UK Teachers At It Again
A few years ago there was a teacher strike at Karl’s school and I made a few comments on it, inadvertently being quoted on the local newspaper front page. I thought I’d blogged about it but I can’t find the entry so it was probably lost in one of my many DB breakages.
Anyway, the teachers are at it again and this time the strike is country-wide, affecting some 7,800 schools according to the BBC. Nicely timed to coincide with year 11s revising for their big exams over the coming months. Apparently, they’re demanding a pay rise above the 2.45% offer they’ve been given because they work oh so hard and deserve as much money as possible.
The very fact that these people are getting a pay rise at all is something they should be grateful for. Year after year, which teachers are sat in their cushy jobs with their over-inflated pay, working short days and short years while teaching assistants, network managers, IT technicians, resource technicians, etc — all of those crappy jobs that go on behind the scenes that are just as integral to the running of a school as a teacher is — get bugger all. They’re looked over for pay rises, while the demands on their time rises.
Teachers get a starting salary of over £20,000. What does your average IT technician/teaching assistant/other support staffer earn? Around £12,000-£16,000. Teachers are given grants to train. What funding do support staff receive to train in the field, or to continue professional development after they’ve found a full time position? 0. Teachers get a “golden hello” for choosing to teach certain subjects. What do support staff receive for supporting those subjects? 0.
Do those support staff/etc get the same abuse from the same students, day-in day-out? Yes. Do those support staff work the same hours — or more often than not, more — simple to keep a school running as it should? Yes. Do IT technicians and network managers get dumped on with home computers, home Internet problems and irrelevant shit that should be taken to PC World? Yes. Do these support staff and technicians take work home even though they already have longer hours and shorter holidays? Yes. Do other graduates in other industries have to pay off the same loans, pay the same bills and the same rent/etc, have difficulty getting on the property ladder with no hope of a pay rise and no unions to support a strike? Yes!
When I worked as an IT technician, I was given little above minimum wage for my hours per week. I received no respect from the teachers, often being patronised because of my age (and because I’m a female in IT). I would support a class in the IT room — above and beyond my job description — while teachers sat at their arse surfing Facebook or Hotmail at the front of the class. I fixed the computers that the students punched and kicked because they knew the teacher watching wasn’t interested (not their property, not their problem). I did jobs that I shouldn’t have been doing because the teachers couldn’t be arsed.
While teachers have had their 19% pay rise (total) over the past 11 or so years, those people supporting them have knocked been back, receiving little or nothing. So do I support the teachers strike? No I bloody well do not. Let’s get some of the hardest working, lowest paid workers in the UK — in education and otherwise — on something a little more fair before we start dishing out extra to the already well-paid teachers.
(Note: individual figures dependant on location, individual school, etc.)
Carly said:
On 24 Apr at 12:00 pm
*Applauds.* Well said Jem. Let us hope you are quoted front page again, and this article helps people like Karl, and all those other people in IT support roles in school gain more respect, and more money for their time.
Kaia said:
On 24 Apr at 12:18 pm
I think this is the link to the previous entry you were talking about:
https://www.jemjabella.co.uk/in-the-paper
:P
Jem said:
On 24 Apr at 12:21 pm
Ooh, thanks Kaia.. :lol:
Vixx said:
On 24 Apr at 12:40 pm
Amen.
I worked for many years in an educational institution (vague, eh?!) and managed over fifty LSAs in a FE College working with some of the most demanding, vulnerable students in the whole place, and they too worked longer and harder than the majority of the teachers they ‘supported’ for barely over minimum wage. I used to be ashamed when we advertised the starting salary, but do you think I could persuade senior mgt to increase their wage? Could I fuck.
V xx
Sarah said:
On 24 Apr at 1:01 pm
I think the strike is stupid, too. Just in time to disrupt children’s exam time. Way to go, teachers! Kids should be at school learning, not at home running amok while teachers go picketing for a few penneth. As if the poor, suffering teachers are on the poverty line. Meh. I felt the same way for the post office strikes that happened last year.
Rachael said:
On 24 Apr at 1:20 pm
In our local senior school, years 7-10 have got the day off. 99% of the NUT teachers are on strike, and the others have been told to take the day off on sick pay. Some of the teachers are really militant about it, and some aren’t.
