to take an extra day off work at short notice, for reasons other than illness. Some of those parents may be in jobs that are also vital (eg, NHS workers) causing a knock-on effect. Some parents may even have to taken unpaid leave.

anagallis_arvensis – Member
Project that post is priceless, great work on commenting on something you clearly have no clue about. I admire people like you in so many ways.

most of us have the same opinion on your comments……….., obviously you dont believe in people having an opinion different to yours, i so pity the children you may interact with.

There are five of us in our office. Between us we’ve done retail work, IT support, call centre work, worked for the local newspaper, programming, printing press, and one of us has 20+ years in the RAF regiment including several overseas tours. We’re all striking next week.

We’re a bunch of scruffy buggers, because it’s expected as we work in a sixth form college, but all the staff in the three secondary schools I visited recently were very professionally dressed and most places specify business attire nowadays.

The weird thing about having been to school as a child and gone onto secondary school, is that people think it makes them an expert on educational policy.

most of us have the same opinion on your comments……….., obviously you dont believe in people having an opinion different to yours, i so pity the children you may interact with.

those are your opinions! Pricless, I thought you were doing some sort of Jim Davidson parody or something. Keep up the good work!