Great post, sirjohn - I should have taken the time to have put it as eloquently as that. Despite the increasing pressures over the years and my decreasing energy levels, I do not want to leave teaching and have recently taken on an additional subject which I am loving researching and which the kids can see I am passionate about. The first set of GCSE results for this subject will be this summer and I'm hoping that all the after-school lessons, contact with parents and revision resources that I made will have paid dividends - and that some of the pupils might have a lifelong interest in the subject.
One of the pupils gave me a card the other day thanking me for never giving up on her despite her frequent tantrums over the last year. It's moments like that which the vast majority of teachers cherish. It's not just about results but about instilling in youngsters a love of learning, guiding them, building their confidence... When I remind myself of all the positives over the last 20 years, it's hard to imagine doing anything else.
Sir John, a great defence of a fine profession, Teacher do work hard and frankly deserve their perks and rewards. You list the perks as extended holidays, but (and I have no idea if this is a perk) you would imagine pension rights must also be more beneficial than most in say the construction industry can gain.
What I thought was also interesting interesting was this statement "What perks do I see in other professions? Company cars, wining and dining clients, private health care etc etc. I do not begrudge people who get these treats".
I actually see these as a disadvantage, company cars and vans are regularly being refused as the tax make these uneconomical, private health care, again imposes a tax burden especially on the more senior of us, wining and dining in my company is done in the evening or weekends and we don't get paid for attending and entertaining the most boring people on the earth.
Keep up you good work, and I wish you luck in your chosen profession, something I considered but unfortunately never took up.
I'm afraid it's not as simple as that .. if schools paid the true worth of teachers, Ta's HLTA's etc they'd be bankrupt. The education system in some areas is desperately underfunded
For me one of the most troubling features of our education system is that the country hasn't figured out why it has one at all. The result seems to be that education is all things to all men, or the purposes of education is hi-jacked by those that hold sway at any particular time and they want to mould the system to fit a particular agenda. Hence the changes that happen every few years ( this year's model is GCSE grades from 1 to 9, or from 9 to 1), we have also had the abandonment of coursework in qualifications in recent years. Everybody wants a piece of the pie and nobody can agree if it should be steak and kidney or apple and blackberry or cheese and onion. The hardest debate and decision of all, is to figure out why an adult will use their time and expertise to intervene in the lives of young people either individually or in groups. Especially as those young people might want the Huckleberry Finn option of fishing in the Mississippi with their friend Tom Sawyer. Until there is a proper philosophical base for education, progress will be haphazard.
20 years in printing having also carried flour sacks and sorted scrap metal along the way. Worked for myself and family rather than a large company. Physically demanding, very long hours and all the worries of keeping orders coming in and bills paid. Tech killed print had to move on.
12 years in teaching so far, started when I was 39. Didn't go to college or uni but did do OU degree over 6 years from 28 to 34; at home as could rarely get to monthly tutorials. Was cheaper to do then but still a few hundred for each module. Probably cost a years uni fees by today's prices.
Teach History, Philosophy and Ethics, Geography, though not for a while, BTEC sport and life/core skills. Am currently and have been for many years a behaviour manager, lead and train on PREVENT, "British" values and ACE's (adverse childhood experiences).
Which career harder? Couldn't say really but impact of safeguarding cases cannot be left at work but then neither could aching legs and hands.
Holidays are interrupted but much appreciated. Hours? Depends what you do and what responsibility. Mine - In around 7am leave between 5 and 6. No lunch as play football with the herberts every lunch to keep them off the yard. Lunch is 35 mins for whole school. 15 minute break mid morning, would estimate 50% of staff get these on any given day. Deliver training and support other schools/ parents after hours. Attend borough meetings, network, police etc out of hours either before or after school.
Struggling to bring through capacity to replace senior staff as younger ones tend not to last too long or move on to less challenging environments if possible. Paperwork all consuming, not had to do physical restraint for over two years now, occasional knocks from intervening but did take knuckle dusters and a cosh in my sweeps this week. No blades for a month that I am aware of although not to say that they are not around. No tasers this year. Draw full of BB's and gas guns needs binning. Catchment full of weed although pills everywhere too. CSE cases rising, 26% of students( school popn 1100) welfare checked by Childrens' Services this academic year.
Suicidal ideation and attempts rising, self harm surge currently. "12 reasons why" didn't help. Ofsted good, pastoral provision/ welfare/ safeguarding outstanding, results improving and consistently above national average. School population will be net gain 200 over next three years. Cuts to staff being made. Students asked to contribute to costs in three faculties for next year. Carry on? Give up? Will carry on for now but would leave if opportunity presents. Although at my age hard to see what would give the mental stimulation or diversity. Oh and my gold plated pension? Started too late so is crap however better than most of the families we serve as most have limited provision if any at all. Took time out of marking end of year exams to read thread and write this, will cope don't worry your little heads. Pub later.
Purely on Financials and an hourly basis rate of pay that's actually really good!
