Teachers on strike

I'm behind the teachers all the way.

I think it's highly ironic (and most people seem to have forgotten) that one of Cameron's election pledges was to raise the profile of teachers in this country so that the best graduates from the best universities want to choose teaching over other professions like they do in Scandinavian countries where the quality of education is higher than in the UK.

What incentive is there for people to choose a profession when one of the few things it has going for it is stripped away?

I could go on for hours about this but it's almost 9:00 and I have to start work. ;)
 
My wife is a teacher - if she was to accept the new proposed chanegs it would mean over her career she would be £248k worse off!!! So yes I fully support the strike. Ironically her union is not striking so she is in school today, heh.

Would you be under the same opinion about NHS staff, as they are well paid? ;) They are the next target imo. The government need to realise that they can not just go changing contracts, it is unfair. Change the new starters by all means so people know what they are getting.
 
Personally, I think teaching is undervalued. I've seen many, many teachers and the great ones much SUCH a difference to children - a difference that echoes along a person's life. The great ones should be rewarded and the crappy ones got rid of. How to implement that, though...
 
Forde said:
Personally, I think teaching is undervalued. I've seen many, many teachers and the great ones much SUCH a difference to children - a difference that echoes along a person's life. The great ones should be rewarded and the crappy ones got rid of. How to implement that, though...
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Yes, unfortuantly it is like the police. When you get bad ones, there is very little that can be done :( rolling contracts for new recruits would be good
 
My practical driving test was cancelled :( no-one even turned up at the bloody test centre and to make things worse, (or better) im going on holiday for 9 weeks (dont ask) and they usually do an automatic booking at no extra cost. Ill be claiming compensation for the 2 hours that i had to pay my instructor and will also be having my test frequently rebooked until i reach a date in september or so.

Certainly disappointed, didnt expect so many examiners to just.. not turn up.
 
Panzerbjorn said:
I'm behind the teachers all the way.

I think it's highly ironic (and most people seem to have forgotten) that one of Cameron's election pledges was to raise the profile of teachers in this country so that the best graduates from the best universities want to choose teaching over other professions like they do in Scandinavian countries where the quality of education is higher than in the UK.

What incentive is there for people to choose a profession when one of the few things it has going for it is stripped away?

I could go on for hours about this but it's almost 9:00 and I have to start work. ;)
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They're now proposing graduates with a first will get a 20k grant to do their PGCE, scaling down for a 2:1 and then a 2:2. Of course, that's great when training but it doesn't alter the fact that the graduate would then still only be on 21k (ish) when they start their first qualified year...

(With a reduced pension, increased retirement age etc)
 
Final salary pensions are unsustainable pyramid schemes. It's sad that people were naively promised these years ago, but I'm not sure striking can change basic maths.
 
Dr House said:
Do people here support the teachers strike?

I just had a look and they seem to get paid quite well considering they get 13 to 18 weeks paid holiday per year and the works hours are quite reasonable.
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I'm sorry but do you know any teachers? Do you know how many hours they work? And do you know how much they work over those 'holidays'?

Yes a school day is 9am till 3:30pm, but half the time teachers are in school well before 8, and not leaving till 5 or so sometimes, if not later depending on work load / events.

Yes, they have pretty decent pay, but again this varies on the teacher and what type of teacher they are.

On top of that, half the teachers don't get their PPA time so they end up going home and working on reports or whatever until 8pm at night, therefore, doing a longer day than the average joe.

PhilthyPhil said:
Isn't the strike about changes to pensions and not their basic pay?
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Yes, the pensions...Even though a lot of people have a fair worse rate than what they would have should the plans happen. I can see their point, but jesus.
 
Given that I know teachers who have used their strike day to book lunch at a nice upmarket bistro in Cambridge and spend all afternoon getting drunk on wine, no I don't support the strike.

Not that I did before I found out their plans.
 
schizo said:
yes i support them.

this country is becoming a joke and at last people are standing up to the government.

thats just my view on this strike :)
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Me too pensions should not be a yearly budgetary thing to be moved around like so many other budgetary items.

