My job has been cut

Emmateacher

I am just wondering if anybody can give me advice please. I have been in my school for 2 years on a full time RPT. I have a full timetable with no filler hours. I found out today that my Principal will not be renewing my contract. He told me that he has to re-advertise my job for 11hours of my subject with a different subject combination (this subject is for a teacher that is out sick) for the other 11 hours. I am just wondering where do I stand on this or do I stand anywhere. I do not want to cause a big fuss but I am just confused why at the minimum I will not get the 11hours.

Thank you

solerina

Sorry to hear this OP.....No one will be able to tell you for certain as its really up to the principal...there seems to be no reason why he cant give you 11 hours and advertise the other 11 hours for the subject you dont have. Unfortunatley for you though its his decision and there is probably nothing you can do about it (give your union a ring though just to ask them, let us know what happens too).

Emmateacher

Thank you for your reply. He told me that the department won't give him the hours to split. He can only have one teacher. I was just wondering as I am inexperienced when it comes to this sort of thing.

Miss Lockhart

That's very tough Emmateacher. Anyone would be a little shocked and upset in your position.

I've never heard of a principal being told they couldn't split hours - usually they are just allocated WTE and they work with that however they choose.

I'd be interested to know where the other 11 hours of your subject have gone. Cuts to provision or gone to another teacher?

Just to play devil's advocate, but we all give out about the profession becoming part time and jobs being advertised for only a few hours and it has been lamented that other countries manage to advertise full time jobs. Well, though it sucks for you, this principal is essentially avoiding putting two teachers on part time hours and is trying to keep the position in his school full time. This is actually great for whoever has this new combination - they will now be applying for full hours instead of a few.

Ideally of course the principal would find the hours to make up the timetable for the incumbent teacher - with CSPE, SPHE etc. But tbh, making up 11 hours is a bit of a stretch.

Overall though, I'd definitely want to know where the other 11 hours of my subject were suddenly gone. And you should definitely get on to the union to clarify your entitlements, if any. Good luck!

rainbowtrout

Emmateacher wrote: »

I am just wondering if anybody can give me advice please. I have been in my school for 2 years on a full time RPT. I have a full timetable with no filler hours. I found out today that my Principal will not be renewing my contract. He told me that he has to re-advertise my job for 11hours of my subject with a different subject combination (this subject is for a teacher that is out sick) for the other 11 hours. I am just wondering where do I stand on this or do I stand anywhere. I do not want to cause a big fuss but I am just confused why at the minimum I will not get the 11hours.

Thank you

Just to clarify, say for example you were teaching 22 hours English for the last two years, and now your job is gone and the job is being readvertised as 22 hours English and History, with 11 of those hours being English and the other 11 being History.

Is that the general gist of it? Also what has it got to do with the other teacher being out sick, your hours are contracted and if someone was coming in to cover their hours surely it would be a subbing contract? Where are your other 11 hours going, someone will have to teach those classes?

I find it very hard to believe that a principal has been told he can't split a job. They are given hours to split up in whatever way they see fit, not told to hire X number of bodies.

You have nothing to lose. Ring your union and see what they have to say. Your hours still exist (if even in a reduced capacity). Why should they go to someone else?

TheDriver

if its for a teacher out sick then the issue is that those hours are not your own so don't count for a CID and secondly shouldn't be contracted hours unless they have taken a career break when again, they are not qualifiable for CID.
Correct me if I'm wrong?

Miss Lockhart

But the teacher out sick is where the other 11 hours are coming from - not the OP's hours. That should make no difference to the OP since they had 22 hours last year anyway?

Also, does it matter if the hours are not for allowable for CID in year 3? I don't think it does.

TheDriver

well it wouldn't matter on the basis that if the person is out sick, then its merely subbing work and not contractual and hence it can be a different person every week if the principal wanted. Thats my reading of covering someones sick leave.

Miss Lockhart

Ok, well only 11 hours are for the sick teacher's subject.

(Also, off topic, but the whole CID thing is very hard to grasp anyway. My first year of my 4 CID years was subbing with no timetable. Year two was half my own hours half maternity leave, contract only to May and no holiday pay. Only years three and four were RPT on my own hours. It's very difficult to work out)

TheDriver

Its since last year that you sign a declaration when you take up a career break/maternity/sick leave etc that it does not qualify for CID and that you can't suddenly use it as a reason for CID in 4 years time.

bdoo

tthe other 11 hours could be gone due to merging classes or filling other classes to full capacity. wherever they're gone you should still be able to hold on to your own 11.

no reason someone new should get them. someone's telling fibs i think.

give the union a bell.

Emmateacher

Thank you so much for all your replies. I had a full 22 hours for the last two years with absolutely no filler hours. There is only one other full time teacher with my subject (no spare hours) and a teacher who takes a few of the surplus hours. The other combination is coming from the teacher on sick leave. I was under the impression that the teacher on sick leave would be covered by a sub.I was also thinking maybe they have taken a career break now as they might be out for a long time?

At this stage I am not thinking even about the implications for my CID as I am so disappointed as I loved the school and had made some many friends and had really established myself with the students and had earned their respect. Again I do not want to cause any hassle but I just wanted a definitive answer as the prospect of no job and joining the dole line is soul destroying. I would have given no reason at all to lose my hours as I think and have received very positive feedback and have participated heavily in extra curricular.

Just to clarify those 'missing' 11 hours that are not being given to this new role are to be divided to the 2nd person in the department (who already has a timetable of 1/4 my subject 3/4 another subject) These hours have not disappeared. I was told by a colleague that my contract as it was does not exist any longer as it is now being contracted as a different combination?

Janedoe10

Hi there check with your union ASAP . As if the reason why u are been cut cause of some one else's sick hours . What happens when "said sick " person comes back after sick leave doesn't principle then be back to square one . 2 teachers with hours split .

I'd be with u . If u like the place fight your corner . But get advice from union first on how to get principle to review his decision ...

solerina

I still think this sounds very unusual, I have never heard of the dept telling a principal how to allocate hours...I dont think they have anything at all to do with it....get onto your union asap...you have nothing to lose and 11 hours to gain !!!

Emmateacher

Was onto the Union they told me that I have no legal rights to the job. They thought it sounded suss, he has hours he just does not want to give them to me :mad::mad::mad::mad:

ed06

i find that answer from the union to be a bit of a fob off. iv been in a similiar situation myself. i have found the union to be very helpful and 100% supporative. i found this in the most recent union magazine and i def think you have a case.
"As a fixed-term teacher, do I have any entitlement to a job in the
school next year?
As is the case with any fixed-term contract, when your period of
employment expires your employer is not obliged to offer you further
work. However, if you have been in the school for more than a year and
the position you hold remains viable, or if there are other hours available
in your subject, you may have an entitlement to the position. You should
discuss the situation with your principal, and if in doubt, contact ASTI
Head Office."

solerina

Emmateacher wrote: »

Was onto the Union they told me that I have no legal rights to the job. They thought it sounded suss, he has hours he just does not want to give them to me :mad::mad::mad::mad:

Thats what I was thinking...if I were you I would get back onto the union and see is there anything you can do....Hard luck OP :mad:

TheDriver

however the OP has not stated she was on a fixed term contract, she is covering sick leave which could be simply day to day subbing, even if it lasted 2 years.
OP: were you paid for summers and holidays or did you draw? That would clear up a lot of differences between the union lines