Teachers and their summer holidays

Why on earth do teachers at both primary and secondary schools get two and three months of summer holidays respectively? And why do they get paid for it? Wouldn't their talents and time, and public money be better spent if they stayed at the schools and helped weaker students who fail exams, etc. Any student who performs poorly in exams, etc. or performs badly in general during the school year should attend summer school to help them progress and the teachers should be there to facilitate this. If no students fail exams couldn't the teachers be sent to Africa as part of Irish educational aid or something similarly productive? It just seems like a huge waste educating these teachers, paying them a salary and then giving them 2/3 months off to do as they please.

token101

Ah but they have their marking...

membersonly

You used to remind the teacher to give you and your classmates homework didn't you?

Nothingbetter2d

Deleted User wrote: »

Why on earth do teachers at both primary and secondary schools get three and four months of summer holidays respectively? And why do they get paid for it? Wouldn't their talents and time, and public money be better spent if they stayed at the schools and helped weaker students who fail exams, etc. Any student who performs poorly in exams, etc. or performs badly in general during the school year should attend summer school to help them progress and the teachers should be there to facilitate this. If no students fail exams couldn't the teachers be sent to Africa as part of Irish educational aid or something similarly productive? It just seems like a huge waste educating these teachers, paying them a salary and then giving them 3/4 months off to do as they please.

ah leave them alone... they have to listen to your bold braising kids for 9 months of the year 9 to 4, 5 days a week they deserve a bit of time off. and they get 2 - 3 months summer holidays not 4 months summer holidays.

Mr.Crinklewood

token101 wrote: »

Ah but they have their marking...

Could teach Paul McShane a thing or two.

DrumSteve

Ugh.

It's cos they has to mark tests and ****, innit?

link_2007

token101 wrote: »

Ah but they have their marking...

Don't forget their 'plans'

tayto lover

Jealousy ?

looksee

Oh bog off. I can say that now, I've just retired...

Battered Mars Bar

They get paid per paper they mark for jc & lc? There's nothing else to be done outside of that? Most don't bother marking papers? And take up summer jobs....what are they paid for again??

tayto lover

tayto lover wrote: »

Jealousy ?

Not a bit jealous. I have huge respect for teachers, especially good ones, they are as important as a good cardiologist in my opinion. I just don't like inefficiencies and waste -especially at taxpayers expense.

IrishAm

If you thinks its such a cushy number, become a teacher yourself.

"send them off to africa"


lol

Agricola

Bottom line is if every one had the stomach for dealing with kids all day every day, we'd all have gone into teaching. It takes an iron will, masses of self restraint and an all encompassing desire to doss for quarter of the year to get into this profession

Eathrin

Teachers aren't paid enough to be working more than 9 months.

IrishAm

IrishAm wrote: »

If you thinks its such a cushy number, become a teacher yourself.

I never said it was cushy, it certainly isn't at times. Also, I wouldn't choose a career because of its perceived cushy-ness.

arse..biscuits

How about we send you to Africa?

SEPT 23 1989

They are some of the best paid in the world

flutterflye

I couldn't do their job.
Not for any amount of money.
I've 2 little shitbags children myself, and I can't even handle them half the time, never mind 20/30 of them!

The Big Red Button

Any teacher that I know spends a large proportion of the start of their summer holidays clearing up work from the year before, writing reports, cleaning and tidying their classroom, catching up on paperwork, etc.

They also spend most of August working on booklists, preparing work for the coming year, organising classes, etc.

Oh and they also usually spend a week of their summer doing a "course", so that they can get their three days off during the school year. Yes, I know they still get midterms and Christmas holidays, but personally I'd hate to be in a job where I only got three days off of my choosing during the year - and, then, only if I did a course (out of my holiday time) to get those three days!)

I've never envied teachers, it's not an easy job, and certainly not one I'd ever be willing or able to do.

thecornflake

I wouldn't mind so much with them having the summer off but when i was in school, teachers used to be missing for a week here and there during the school year when they would be off in Spain on holidays. That is just taking the piss in fairness.

forfuxsake

I've done a few jobs in me life and teaching is one of them. It's also the hardest. It's pretty much non-stop for when you are teaching. It's not like the typical job in which you can shuffle papers if you are tired/hungover/depressed. It takes a lot of attention, concentration, effort and energy and you have to be alert the whole time. Every June I have felt that I really couldn't handle another month without imploding. But I looked forward to starting back from mid-august.

tayto lover

Deleted User wrote: »

Not a bit jealous. I have huge respect for teachers, especially good ones, they are as important as a good cardiologist in my opinion. I just don't like inefficiencies and waste -especially at taxpayers expense.

Then why was your post not about politicians who have even more holidays, higher wages and loads of expenses ?

Borderfox

Cue the old time music..