11-13 still have to go in (because of their exams) even though not all their teachers are there.
Lee said:
On 24 Apr at 1:41 pm
Everyone should be entitled to a fair wage for the job they do and it is a shame that IT technicians and other support workers in schools and further education establishments don’t have the backing of a union that can help them fight for better working conditions and pay. It would be silly of me to suggest that these people could refuse to do any work that was above and beyond what was detailed in their contracts as in practice that would be hard to do. As for the strike by teachers and other public workers I have to say I agree with it, why should the Government be forcing things such below inflation three year pay deals when costs are constantly going up.
As it happens my mother thinks the teachers should not be on strike asking for more money for the same reasons as you.
Harry said:
On 24 Apr at 1:50 pm
You all need to stop moaning. So they demand a pay rise? It’s a free country. Socialism screws us again. I saw that coming.
Jem said:
On 24 Apr at 2:03 pm
It’s a free country Harry, and yet I have to stop moaning? Hypocrisy much?
Skye said:
On 24 Apr at 2:08 pm
I guess it is different here in the US. Im an elementary education major. Its not a job you go into for the pay or cushyness. In most cases, teachers here struggle to get by unless they are married to someone that makes enough, end up paying for school supplies/books for their students themselves, etc. Tons of teachers leave in the first three years because they cant take it. My dad has attempted to get me to change majors many times in the past. If its so much better in the UK maybe I should move there…
Claire said:
On 24 Apr at 2:25 pm
Couldn’t agree with you more. K has to deal face to face with some of this country’s most prolific and high-risk offenders; paedophiles, serial rapists, murderers, you name it. It’s her job to assist in monitoring and preventing these people from reoffending whilst they are in society (i.e. not in prison). And yet her salary is nothing near like what teachers get paid, WHY?! Surely, her contribution to the safety and future of our society is just as valid?
And that’s before we even get onto how many children are missing out on vital education whilst this hoo-hah rages on….
Veronique said:
On 24 Apr at 2:26 pm
Everyone should have a pay rise equal to the inflation rate every year to not loose ‘buying power’… When you don’t get that, you are not staying with the same ‘salary’ you are loosing money. So it’s not even a pay rise, it’s a stay at same point rise. So asking for a little over inflation is really having a pay rise and we should be greatful that unions work so hard to get this point accross cause it set a standard for entreprise… of course now it doesn’t really work anymore since everyone jump on public or union workers throat for that.
You should probably ask for rise for everyone in education instead of bashing on the one who are doing something… They should form an union themselves if they want better treatment and salary!
Here in Quebec, everyone working in education, even techies and janitor are in the same union and starting salary is something like 14$, minimum wage being 8$… But then, the Gov. here decide to not pay their rise for the last few years and vote a law where if teachers want to go on stike they have to pay like 100000$ every day, so it’s a real joke… Talk about freedom of speech :S
If parents would back the teachers it wouldn’t take long and the government would move… but instead they take side with the gov. because we can’t just be happy for someone who can have a pay rise, we just bash and say that others don’t so they shouldn’t… love the logic here!
Anyway, look like you have shitty teachers while students even did strike here when they took this right from the teachers…
Chien Yee said:
On 24 Apr at 2:26 pm
Teachers there get paid more than teachers here! If I convert the currency, NQTs are paid only BND1.5k and multiplied by 12 is BND18k which is just about 6000 pounds a year. But then again the standard of living is higher in UK.
Aimée said:
On 24 Apr at 2:40 pm
Wow. Well put and interesting. I wasn’t aware of the issue at hand, but I have to say, I think you’ve won me over in this debate.
Peter Green said:
On 24 Apr at 2:40 pm
As school is about just that schooling, as opposed to educating (you school a horse not to educate but make it compliant), I see an upside. The kids get some time to really learn and not be brain washed by the system!
Stephanie said:
On 24 Apr at 3:44 pm
As far as I can tell, your schoolteachers are better paid than our schoolteachers. It’s quite ridiculous here… I had a teacher who lived in a house with no heat (and we live in the mountains) with her husband (also a teacher) because they couldn’t make ends meet to afford a better place. There was ice on the doorknobs. Teachers here get paid next-to-nothing… and actually, if you work in a vocational job here in the school system, you get paid much more. And have a cushy office out at the school board building.
