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08-11-12, 12:03 AM

Some good opinions here. Tommy summed it up quite nicely in that overall it does seem to balance itself out. You work longer hours than you get paid for, but the compensation is the holidays. If I didn't get 13 weeks holiday I couldn't and wouldn't do the job.

My contract is 32.5 hours a week. Like most teachers, that's what I get paid for. If all I did was 32.5 hours a week then no marking, no extra curricular activities and no lesson planning would get done. This would make me a crap teacher and the kids would suffer for it and often do with crap teachers. Good teachers put in a lot of effort outside of the classroom to make sure they do a good job in the classroom and make it interesting for the kids - it's just that not many people see this. It's the the same as other jobs, like self employed tradespeople. They have to plan jobs, put quotes in, organise contractors, deal with customers, order materials and a whole host of other tasks that they don't get paid for outside of the job. But if they didn't do it, they would do a crap job and most likely not have any business!

Having worked in industry for 10 years previous to teaching I was contracted to 37.5 hours a week, but often worked 50 hours plus without extra pay to get contracts and projects completed. But, there was always an acknowledgement by the management and some sort of reward for putting in the extra graft in my own time. Whether it was the odd extra day off over Christmas or just a genuine thanks. Being acknowledged by seniors for going the extra mile was always a good motivator. It had to be done, but at least there was some reward. To be honest, in teaching there is no reward or acknowledgement for the extra effort as everyone has to do it and to some extent it is expected. This is the hidden aspect of teaching.

Another hidden aspect of teaching, like social workers and the emergency services, is the psychological affect. I work at an inner city school with challenging kids who turn up with a whole host of issues that you must deal with. This is very difficult to leave behind when you drive out of the gates and can have a huge impact on you. I have the utmost respect for social workers and other sectors that deal with this on a daily basis.

I always say that teachers are not looking for sympathy, but acknowledgement they do a challenging job like many other industries and sectors out there. Just because they finish at 3:30 and have 13 weeks holiday does not make it an easy job. Bri summed it up nicely saying "there is no such thing as an easy life for the vast majority of workers these days". Having worked plenty of other jobs before, I totally agree. As a teacher, I am sick of people having a pop saying we have an easy life. No one said that when I was an engineer, so why say it now I am a teacher. I work just as hard and am (hopefully) just as professional. I think teachers are an easy target because it is the only job that everyone has had some experience of because everyone has been to school (in western civilisation) and if you are a parent you constantly come into contact with teachers.

08-11-12, 12:03 AM	#27
aliwakeskate Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Do teachers work less hours? Some good opinions here. Tommy summed it up quite nicely in that overall it does seem to balance itself out. You work longer hours than you get paid for, but the compensation is the holidays. If I didn't get 13 weeks holiday I couldn't and wouldn't do the job. My contract is 32.5 hours a week. Like most teachers, that's what I get paid for. If all I did was 32.5 hours a week then no marking, no extra curricular activities and no lesson planning would get done. This would make me a crap teacher and the kids would suffer for it and often do with crap teachers. Good teachers put in a lot of effort outside of the classroom to make sure they do a good job in the classroom and make it interesting for the kids - it's just that not many people see this. It's the the same as other jobs, like self employed tradespeople. They have to plan jobs, put quotes in, organise contractors, deal with customers, order materials and a whole host of other tasks that they don't get paid for outside of the job. But if they didn't do it, they would do a crap job and most likely not have any business! Having worked in industry for 10 years previous to teaching I was contracted to 37.5 hours a week, but often worked 50 hours plus without extra pay to get contracts and projects completed. But, there was always an acknowledgement by the management and some sort of reward for putting in the extra graft in my own time. Whether it was the odd extra day off over Christmas or just a genuine thanks. Being acknowledged by seniors for going the extra mile was always a good motivator. It had to be done, but at least there was some reward. To be honest, in teaching there is no reward or acknowledgement for the extra effort as everyone has to do it and to some extent it is expected. This is the hidden aspect of teaching. Another hidden aspect of teaching, like social workers and the emergency services, is the psychological affect. I work at an inner city school with challenging kids who turn up with a whole host of issues that you must deal with. This is very difficult to leave behind when you drive out of the gates and can have a huge impact on you. I have the utmost respect for social workers and other sectors that deal with this on a daily basis. I always say that teachers are not looking for sympathy, but acknowledgement they do a challenging job like many other industries and sectors out there. Just because they finish at 3:30 and have 13 weeks holiday does not make it an easy job. Bri summed it up nicely saying "there is no such thing as an easy life for the vast majority of workers these days". Having worked plenty of other jobs before, I totally agree. As a teacher, I am sick of people having a pop saying we have an easy life. No one said that when I was an engineer, so why say it now I am a teacher. I work just as hard and am (hopefully) just as professional. I think teachers are an easy target because it is the only job that everyone has had some experience of because everyone has been to school (in western civilisation) and if you are a parent you constantly come into contact with teachers.