Teaching Hours and new Teaching Strike?

[LordSplodge]

Almost anyone that does a "good job" in a good job works longer than their contracted hours .

Teachers get an awful lot of holidays, far more than any other industry.

I do a good job and work (mostly) my contracted hours. That's because I work smart.

Nobody else in any industry gets as many days off as a teacher. Oh and before anybody rolls out the "They have to do marking..." diatribe, yes they do but they have plenty of time to do it.

Oh but you're not a teacher Mr LordSplodge so you don't know what it is like. I worked in a school for 6 years I know exactly what it is like. However like Dolph says a lot of the actual issues faced by teachers are caused by diktat and edicts from upon high.

 

[Tummy]

I love the "they get lots of holidays so shouldn't complain" line

 

[LordSplodge]

My girlfriends starts school at 8, gets back at 5 then marks 7 till ten every night. She still has to work, through half terms and will be marking every other day over easter.

8-5 and marking every night 'till 7? Does she teach a class of 100? Something isn't right there.

She gets 5 weeks off this summer. The same as everyone else in full time work.

I got a weeks holiday in Devon last summer. Thanks.

 

[Glaucus]

8-5 and marking every night 'till 7? Does she teach a class of 100? Something isn't right there.

That's pretty much standard.
Although it does depend on subject.

It'll be way more than a hundred. ~30 per class, multiple classes per day. All in different years and so multiple lessons plans, which have to be changed every year as government keeps changing things around.

They are meant to get x-number of lessons a week for marking, but that really happens as you have to cover people or do other duties.

 

[dannyjo22]

At the end of the day, it's a secure career with a decent pension and a decent salary scale. If you don't like it, don't sit through the absolute **** that is the NQT year and then start complaining.

I agree it's hardly a new thing the way/hours teachers have to work and the pay they are getting. I can understand older teachers complaing that is's never getting better or infact getting worse but I don't understand a new teacher complaining.

I wouldn't want them teaching me because they clearly didn't do much research into what their chosen career would involve. It's not like you pass and they shout surprise this is your payscale and how much you will have to work.

 

[chet84]

8-5 and marking every night 'till 7? Does she teach a class of 100? Something isn't right there.



I got a weeks holiday in Devon last summer. Thanks.

My fiancee is a key stage 2 teacher, teaching year 5 kids. I can confirm she does this many hours work a night, and sometimes more .

 

[Dinomania]

No, you get 4-6 weeks where you'd like it. Ever feel like work is taking it out of you and you decide to book a week off in a week or a months time?

Or would you rather be told you have to have it at certain times.

That's the only thing I dread - being stuck without relief and having to take holiday when the world and his dog are also taking holiday and prices go through the roof.

I'm starting my PGCE this Autumn. I'm a bit of an adventurer so I'm going to love the big chunk of summer holiday, though will have to get used to my bloke taking holiday without me during term.

I understand that marking and planning is going to be some effort - but I could go take a week in the sun somewhere and bring the books with me. Physics/science marking should hopefully be more straightforward than, say, English essays

 

[platypus]

No, you get 4-6 weeks where you'd like it. Ever feel like work is taking it out of you and you decide to book a week off in a week or a months time?

Except it's not one hundred percent when you'd like it. Most companys require notice so if you where stressed one day you couldn't take the next off.

 

[platypus]

Totally inefficient and good teachers work far far to many hours.

Then perhaps, as in most industries, they should learn to be more efficient.

 

[Glaucus]

Then perhaps, as in most industries, they should learn to be more efficient.

Not the teachers the system, which they have to abide by.

 

[platypus]

Not the teachers the system, which they have to abide by.

Everyone has procedures to deal with.

 

[Glaucus]

Everyone has procedures to deal with.

yes they do. But most also have market forces to streamline procedures. This is a public sector with no such systems. Meaning teachers have to do far more work than is needed.

 

[matt_fsr]

To sara - and any other prospective teachers, NQT's, or anyone else who knows NQT's.

