Do teachers work less hours?

I think YC should head up Ofsted!

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

Get that in writing and get advice from an employment lawyer.Its not as if she has a poor record in terms of results,just the opposite,so get the school to tell her to work less and get worse results.Its exactly this attitude employers have that thay can have their cake and eat it that needs challenging.A good lawyer will explain how to go about making a case.

They obviously wouldn't tell her to get worse results.

Basically teaching is teaching and there are thousands of teachers doing the same or similar jobs, I can't see her winning a tribunal case because the school isn't telling her to work all the hours and other teachers don't have to.

The only point she may be able to use is it sounds like she's not getting enough support from her mentor.

All teachers are currently meant to be working to rule, we are supposed to be working our hours and not doing anything extra unless we volunteer, this is in direct response to the pension stuff and if she is in a union they should have made this apparent, although i have found no one in primary is doing it at all whereas secondary are more clued up. The entire school are supposed to be only doing their jobs and no more, so no extra admin etc, only enter data once, blah blah blah. 70 hour weeks are supposed to be completely out of the question at the moment. The idea is supposed to show gove we aint happy. Unfortunately it's not going to go well and the unions are going to look silly.

Originally Posted by Jackie_Black

All teachers are currently meant to be working to rule, we are supposed to be working our hours and not doing anything extra unless we volunteer, this is in direct response to the pension stuff and if she is in a union they should have made this apparent, although i have found no one in primary is doing it at all whereas secondary are more clued up. The entire school are supposed to be only doing their jobs and no more, so no extra admin etc, only enter data once, blah blah blah. 70 hour weeks are supposed to be completely out of the question at the moment. The idea is supposed to show gove we aint happy. Unfortunately it's not going to go well and the unions are going to look silly.

I'm sorry but, and what? Just because the union might have told her, if she is in one, it does not mean that she personally has to work to rule. That is a choice entirely up to the individual. She probably could cut down her hours but, correct me if I am wrong Ralph, it seems to me that she is incredibly dedicated and instead of doing the bare minimum, she wants to go that little bit further because she wants her pupils to learn the best way she can teach them.

To be honest, I find the teaching unions a bit selfish. I have a teacher friend who refused to strike last year. She was called a scab as she crossed the line. Unacceptable. The reason she chose to carry on teaching is because although your pensions are being changed, they are still going to be a reasonably good pension, and by teachers striking or working to rule, then kids of the future are suffering. It's their education that's getting messed with.

Yes, the govt has attacked my pension. Yes, my working conditions suck but you know what, I still don't work to rule and I am legally not allowed to strike. If I was to work to rule: dayshift, finished at 1700hrs...1705hrs, all other crews are committed with equally serious incidents and there is a report of a serious RTC, person trapped. I would turn my radio off and walk away if I was work to rule. However, I can't and WON'T do that. I joined this job knowing that life wouldn't be rosy and that I wouldn't always have the greatest working conditions. I seriously considered becoming a teacher before I joined the Police. 7 yrs ago, it was also apparent that teaching wasn't easy. Your job, and mine, are vocations. Or that's my opinion.

By the way, I'm not saying you do the bare minimum or that you are a bad teacher. I am talking in general.

Originally Posted by Milky Bar Kid

correct me if I am wrong Ralph, it seems to me that she is incredibly dedicated and instead of doing the bare minimum, she wants to go that little bit further because she wants her pupils to learn the best way she can teach them.

No you are bang on, she is a perfectionist, but that is part of her problem.

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

No you are bang on, she is a perfectionist, but that is part of her problem.

Very much like me. I am pretty experienced at what I do but I still find that even though I can do a report a bit quicker than most, overall, dealing with something takes me a little longer. Because I take pride in it.

Originally Posted by MisterTommyH

If you can face the **** the public give, and have a strong stomach, then I can see his point. Again, a job I would never be able to do.

Hit the nail on the head there. In every society there are only certain people who can do certain jobs, and if you happen to be too squeamish, too impatient, too disorganised, too much of a perfectionist etc. then a job you might set out to do with all good intentions just might not be right for you and you need to move on or you will continue to suffer for it. Justifying why some professions get away with the holidays and perks they get is irrelevant in my book, somebody has to do the jobs out there and who are we to question whether it's fair or not. I sure as hell wouldn't want to attempt to teach a bunch of reprobates who show no willing to learn without the added backup of brute force and whiteboard rubbers. The number of teachers at my old school who had to withdraw because of various nervous breakdowns was shocking, and yet completely understandable. The holidays are needed just for your own sanity!

I admire anyone who can stand up and teach kids, same as I admire anyone who can manage their own business and can fabricate metal stuff in their mind. It does however suck big donkey balls that the money available in certain professions means those that work extra have to do it for nowt.



Ralph, I can only imagine your missus has already considered private tutoring? Having another language is a such a massive advantage and more and more parents are looking at home schooling...then she'd be able to see more of your son on her terms.