In the city on average a new grad will get somewhere between 22-25k.
If school hours i.e. 6 hours x 5 days x 38 weeks = 1140 hours. A 9-5 office job is 1820 hours. So the £15k is equivalent to £24k, that's far more than a qualified teaching assistant earns! They get about £12k.
At school, you get paid for 52 weeks, just like any other job where you're working for a year. That's why it's called paid holiday. So it's 6 x 5 x 52 = 1560. A 9-5 office job is 7.5 x 5 x 52 = 1950 (or maybe 8 x 5 x 52 = 2080).
School staff salaries are indeed paid 52 weeks of the year, but that doesn't mean the non working days/hours are 'paid holiday'. Otherwise if I worked a job 1 hour a day and 1 day a week how much 'paid holiday' does that mean I get?
Comments
One of the pupils gave me a card the other day thanking me for never giving up on her despite her frequent tantrums over the last year. It's moments like that which the vast majority of teachers cherish. It's not just about results but about instilling in youngsters a love of learning, guiding them, building their confidence... When I remind myself of all the positives over the last 20 years, it's hard to imagine doing anything else.
What I thought was also interesting interesting was this statement "What perks do I see in other professions? Company cars, wining and dining clients, private health care etc etc. I do not begrudge people who get these treats".
I actually see these as a disadvantage, company cars and vans are regularly being refused as the tax make these uneconomical, private health care, again imposes a tax burden especially on the more senior of us, wining and dining in my company is done in the evening or weekends and we don't get paid for attending and entertaining the most boring people on the earth.
Keep up you good work, and I wish you luck in your chosen profession, something I considered but unfortunately never took up.
The result seems to be that education is all things to all men, or the purposes of education is hi-jacked by those that hold sway at any particular time and they want to mould the system to fit a particular agenda.
Hence the changes that happen every few years ( this year's model is GCSE grades from 1 to 9, or from 9 to 1), we have also had the abandonment of coursework in qualifications in recent years. Everybody wants a piece of the pie and nobody can agree if it should be steak and kidney or apple and blackberry or cheese and onion.
The hardest debate and decision of all, is to figure out why an adult will use their time and expertise to intervene in the lives of young people either individually or in groups. Especially as those young people might want the Huckleberry Finn option of fishing in the Mississippi with their friend Tom Sawyer.
Until there is a proper philosophical base for education, progress will be haphazard.
12 years in teaching so far, started when I was 39. Didn't go to college or uni but did do OU degree over 6 years from 28 to 34; at home as could rarely get to monthly tutorials. Was cheaper to do then but still a few hundred for each module. Probably cost a years uni fees by today's prices.
Teach History, Philosophy and Ethics, Geography, though not for a while, BTEC sport and life/core skills. Am currently and have been for many years a behaviour manager, lead and train on PREVENT, "British" values and ACE's (adverse childhood experiences).
Which career harder? Couldn't say really but impact of safeguarding cases cannot be left at work but then neither could aching legs and hands.
Holidays are interrupted but much appreciated.
Hours? Depends what you do and what responsibility.
Mine - In around 7am leave between 5 and 6. No lunch as play football with the herberts every lunch to keep them off the yard. Lunch is 35 mins for whole school. 15 minute break mid morning, would estimate 50% of staff get these on any given day. Deliver training and support other schools/ parents after hours. Attend borough meetings, network, police etc out of hours either before or after school.
Struggling to bring through capacity to replace senior staff as younger ones tend not to last too long or move on to less challenging environments if possible. Paperwork all consuming, not had to do physical restraint for over two years now, occasional knocks from intervening but did take knuckle dusters and a cosh in my sweeps this week. No blades for a month that I am aware of although not to say that they are not around. No tasers this year. Draw full of BB's and gas guns needs binning.
Catchment full of weed although pills everywhere too. CSE cases rising, 26% of students( school popn 1100) welfare checked by Childrens' Services this academic year.
Suicidal ideation and attempts rising, self harm surge currently. "12 reasons why" didn't help.
Ofsted good, pastoral provision/ welfare/ safeguarding outstanding, results improving and consistently above national average.
School population will be net gain 200 over next three years. Cuts to staff being made. Students asked to contribute to costs in three faculties for next year.
Carry on? Give up? Will carry on for now but would leave if opportunity presents. Although at my age hard to see what would give the mental stimulation or diversity.
Oh and my gold plated pension? Started too late so is crap however better than most of the families we serve as most have limited provision if any at all.
Took time out of marking end of year exams to read thread and write this, will cope don't worry your little heads.
Pub later.
Full time salary £24,000
Annual leave 25 days
Bank holidays 8 days
Term time is 39 weeks
365/7 = 52.1428 weeks
AL/ BH's 33 days/5 (working days) = 6.6 weeks
52.1428 - 6.6 weeks = 45.5428 weeks = The number of weeks someone is in the building if on a full time contract taking into account leave entitlement
salary is
£24,000 * 39 / 45.5428 = £20,500
You're welcome ...