Teaching: public versus private schools?

Dionysus

I'm sure many of you have views on whether a public or private school is the best place to teach in.

I've been doing my subbing in a public school and this is the only experience I have of teaching. It's enjoyable, even if I'm really just supervising rather than teaching. My respect is with those kids who just work away quietly while the "lads" waste their lives in school.

However, I will be doing my teacher training hours for the PGDE in a private school and I'm wondering about the differences other people have found in teaching in these two types of schools. I attended a local community school for my own secondary school education also so I have no experience of private schools, but I chose a private school to do the PGDE hours in as I hope to have more opportunities to teach, rather than merely supervise, in a more academic school (I could be wrong with that??).

What sorts of things in private schools are noticeably different from teaching in the local community school?


Thanks a million.

yourmano

My sister in law teaches in a private school, they have it written into their contract the reasons they can take time off, you'll get very very little subbing there. The classes are usually let go to the study hall instead of getting a sub in. Difference is those kids have money to be honest, not neccessarily better behaved but usually. There are for and against for both. Numbers in private schools not great for next year, spending money obviously not as easy lately.

Dionysus

Thanks, yourmano. I never actually knew that about subbing in private schools but your remark did inspire this question: do teachers in private schools get paid more than teachers in public schools? If so, do you or anybody know how much more?

rainbowtrout

Dionysus wrote: »

Thanks, yourmano. I never actually knew that about subbing in private schools but your remark did inspire this question: do teachers in private schools get paid more than teachers in public schools? If so, do you or anybody know how much more?

It depends on what you mean by private school, if you mean fee paying school, no probably not. Many of the teachers in fee paying schools are employed by the Dept of Education, so are paid the same as any other teacher and work under the same conditions. The difference with fee paying schools is that the fees that come in can pay for extra teachers to keep class sizes smaller, to teach minority subjects, specialist musical instruments etc. I can't speak from personal experience but two of my friends teach in fee paying schools but are employed by the Dept. In one of them the privately employed teachers are on 10 month contracts, so no summer pay
and with all the cutbacks they are the first teachers to go because the school may have to put the money to other uses or have less money if there are less fee paying students next year.