Teachers more worthy than doctors?

Because the public sector has been well unionised they have very generous separate pension schemes they do not have to rely on the pitiful State Pension. Surely if National Insurance is to pay for pensions the State pension should be enough to live on. It is not. You can contribute for 40 years, (as I have) in the private sector and paid all the add-ons necessary and still get a pittance which is then topped up by the State to those who haven't contributed through pension credits. Those who haven't contributed fully or at all then don't have to pay Council tax and will get free tv licence and dental care just because they haven't paid enough. It isn't fair. It isn't just. Every other country has a better state pension than we do (except Albania I think) and they are ALL contributions based.
BUT all those that work in the public sector, like the police and teachers get a very generous separate pension. The unions should have fought for better pensions for all not just the public sector. And the public sector workers would have fought hard for a better contribution-based pension through National Insurance for all. Just don't underestimate the value of their pensions (eg it would cost me a quarter of a million pounds at 75 for me to have a £12,000 annuity. They are all handed a pot of gold whilst the unprotected private sector employees get nothing. It needs a rehaul. How would we feel if all public sector employees got private health insurance?

I am with you on this one gillybob.
Eldest GD normally at private school had organised lessons online and teachers in house for key workers.
Youngest at village primary school got b***er all. She has been removed from the school and will join her sister at the private school in September.

My next door neighbour teaches Foundation Class. She has been working throughout the lockdown, including holidays. “Her” parents have her mobile phone number so they can contact her reference home teaching and, more often, just for moral support. Her evenings have been spent ringing these parents in response to their texts and preparing lessons on line and for those in school.

School broke up last week so she and her colleagues have been in preparing the classrooms for reopening in September. She still had to host socially distanced Open Evenings for parents whose children are due to start school in September. I think teachers deserve every penny,

Some teachers would have worked throughout and been conscientious, but I know of some that are reluctant to go back to the classroom because they've enjoyed the lockdown. They haven't been available to help kids with homework queries because they've been out for a bike ride or at the allotment. If the kids are working school hours, then so should the teachers be there for them.

Marydoll and all other retired teachers (including myself), you have posted wonderful texts which I agree with. Of course there are dedicated conscientious teachers among us, and bad apples who only care about the £££s, this is true of ALL professions. As for the texter who complained about the GC not being contacted by the teacher - I take it this pupil was in a class of one? Parents' Evening is the time for a meeting between pupil and carer. If this is a primary pupil, the teacher has approx 30 pupils to consider and if teacher phones all pupils, there is little time to do anything/everything else. If this is a secondary pupil, surely if there is a problem it is parent's duty (if they are interested that it) to let the teacher know. Has the parent of GC complained to school about this teacher's omission, or failure to do what they are paid for?
Teacher colleagues, the best way to deal with all people saying we don't work hard enough or deserve the pay (we only get 12 weeks' holiday in Scotland) let alone a pay-rise, is just to rise above the comments and like a naughty puppy, these folk will tire soon and move onto something else to moan about!

Naninka

I'm sorry TAs are getting a pay rise. They should. The work they do is invaluable.

TAs are paid according to local government pay scales, which are decided by a different awarding body and will, no doubt, report at some time in the future.

I am a teacher in a secondary school- I am 63! I would live to retire but can’t afford to. I take home less now than I did 5 years ago! My daughter of 25 takes home more than me! Teachers have had their pay capped for years now and are intact well behind the cost of living. I work harder now than I did years ago- would all those teacher badgers out there- care to swap jobs? Prepare lessons , Mark work, and deal with behaviour management of 30+ children? Has anyone noticed how many parents can’t manage 1 child at a time? Please give teachers a break. They are highly qualified, skilled people who are grossly undervalued in society.

Repeat ...

Teachers' pay awards are decided by different bodies from those deciding on pay for other public sector workers.

It is not about playing one off against the other.

Sys2ad2

I agree teachers do not deserve a pay rise of 3% they have done no work for 3 months on full pay now on 6 weeks summer holidays the rises should be for nurses, junior doctors and police all worked through the pandemic. Head teachers earn £100,000+ 13 weeks holiday a year.

Lalala! Sigh!

Ellianne

Attack my subject, my position, my teaching all you like, but NOT my school. it can't have been a school with very high expectations of its staff.
At nearly £5,000 a term the expectations on staff to deliver was extremely high growstuff.

That's quite cheap, but I would still have expected teachers to prepare lessons, mark work, write reports, make phone calls home organise extra-curricular activities, participate in whole school initiatives, etc etc. I can't think of many jobs where people are dealing with hormonal (at best) and downright aggressive behaviour (from some parents too) almost every hour of the day.