Sean said:
On 24 Apr at 3:57 pm
It sounds like you’ve had some bad experiences working along side teachers, because it really isn’t as easy as you make it out to be, in my opinion. I know I’m young, yet I’ve done student teaching for credit in school and during my summers helping summer school teachers. It’s difficult, really. Teachers in the UK get decent pay compared to those in American and parts of Canada, but really they paid for their education, it’s about five years or more depending on what degrees you get in university. It seems like they’ve worked hard enough to get where they are now to deserve a raise, but that’s just my perspective. I have no clue what schooling you need to go through to be an IT technician or anything of the sorts, so maybe my opinions are a little biased.
Stepherz said:
On 24 Apr at 4:25 pm
I always wonder if it’s worth it to strike, especially if they don’t get their demands. How do they make ends meet when they aren’t working?
Jem said:
On 24 Apr at 4:46 pm
@Sean: you can get on the Graduate Teacher Programme over here with a bog standard 2 year degree, therefore the years of schooling theory is flawed. Furthermore, every graduate has paid for their education and you don’t see the entire private sector jumping up and down threatening strikes if they don’t get paid (they’d be fired). In addition to both of those factors, teachers are given grants to get through their training as mentioned in the post. Financial compensation that other graduates don’t get.
Rebecca said:
On 24 Apr at 5:10 pm
The bare bones of it is that the teachers won’t be playing the comparison game. If I were in their shoes I wouldn’t be thinking about how little the support staff get paid; I would be thinking of how to better my own wage in regards to the job that I do. I won’t blame them for that – people go on strike all the time to try and get more money for themselves. It’s just the way society works.
It’s true that the support staff have just as crummy a time of it as the teachers do: however, surely those who know how crummy it can get can understand why someone would want to get as much money for going through those situations in the first place? I can say for certain that the work of a teacher is something that I myself will never do, mainly because I see and hear about what one of my parents, who is a teacher, goes through every day. It’s by no means a traumatic, dramatic experience – she doesn’t, for example, come home every evening sobbing about how awful her day was – and I know for a fact that she loves her job. However, the sheer amount of time that she puts in, the boxes of work that she brings home to do outside of her working hours, is something that I do not envy. Plus the new procedures and strategies that the Government are constantly changing and putting in place – e.g., the relatively new ‘Numeracy and Literacy hour’ – to make things better for the kids will, 9 times out of 10, makes things harder for her (they usually involve extra work, long-winded forms to fill in, etc). This isn’t meant to be a sob story, I know other people go through the same amount of stress from their own jobs, but what I will say is that if she wanted to bring in more money for the crap that she sometimes wades through as a teacher, I would support her 100%. I’m biased for sure, but I’m sure alot of people would do the same if they were in my position.
The timing of the strike makes sense. The teachers will be striking right now because it’s the right time to do so. If it’s a choice between striking on your run-of-the-mill average school day, or striking at a time when students are studying for exams, they’ll go for the former because of the extra coverage it will get them. More coverage = more impact. It’s the same reason why the Post Office went on strike during the Christmas holidays when there were plenty of presents being sent by people through the post. It’s not necessarily moral of the teachers, and I dare say some teachers have been put off from striking because of the impact it will have on students who need their help to study for exams, but if they want to make the most of the strike they’re doing it at the right time.
Rhys said:
On 24 Apr at 5:47 pm
It’s split pretty much down the middle here. Some schools are on strike, others – such as my former high school – aren’t. They’re mainly NUSUWT teachers, which weren’t striking.
I’m moving to Canada, I’ve decided by the way. More fun :)
Saya said:
On 24 Apr at 6:05 pm
Firstyly, the union who is one strike is mainly made up of primary school teachers. So, it shouldn’t affect us year 11’s much. It didn’t at my school anyway. However, I still see it as very pointless and agree with you . Teachers have the most holidays than any other job, and that £20 000 even outside of London! In London it goes up even more. I didn’t know about the IT techinicians but that is sad. The technicians at my school are so harrassed and the school network never seems to get any better despite that (as you said, kids can’t resist vandalism).
Really, why does a teacher need more and where do they expect that money to come from?