When I was a nipper the teachers spent the summer working on their left hook just for me :-(

Dont envy their job now

Agricola

forfuxsake wrote: »

I've done a few jobs in me life and teaching is one of them. It's also the hardest. It's pretty much non-stop for when you are teaching. It's not like the typical job in which you can shuffle papers if you are tired/hungover/depressed. It takes a lot of attention, concentration, effort and energy and you have to be alert the whole time. Every June I have felt that I really couldn't handle another month without imploding. But I looked forward to starting back from mid-august.

I worked in a call centre for a couple of years. Its also a job that doesnt allow you to shuffle papers and browse the net until you wake up around 10am. It too required attention, effort and energy. Point being there are lots of jobs just as stressful as teaching which dont have the release valve of three months holidays to look forward to every summer, and amazingly people still do them and get by ok. The reason teachers have this privilege is simply because kids can't do 40 hour weeks, 48 weeks a year!
Anyway good luck to them. It is a tough job and wouldnt be for me. But I wouldnt give them a hardship award over over other jobs. It's not coal mining!

Tipp Man

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

ah leave them alone... they have to listen to your bold braising kids for 9 months of the year 9 to 4, 5 days a week they deserve a bit of time off. and they get 2 - 3 months summer holidays not 4 months summer holidays.

Actually they don't have to do that at all

Secondary teachers full time only teach for 22 hours a week for about 35 weeks of the year - way more than "just" the 3 months summer off

Primary teachers teach for only 25 hours a week and for about 40 weeks of the year

Your kind of attitude is the reason that it is one of the cushiest jobs in the world

Caliden

IrishAm wrote: »

If you thinks its such a cushy number, become a teacher yourself.

Those who can't do, teach.

Tipp Man

Eathrin wrote: »

Teachers aren't paid enough to be working more than 9 months.

No wonder we have a public sector bill that completly lost the run of itself in the last 10-15 years

Ravelleman

Cause they have to help their farmer parents with the crops too, just like the kids. That´s why the holidays are 3 months long after all.

flutterflye

Caliden wrote: »

Those who can't do, teach.

And those that can't teach, teach gym.

Tipp Man

forfuxsake wrote: »

I've done a few jobs in me life and teaching is one of them. It's also the hardest. It's pretty much non-stop for when you are teaching. It's not like the typical job in which you can shuffle papers if you are tired/hungover/depressed. It takes a lot of attention, concentration, effort and energy and you have to be alert the whole time. Every June I have felt that I really couldn't handle another month without imploding. But I looked forward to starting back from mid-august.

I wonder how secondary teachers in England manage at all so when they have "only" 6 weeks summer holidays and a host of paperwork for the school and department that would make an Irish teacher faint if they saw it

TheStook

Secondary School teachers get it unbelievably easy, not only to they get 3 months off, they get Mid terms, Christmas, Easter etc....Secondary school is only like 170 days of a year..And most secondary schools aren't too bad in terms of behaviour, especially with senior students who want to do well..

Jogathon

Teachers wages are calculated on a 10 month wage (approx), which is then paid over 12 months. So teacher are not actually paid for the summer, but they do get money into their account over the summer.

SEPT 23 1989

Hope i have the right figures here

Secondary school teacher starts off on €30,900

35 weeks 22 hours

€40.00 per hour


after 25 years €59,000

35 weeks 22 hours

€76.00 per hour

mike65

Call centre - 12.00 per hour if you lucky!

OS119

Agricola wrote: »

... It's not coal mining!

its not far off.

my mrs is a primary school teacher, she has 39 kids from 2 different school years in her class, 7 of whom have SEN's. she is the SEN coordinator for the school, she is current 'backstopping' for the NQT in the classroom next door - this means she's doing all the fcuktards planning, and checking all her marking.

most of the time her packed lunch returns unopened, and 3 days out of 5 she will get home at 5pm having not had a chance to have a piss since she walked in at 7.45am. two nights a week she won't be home till 6.30, and when she has parents evening she won't get a break between finishing teaching at 3.15 and the last parent leaving at 9.30.

she almost never has less than an hours work to do in the evening, on most nights it will be about 90 mins, and on some - like now, its 2 to 3 hours every single night - she will spend about 2 hours working every saturday morning, and in celebration of our half term next week, she has booked 3 full days of report writing. 39 kids, eight subjects each - and then check, and re-write, all the work of the fcuktard next door.

my wife has to deal with 9 yo children who have not been toilet trained, been kicked in the stomach while pregnant, launched at by a mong parent when my wife said that all the things the parent said the child can't do, the child can do. like getting dressed on their own. she has also had 'hore' scratched into her car paintwork. probably by the same mong.

of the six weeks she gets off in the summer, one of them will be planning for the next academic year.

any volunteers?