Make sure you always, always cover your back. Never, ever, ever be in the situation where you are alone with a child, and if you find yourself in that situation, run away very fast.

My father was a teacher. He was falsely accused of physical assault by a pupil, in front of a class full of kids. He was suspended on full pay, investigated, had the threat of his pension being removed (at age 55, a scary thought) and dismissal hanging over him for months.

He never returned to teaching, and that was over an incident with plenty of witnesses. I hate to think how much more his life would have been ruined if there hadnt been any witnesses.

Sorry to drag this up into this thread, but it just makes me mad when I think about it. I'm all for teachers striking for better conditions.

 

[Dinomania]

To sara - and any other prospective teachers, NQT's, or anyone else who knows NQT's.

Make sure you always, always cover your back. Never, ever, ever be in the situation where you are alone with a child, and if you find yourself in that situation, run away very fast.

No wonder kids are becoming ever worse - some of the best talkings-to that have made the biggest difference to me have come from seeing a teacher alone in their office to listen to some home truths.

Shame.

 

[Kristoph]

That's the only thing I dread - being stuck without relief and having to take holiday when the world and his dog are also taking holiday and prices go through the roof.

I'm starting my PGCE this Autumn. I'm a bit of an adventurer so I'm going to love the big chunk of summer holiday, though will have to get used to my bloke taking holiday without me during term.

I understand that marking and planning is going to be some effort - but I could go take a week in the sun somewhere and bring the books with me. Physics/science marking should hopefully be more straightforward than, say, English essays

I've just put in an application for a PGCE in Secondary Chemistry at the Universities of Bristol and Bath.

What uni are you going to?

Hopefully have some luck and get a place

Fairly certain my academic side is enough, and will hopefully be starting some work experience in a specialist science status school this summer term.

I've seen my mum progress over the past 6 or 7 years from an OU course in maths & stats to now starting a new job as a head of maths in September so I know it's going to be hard work. Just need to be organised!

 

[Dinomania]

What uni are you going to?

Bristol - good luck and maybe see you there

You do become very organised I hear - in my outside life I am, very - but I end up messy at home, oops!

 

[gonda]

Agree with the OP entirely, my Mrs is also a teacher, as was my Dad for over 25 years and quite frankly the system couldn't be more inefficient and geared away from letting teachers get on with their jobs and actually TEACH.

My girlfriends just coming to the end of her NQT year and works on average 11 hour days, with 2 hours extra work at home in the evenings. The main sticking point really is the assessment that she has to do on each child. Important, obviously, but the current assessment system and framework in place is diabolical, retarded and obviously thought up by the people at the top who have little to no teaching experience.

It's no wonder the turnover of teachers is phenomenal, it takes someone who is truly dedicated and who cares more than anything about helping the kids and their education to put up with the ridiculous conditions they have to work under.

 

[monkeysmith]

I'm a secondary school teacher, and happy with my wage. Not all of the teaching unions are proposing strikes.

 

[Dinomania]

It's no wonder the turnover of teachers is phenomenal, it takes someone who is truly dedicated and who cares more than anything about helping the kids and their education to put up with the ridiculous conditions they have to work under.

Heard that several times now. That you wouldn't do it if it wasn't for the kids.

Will have to make some arrangement with another teacher to quietly be present in the corner of a room when I take pupils aside for a bit of a talk. I firmly believe even teenagers need treating as human beings (!) and that most will respond to reason if approached away from their mates and not made to feel like they're stood in front of a panel.

We'll see, eh...

 

[Kristoph]

Sara, do you mind me asking what sort of qualifications or experience you've got that's got you a place at Bristol?

I'm hoping 11 GCSE's 1 A, 7 B's and 3 C's - (B in Maths, B B C in Chem, Bio, Physics, C in Eng), AS Levels in Chem + Bio & a BTEC in Forensic Science (Merit Merit), and a 2.2 BSc (Hons) Forensic Science with focus on Chemistry, Forensic Biochemistry, Forensic Biomolecules etc... and a bit of work experience in a specialist science school will clinch it.