Still Searching » Blog Archive » Teachers Strike - Part 2 said:
On 24 Apr at 6:29 pm
[…] just read Jem’s post on this subject and it made me think. I neglected to add a few things and missed a few […]
Vera said:
On 24 Apr at 6:33 pm
Oh wow, teachers there sure get payed a LOT there. Here, only those end up as teachers (high school level) who are truly passionate about it, or unable to get a job elsewhere.
But then we have a lot of strikes here too, so we’re not better at all.
Annie said:
On 24 Apr at 7:29 pm
Right, who else wants to go on strike? :P
Even though I’ve done my pre-university exams, it bothers me that they choose now to strike.
Jabed said:
On 24 Apr at 8:12 pm
I’m at college studying my AS levels so far and my exams are in 3 weeks! Coming to college today was optional. The strike has affected a few of my lessons, but it was nice not to have many people at college because you get more attetion form the teachers that were in.
I’m not too bothered about the strike because I want to be a teacher when I’m older so the higher the salary increase the better.
So all in all, I support the strike, I just hope they don’t have another one in the next few months. It’s E-day soon and they need to help us!
Mumblies said:
On 24 Apr at 8:47 pm
I couldn’t agree more with every word you wrote Jem, IT techs and the like DO get ignored when it comes to “decent pay” and as for the way teachers/headteachers expect them to drop everything and fix their individual problems stinks too. Let’s hope that one day they all get equal treatment (who am I kidding?) and get the respect they deserve!
Hayley said:
On 24 Apr at 9:14 pm
I won’t get into whether or not they deserve a payrise because simply put, I think they do however I fully agree that other types of school staff are more seriously in need of a raise.
One thing that’s pissing me off though is all this bollocks about how disruptive it is for students: it’s one sodding day. One! I don’t care if year 11s are revising, GCSEs are a complete bloody waste of time, and anyway, ‘revising’ implies they’re relearning stuff. They are not going to be at a disadvantage because they had a day off. And since the parents are mostly moaning about having to take time off to look after their children, perhaps they could do what all good parents should and teach their kids something themselves.
Amber said:
On 24 Apr at 9:20 pm
I’m disgusted by the teachers striking today — I had five lessons today, all important subjects (double English, double science and maths) and only had two teachers for those lessons. I understand they want an increase in pay — although I don’t particularly agree with it, especially as theirs is already higher than the police) but I think it’s incredibly selfish upon the students.
I think you’re a little harsh on teachers, however — we’ve driven some of ours to tears because we’re so terrible.
Jem said:
On 24 Apr at 9:28 pm
I was driven to tears in my last job. Didn’t get me a pay rise.
Chantelle said:
On 25 Apr at 1:10 am
If I were working in IT and education making 12 000 pounds/year and being treated poorly, I’d complain or quit. Because I’d obviously be underpaid… But I’m also sympathetic to the teachers, because 20 000 pounds/year isn’t that terribly much. One shouldn’t have problem getting by on such a salary, but if I were a teacher making that much – I’d want a raise or I’d quit.
Heather said:
On 25 Apr at 2:28 am
Wow, your teachers get paid a lot more than the teachers here. In my state in the US (Kansas), our teachers are some of, if not the, lowest paid teachers in the entire US. I’ve actually heard that they’ve banned teachers going on strike here because it would disrupt school, but I’m not sure how much truth there is to that.
Anyway, I agree with what someone else mentioned that maybe they need to get all workers in education together in one union so that everyone can get the raises they deserve. I know the IT technicians at my high school were treated terribly – they eventually made a group for students called SWAT – Students Willing to Assist with Technology – that students could take for school credit. The SWAT students all helped out dealing with computer and technology problems around the school. The kids got experience and the IT people got help with their jobs. They even got little badges to wear, it was quite funny.
I was rather off-topic in this comment but oh well.
The Chairman said:
On 25 Apr at 11:02 am
The big difference between IT support staff and teachers is that IT support staff can resign and move into another business if they don’t like their conditions. Teachers can only move within a national system, where conditions are exactly the same.
Jem said:
On 25 Apr at 11:09 am
Obviously – I did it myself. However, the problem with that is the loss of almost certain job security. Some people aren’t willing to risk that.
This doesn’t, however, help the thousands of support staff/’learning assistants’ etc which are trained to similar levels as teachers and yet receive a tiny fraction of the pay.