1) go to war on libya

2) take the cash required from the pension pot.

No way!!!! Power to the teachers!

If pensions need to be changed then start from now all new recruitments start with the new pensions scheme. Let's see how our young tory forumites like that statement!
 
platypus said:
Given that I know teachers who have used their strike day to book lunch at a nice upmarket bistro in Cambridge and spend all afternoon getting drunk on wine, no I don't support the strike.

Not that I did before I found out their plans.
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Up to them, they aren't getting paid for it, get over yourself
 
Forde said:
Wifey is well paid but then she works damned hard and is very, very good at her job (outstanding according to Ofsted :D ). And it isn't 9-5, either. She leaves at 7:30 and often gets in way after 6pm. Then there's the planning and stuff she has to do in the evening, the report writing, the parent's evenings, the after school meetings, the after school activities, trips...blimey, I'm tired just writing this!
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^ this, my other half works in a nursery (private, but still), and is ranked in the top 5 for the midlands.
The amount of stuff she has to do, unpaid, along with all the other staff to keep within the 'guidelines' set by the government (i dont know why they are called guidelines, because if you fail any of these guidelines then ofsted have to send leaflets out to all the parents, basically calling you a failure) probably equals to 2 hours unpaid every day, and 4 hours unpaid once a month additional planning.

During her training (level 5 childcare quali) she had to spend 8 months working in Year 1 and 2 at a local school, and she was shocked to see (now) that they had to do even more work unpaid.. its a bit of a joke.
 
I appreciate that someone is standing up to the government but as far as public sector workers go teachers do not exactly get a bad deal - so I am kind of ambivalent to be honest. Just wish Cameron would show this sort of determination towards the City but then that would mean annoying all his mates and paymasters.
 
i don't support them - they need to wake up to the real world, like all public sector workers - we don't want to end up like greece.
 
Delvis said:
I'm sorry but do you know any teachers? Do you know how many hours they work? And do you know how much they work over those 'holidays'?

Yes a school day is 9am till 3:30pm, but half the time teachers are in school well before 8, and not leaving till 5 or so sometimes, if not later depending on work load / events.

Yes, they have pretty decent pay, but again this varies on the teacher and what type of teacher they are.

On top of that, half the teachers don't get their PPA time so they end up going home and working on reports or whatever until 8pm at night, therefore, doing a longer day than the average joe.

Yes, the pensions...Even though a lot of people have a fair worse rate than what they would have should the plans happen. I can see their point, but jesus.
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This is a very good post.

Both my parents are/were teachers and to say that the holidays are long and the hours are good is a complete joke.

The holidays might be long - but if a teacher wants to go abroad on holiday they have to pay twice as much as everyone else because they can only go when school is out. And they can't choose their holidays like other professions.

Then they have to organise school trips, do risk assessments, parents evenings, report writing (took my mum 2-3 weeks of staying up until 2-3am to finish all of hers), sports days, write special reports/attend meetings about children with family or behavioural problems, marking, planning and preparing for OFSTED's.

Not only this but teachers get abused on a daily basis - verbally and physically.

I think there is a huge problem with 95% of the population not knowing what it's like to be a teacher at all and just think that they get long holidays, work for 5 hours a day and get an awesome pension when they retire early.
 
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platypus said:
Given that I know teachers who have used their strike day to book lunch at a nice upmarket bistro in Cambridge and spend all afternoon getting drunk on wine, no I don't support the strike.

Not that I did before I found out their plans.
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What are they supposed to do? Stay and home and cry themselves to sleep? They're not being paid for it so they are entitled to do whatever the hell they want.

Obviously you don't agree with this - perhaps you can explain why?
 
Nathan said:
My wife is a teacher - if she was to accept the new proposed chanegs it would mean over her career she would be £248k worse off!!! So yes I fully support the strike. Ironically her union is not striking so she is in school today, heh.
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Just curious though, £248K over her career seems a lot, but I want to see that in perspective, so how much is she expected to make over her career and over how many years currently if you don't mind saying? I really don't know the numbers and trying to see exactly what they're complaining about xD.
 
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