Attention all substitute teachers! who are fed up!

Rodar08

Like all of us I have a huge problem with the situations substitute/unemployed teachers are facing at the moment. Substitute teachers are vital in the educations system. My situation is this. I have subbed in my local secondary school since 2006 but only did my Hdip last year. This is the first year I have tried to get subbing as a qualified teacher. I've also tried to get maternity leave, or some sort of contract job but as I am unable to move away I am limited to where I can apply so my chances are smaller. Due to the government cutbacks the S&S system is being used more now in schools because of the money for subs being cut there is less subbing available. Since 2006 I subbed almost every day in one school. Since the beginning of the year I haven't been called for subbing once. I have never been unemployed this long into September.

I know it is still early in the year and things may get better but I am doubtful. I am worried out of my mind about how I am going to make ends meet and pay my mortgage. I'm not asking for a permanant job, all I want is enough subbing to keep me going. The teachers in schools already have thier jobs - why not let us subs do the subbing when that's all we can get because there are no permanant jobs.

Secondary schools are playing into the governments hands since they took away the funds for sub teachers in schools. Schools are doing all they can to make sure the can cope without subs. Using the S&S system, doubling classes, putting full classes into the library or the sports hall - unsupervised - so that they dont have to send the kids home and upset the parents. Basically our principals are saying to the government - sure, take away our resourses, our subs, our SNAs cause look - we can cope without all those extras. Rediculous.

The other issue which desperately needs to be addressed is the representation of subs. At the moment if you are subbing in a school you have no grounds to stand up for yourself in situations where you are being treated unfairly or being harrassed. In situations where the actual employer is treating you unfairly you must smile, say nothing and suck it up. Why? Because there are so little jobs available for us and these are the people you are depending on for work. If you do happen to stick up for yourself you are struck off their subbing list with no explanation needed. You just don't get the call if they decide not to call you.

There needs to be something put in place which protects substitute teachers and give them rights. At the moment subs have no rights. You walk in to school to sub, you are harrassed by either a collegue or a student but you have no contract of employment so therefore you have no back up form the school or the system. It is a dangerous environment for a sub to be in and a vulnerable one.

maynooth_rules

The teachers in schools already have thier jobs - why not let us subs do the subbing when that's all we can get because there are no permanant jobs

Im guessing its to do with the cutbacks. In the school i was in last year, a teacher joined after one of the older teachers resigned. She was on 20 hours a week. This year she came back to find her hours reduced to 10, and last week reduced to 5 hours a week. Pretty much every school has members of staff like this who have had serious cuts in their hours. At a guess i think the schools may be giving the substitute hours to these teachers to build up their hours.
Im in the same boat as you. A few years back i had to turn down schools i was getting so much subbing. Now, nothing

Rodar08

Yes it is all to do with the cutbacks. I have a similar case to yours in my school and it goes back to my point that substitute teachers have no rights. When I started subbing 3 years ago there were two other teachers also subbing almost full time in my school but it was a case of whoever was there the longest got the hours first so they got called before me. There was plenty for the 3 of us tho. These two other teachers have gotten full time positions this year so that would mean that I am the first to be called right? No! This year there are two teachers in my school who only started last year and one is unqualified. They had a certain number of hours last year covering for teachers who had retired. This year their hours are cut and they will be called upon first for any subbing that is going so to make up their hours. I know this may be for handiness given the fact that they will be in the school already doing their own hours but at the same time I live within 5 mins of the school. This way of working just ins't a fair way of working at all. It seems that rules are changed to suit themselves and again because we have no contracts or rights we just have to suck it up.

gaeilgebeo

While I do sympathise with the horrible situation faced by subs this year, please remember that there have been teachers in full time 22hour positions for a number of years who've lost jobs this year too. Also, I don't think its fair to criticise teachers who do the sns scheme as it leaves less subbing for the unemployed.
Hopefully the situation will pick up in time. September is never a good month for subbing as people are settling back and there aren't many out sick either, I do hope things get better.

implausible

Rodar08 wrote: »

The teachers in schools already have thier jobs - why not let us subs do the subbing when that's all we can get because there are no permanant jobs.

It's not fair to blame the teachers. We signed up to the s/s scheme and do the hours we're asked to. First preference for subbing hours usually goes to part-time teachers. This is done because it's logical and all schools have been told to timetable everybody to the max.

The sorry truth is, all of the cutbacks have led to too many people for too few jobs. It's tough, but all you can do is hope things pick up and apply for everything that comes up.

Rodar08

I take it you are referring to this .... "The teachers in schools already have thier jobs - why not let us subs do the subbing when that's all we can get because there are no permanant jobs." .... when you say I am criticising teachers. I'm not criticising teachers at all. I'm blaming the government and the way they are doing things at the moment. I apologise for the confusion from the way I worded this.

Also I would like to point out that I am aware that teachers hours have been cut from 22hrs a week and that there are job losses, however, the issue I am highlighting here is the one about substitute teachers. Not permanent teachers, job losses or hours being cut.

gaeilgebeo

Rodar08 wrote: »

I take it you are referring to this .... "The teachers in schools already have thier jobs - why not let us subs do the subbing when that's all we can get because there are no permanant jobs." .... when you say I am criticising teachers. I'm not criticising teachers at all. I'm blaming the government and the way they are doing things at the moment. I apologise for the confusion from the way I worded this.

Also I would like to point out that I am aware that teachers hours have been cut from 22hrs a week and that there are job losses, however, the issue I am highlighting here is the one about substitute teachers. Not permanent teachers, job losses or hours being cut.

But job losses and hours being cut is the reason you are in the situation you're in!

implausible

OP, you're missing the point. Even if the s/s scheme was back to the way it was, the subbing hours would still not be there, because of the other cutbacks. And when they are there, they go to teachers on less than 22hrs. Last year, we had 4 teachers on full-time subbing hours. This year we have 2 teachers on part-time hours whose timetables are filled up with subbing.

However, it is early yet. Teacher attendance is always good in September, inservice courses etc haven't started, so things will probably pick up later on. There are always maternity leaves.

What are your subjects? Could you use this time to do some courses to improve your skills? Grinds are also a good way of getting the spondoolicks in:)

rainbowtrout

Rodar08 wrote: »

This year there are two teachers in my school who only started last year and one is unqualified. They had a certain number of hours last year covering for teachers who had retired. This year their hours are cut and they will be called upon first for any subbing that is going so to make up their hours. I know this may be for handiness given the fact that they will be in the school already doing their own hours but at the same time I live within 5 mins of the school.

I do sympathise, but from a management point of view it's easier just to put up the subbing rota in the staffroom for the day without having to ring around to subs. Teachers that are already working in the school know the students quite well, so in theory there should be no problems with a sub not knowing the students/ school rules etc. As has already been mentioned lots of teachers have lost jobs or had a severe reduction in hours so they need to make up their hours through subbing.

And last but not least as far as I'm aware ASTI have a directive (I'm TUI so I can't say for certain) that subbing hours are given to teachers within the school first and then if none of them are available, then it goes outside to other sub teachers.