Is it too much to ask that these people get a pay rise?
The Chairman said:
On 25 Apr at 11:57 am
Jem,
I would suggest it’s a trade-off. Teachers generally can’t move out of teaching – it’s all they’ve ever done and they can only remain within the system. Because they are part of a single large system, their power comes from banding together and exercising their right to strike, the effect of which is national.
Other people, regardless of their position, exercise their power individually by moving. I’ve done it several times – in fact I move about every 2 years through sheer ennui and not necessarily because of conditions. Due to the fact that there is no national system for them to belong to (talking specifically about IT support staff), they have no mass power to effect change.
I suppose they could become ICT teachers…
Rgds
Ashley said:
On 25 Apr at 12:55 pm
I have been a formal teacher myself, so I while I don’t know the exact circumstances of the strike over there, I can most definitely say that teachers are among some of the most underpaid people in the world. Education is changing so rapidly, and teachers have more and more responsibilities added on them every day. You don’t just go to work, teach, and then come home and leave your job there. Teachers work around the clock: days, nights, weekends, it never ends really. Teachers are the people that kids see for the majority of their day. Kids see their teachers more than their parents sometimes. And like Skye mentioned, teaching is not a cushy job at all. It is extremely demanding and little recognition is given to teachers for all the do because it’s just expected they do everything.
Now, as you know right now I am currently the computer lab “teacher” and the school technolgoy corrdinator. I have the credentials to be an actual teacher, but my district does not hire certified teachers to work in computer labs so therefore I am hired as an assistant. No, I don’t get paid enough for all the things I do that aren’t even in my job description, and I can appreciate what you say about how support staff are often underpaid, but our district computer technicians get paid $31,059.00 a year while I get paid no where near that. I think they are doing a little better off than I am personally, In fact, if you work in technology at the district level you can make lots of good money.
If teachers (or any other group) don’t make a stand for themselves, conditions will only get worse for them, and expectations will continue to increase with no additional reward.
Jem said:
On 25 Apr at 1:04 pm
You’re using your circumstances, based in an entirely different country, to judge our strike. It simply doesn’t work Ashley.
Ashley said:
On 25 Apr at 1:52 pm
Like I said, I don’t know know the specific circumstances, you’re right. My comment was based on my own experiences absolutely. I completely agree with you that teachers shouldn’t be the only ones to get a raise. Most people in this world are underpaid at what they do. It’s just that support staff and resource people never seem to step up and make any demands or strike. At least, over here they don’t anyway. Maybe they should. But I hardly think that all teachers in the UK spend their class time surfing Hotmail and Facebook or don’t care about student problems. Teachers are a varied bunch no matter what country you’re in. I’m not judging the strike there because I don’t know enough about the educational system over there, but my general feeling is that teachers are underpaid for the most part and other staff members are just as underpaid but no one seems to hear about them being underpaid. The teachers are the only ones who ever vocalize their complaints to such a degree.
And while the educational system is different in your country, I am just saying that teaching is not an easy job and not one anyone should take lightly. Teachers over there should have just as much work to do as teachers over here, and if they don’t then maybe they aren’t doing their jobs correctly anyway in which case, shame on them!
Gemma said:
On 29 Apr at 6:39 pm
The teachers’ going on strike has nothing to do with the IT/support people, as far as I can tell (I don’t know all the details, so correct me if I’m wrong). None of the teachers are saying “Give me more money, and take it from the IT technicians wages!” Regardless of whether or not the teachers are in the right in asking for higher pay, there is no reason to connect the two situations, except to make yourself angry.
Top Respect To The Top Commenters and Sponsors April | The Gospel According To Rhys said:
On 30 Apr at 5:01 am
[…] Jem gives her Thoughts on The Teacher Strike. […]
Paul Kerton said:
On 16 Jul at 3:24 pm
When I first read this, I was ready to say “this is unfair” but as someone who was and is in the exact same position as you (IT support in school) I applaud your comments!!
Gemma. The point being is that teachers and the colleagues they work with are on completely different terms, when the support unit of a school can shut it down in an instant with a walk out. Teachers don’t appreciate the support they get, and they don’t look after the things we need them to look after, the equipment we support etc.