I agree teachers do not deserve a pay rise of 3% they have done no work for 3 months on full pay now on 6 weeks summer holidays the rises should be for nurses, junior doctors and police all worked through the pandemic. Head teachers earn £100,000+ 13 weeks holiday a year.

'Doctors' are not a homogeneous group. GPs are mainly independent business people, working to maximise profit. Many consultants are this too, in that they take salary from the NHS AND run private practice alongside and in competition with the NHS.

During austerity teachers pay and pensions were frozen for over 6years. In real terms they fell way behind and even this raise won't level things out.
My daughter in the private sector is getting half a percent raise!

I can't believe some of the comments on here, the country is on its knees and nobody should get a pay rise? It's the private sector and the fat cats still awarding themselves bonuses while taking advantage of any possible government funding you should worry about, the ' teacher's get 13 weeks holiday' is always brought up, no they don't, a lot of time is spent preparing for future classes, making teaching aids as there is no money to buy them, working out even more solutions for the autumn lockdown which will probably come in November, worrying about those children who are not supported at home and trying to find ways to help them, searching for or making online resources such as videos, I could go on, as another poster said if these jobs are so cushy why is it a struggle to get people to do them?

Aren't*

gillybob
I agree with everything you have said. Public sector workers always get it easy and they are the first ones to moan.

Attack my subject, my position, my teaching all you like, but NOT my school. it can't have been a school with very high expectations of its staff.
At nearly £5,000 a term the expectations on staff to deliver was extremely high growstuff.

As an NHS worker I am not at all happy that this increase in salary is percieved as a 'reward' for teh work during Covid. Everyone was and is doing what they are trained to do and not for renumeration - it leaves a bad taste

I'm sorry TAs are getting a pay rise. They should. The work they do is invaluable.

Teachers are notoriously underpaid. They're on the front line too in a big way.....
All those kids!
Anyway it will be the last pay rise for many years.....
I don't begrudge any of these professions a small rise
And hope it makes their lives a little easier......

No! That's not what teachers have claimed! What some have done is defend themselves against some very nasty and unfounded attacks.

Goodness knows what kind of school you worked in, what subject you taught or what phase you were in, but it can't have been a school with very high expectations of its staff.

So how did you do in your appraisals?

I also don't believe anyone who has worked throughout is some kind of saint.
Definitely not, MissAdventure. Everyone who did so was just doing their very best, many without counting the cost. Bravo.

I said twice before here, I didn't want to attack teachers, but the worst comments are those telling us how relentless, exhausting, draining etc. this has been for teachers. It's as if they are perceived as some kind of super heroes doing a job for which others apparently don't have the stamina and patience. They keep asking the non teachers to try it and see how hard teaching is. I have done both, and from experience can say teaching is no more difficult than many other jobs which demand full concentration, planning, organisation and self discipline.

As a retired teacher who was always being bashed by others about my wonderful holidays etc I want to say that gillybob has a point in that many people are losing their jobs across all walks of life. The public sector has never earned what SOME un the private sector have been able to do. No company cars, no bonuses, no private health plans, no freebies on the golf course, no networking etc etc. I could go on. However, I do believe we need, as a nation, to look at pay structures throughout each sector. My son in law works in the private sector aged 32, earns more than I ever did as teacher of 40 years. Company car every 3 years, bonus every year. ?‍♀️?‍♀️
Nobody moaning about MPs getting a pay rise is there. I respect all who are working through this crisis and I do believe we ain’t seen nothing yet. But castigating each other dies nothing for our future does it??

Well for a start in our area it was actually the Teaching Assistants that were in the schools daily throughout lockdown (including Easter and May Half term), working longer days and having the responsibility of "teaching" (looking after) all the keyworker children with just a token number of teachers also in, the majority of teachers remaining at home to plan lessons. If Michael Gove had had his way when he was education secretary, TA's (for which he could see no use), because of course a teacher can single-handedly manage a class of 30+ kids including those with behavior issues and SEN,wouldn't have still been around to do this. Likewise it will also be them that will ultimately pick up the pieces come September with all the children that have fallen further behind because they haven't done any of the planned work set for them to complete at home. TA's aren't getting that pay rise, that's just for teachers.

I don't think that any of these pay rises have anything to do with Covid, quite honestly and are all part of pay packages that may have been agreed 12 months ago ( it was announced last year, I think, that pay rises for police and teaching staff would be made in stages over a number of years).
It's only now that the government have decided to make the announcement so it looks as if certain areas are being rewarded for how they worked during the crisis - bit of a smokescreen!