People have to get it into their heads that a teachers pay is spread out over the year, but in reality they are really only getting paid for the hours they work, they could treble their pay during the year and not pay them for the summer which would probably annoy people as they would be looking at their hourly wage and complaining while totally forgetting they are not paid all year round.

Pay for teaching is not great, despite what some begrudgers think, its probably the most reason that its unlikely I will end up teaching in a secondary school in the future. Its a very hard job, much harder than its given credit.

dillo2k10

As soon as I seen the thread title I just said out loud "again, would yous ever just **** off."

Teachers don't get 3 months holidays, they are unemployed for 3 months, they don't get paid for it. Teachers don't get ANY paid time off.

BornToKill

Deleted User wrote: »

If no students fail exams couldn't the teachers be sent to Africa as part of Irish educational aid.

Why shouldn't African children get summer holidays too?

Micky Dolenz

A mate of mine is a teacher and he delights in telling us that the longest stretch he works is 6 weeks. God bless mid term.

More power to them.

I have more of a problem with our elected representives taking as many holidays.

planetX

there shouldn't be 3 months school holiday - end of story. It's a massive headache and expense for parents, times have changed and the school calender needs to change with them. Teachers unions are the main force standing in the way of this.

Nothingbetter2d

teachers do more than 22 hours a week.... more often than not they take work home with them such as correcting exams and preparing lessons for the week

Tipp Man

Maren Ashy Sarsaparilla wrote: »

People have to get it into their heads that a teachers pay is spread out over the year, but in reality they are really only getting paid for the hours they work, they could treble their pay during the year and not pay them for the summer which would probably annoy people as they would be looking at their hourly wage and complaining while totally forgetting they are not paid all year round.

Pay for teaching is not great, despite what some begrudgers think, its probably the most reason that its unlikely I will end up teaching in a secondary school in the future. Its a very hard job, much harder than its given credit.

you really are in cloud cuckoo land if you think teachers aren't well paid

A 35 year old married couple who are secondary teachers will have an income of about 114k BEFORE any A or B posts. They each teach for 22 hours a week for 35 weeks of the year and get paid 114k for this

Wake up for the love of god

Tipp Man

dillo2k10 wrote: »

As soon as I seen the thread title I just said out loud "again, would yous ever just **** off."

Teachers don't get 3 months holidays, they are unemployed for 3 months, they don't get paid for it. Teachers don't get ANY paid time off.

What planet are you on??

They get paid every fortnight in June july and august - the same as every fortnight in september, october and november

Nothingbetter2d

Tipp Man wrote: »

What planet are you on??

They get paid every fortnight in June july and august - the same as every fortnight in september, october and november

they get paid monthly now

biko

Tbh, if I had to deal with a group of kids for 9 months I'd need a year to recharge my batteries after.
I get a feeling that most teacher bashers here would not have a single day of teaching behind them.

Tipp Man

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

teachers do more than 22 hours a week.... more often than not they take work home with them such as correcting exams and preparing lessons for the week

try spreading 22 hours out over a 5 day week and see how much spare time you really have

22 hours is not a whole lot more than half of what most people are doing

Nothingbetter2d

Tipp Man wrote: »

you really are in cloud cuckoo land if you think teachers aren't well paid

A 35 year old married couple who are secondary teachers will have an income of about 114k BEFORE any A or B posts. They each teach for 22 hours a week for 35 weeks of the year and get paid 114k for this

Wake up for the love of god

very few teachers earn top rate salaries... those days are long gone... its the same right across the public sector...those on frontline took 1/3 pay cut.... its only the top civil servants and politicians that are creaming it


also teaching can be a very stressful job.... you try look after 35 - 40 kids a day... it is not as easy as it sounds

Tipp Man

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

very few teachers earn top rate salaries... those days are long gone

What i quoted to you is what every 35 year old couple who are secondary teachers should be earning - some could earn a fair bit more depending on posts

Don't believe me?? try looking here http://www.asti.ie/pay-and-conditions/pay/salary-scale/salary-scale-for-teachers-appointed-prior-to-january-2011/

Nothingbetter2d

Tipp Man wrote: »

What i quoted to you is what every 35 year old couple who are secondary teachers should be earning - some could earn a fair bit more depending on posts

Don't believe me?? try looking here http://www.asti.ie/pay-and-conditions/pay/salary-scale/salary-scale-for-teachers-appointed-prior-to-january-2011/

deduct taxes, and insurence, from that and how much is left?

gurramok

biko wrote: »

Tbh, if I had to deal with a group of kids for 9 months I'd need a year to recharge my batteries after.
I get a feeling that most teacher bashers here would not have a single day of teaching behind them.

If a teacher cannot control a class, they are a bad teacher. Good teachers who earn their keep can control a class and teach, we all had both types in school.