SEC getting desperate???

clunked

Has anyone seen the expensive posters and flyers sent to schools this morning by the SEC desperate for examiners, supervisors and correctors. As a colleague said, stop insulting teachers with petty penny pinching such as charging for coffee at conference, expenses cut to the bone and rates for demanding correcting work where one would be better off washing cars instead. Joke:mad:

aoife524

Just a side note, can student teachers correct the exams during the summer?

km79

aoife524 wrote: »

Just a side note, can student teachers correct the exams during the summer?

Yes
My neighbour is not a teacher but has a degree in the relevant Subject so he corrects junior cert higher level ............

aoife524

Thank you for your quick reply. I was considering it to help with my teaching. Just need to find where to apply now

implausible

aoife524 wrote: »

Thank you for your quick reply. I was considering it to help with my teaching. Just need to find where to apply now

They seem to be short again this year, so you'd have a chance. Form is here: https://www.examinations.ie/misc-doc/BI-RE-42833748.pdf

aoife524

Thanks a million that's excellent ☺

mtoutlemonde

km79 wrote: »

Yes
My neighbour is not a teacher but has a degree in the relevant Subject so he corrects junior cert higher level ............

Shows how bad things have become when non teachers are correcting. I have corrected for the past few years - it's a pain but it's brilliant for telling your students how to excel in the exams but financially it's not worth it. The tightening up of expenses has put a lot of people off.

Notorious

clunked wrote: »

..petty penny pinching such as charging for coffee at conference...

We got free tea/coffee and scones at our JC conference!

Seriously though, forget penny pinching on expenses and increase the pay per paper. I felt robbed after I saw my payslip last October. I worked under immense pressure for the guts of a month; putting in 12 hour days for 7 days of the week. I was getting phone calls from my supervisor at 10pm on a Saturday night. I had to explain myself after taking a half day to go to a gig on a weekend.

It was great experience, but after a week I'd gained maximum benefit. The stress was not worth the low pay.

On another note, a colleague tells me that correcting Ordinary level LC scripts gives good pay for a lot less stress.

fh041205

Notorious (and any others), what is the pay like? Do they pay per script or per hour? Also how much correcting did you do?

I'm considering doing it but I have other work at that time also. Could take a few days out to do this extra stuff and give my coffers a boost if it's worth it.

Any advice or details appreciated.

mtoutlemonde

fh041205 wrote: »

Notorious (and any others), what is the pay like? Do they pay per script or per hour? Also how much correcting did you do?

I'm considering doing it but I have other work at that time also. Could take a few days out to do this extra stuff and give my coffers a boost if it's worth it.

Any advice or details appreciated.

It depends on the subject you correct e.g. some scripts may have two papers/project etc. so price per paper is determined by that.

If this is your first year, you could get 300 papers to correct.

If you are appointed as an examiner it is stated in your contract that you have to give the marking process your full attention during the ~26 days so working during that time is a breach of contract. Also, you will be under strict deadlines and have to be available to take calls from your advising examiner at all times. Even in the first day of correcting - it can be tiring because you have to count, sort and number scripts. I've corrected for a few years and I don't think I would be able to work as well as correcting.

A_Sober_Paddy

implausible wrote: »

They seem to be short again this year, so you'd have a chance. Form is here: https://www.examinations.ie/misc-doc/BI-RE-42833748.pdf

So what sort of money would you be talking?

Crazyteacher

Every subject is different. You could email financial@examinations.ie for an idea for your subject and level. Then deduct your tax .

mtoutlemonde

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

So what sort of money would you be talking?

As I said above, it depends on the subject you're correcting. I'm sure if you ring the SEC, they will be able to tell you. Remember the more money, the more work involved.

fh041205

Notorious wrote: »

We got free tea/coffee and scones at our JC conference!

On another note, a colleague tells me that correcting Ordinary level LC scripts gives good pay for a lot less stress.

Do you reckon it's worth applying just for Ordinary level or would you be less likely to get the work that way? I'm guessing if you tick the box for "willing to correct higher levels" they will allocate you the higher one.

mtoutlemonde

fh041205 wrote: »

Do you reckon it's worth applying just for Ordinary level or would you be less likely to get the work that way? I'm guessing if you tick the box for "willing to correct higher levels" they will allocate you the higher one.

I would apply for all levels - the SEC will decide what you correct/where vacancies arise.

derb12

Is there any way to predict the date of the conference? I'm going away for a few days after the exams but I've plenty of time at end end of June and all of July. I'd be correcting maths.

mtoutlemonde

derb12 wrote: »

Is there any way to predict the date of the conference? I'm going away for a few days after the exams but I've plenty of time at end end of June and all of July. I'd be correcting maths.

Contact the SEC - they will be able to tell you

evolving_doors

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

So what sort of money would you be talking?

For me all in 3k... after tax, travel, this and that approx 1.7 k ... got 400 advance at the start and the rest about 2 1/2 months after I'd finished.

Unless you are a robot that can work without sleep then another job at the same time is very very difficult.
First year is hell after that it's not so bad. But expect to write off July and lock yer self in a room without distractions.

Notorious

fh041205 wrote: »

what is the pay like? Do they pay per script or per hour? Also how much correcting did you do?

Based on my experience, it would be impossible to work even a part-time job while correcting. Expect to be correcting JC papers in your first year. I corrected JC and came out with €1.2k after correcting over 350 scripts. Worked for just over three weeks. I had about €900 after tax, and €300ish of that was an advance given before correcting began.

spurious

Notorious wrote: »

Based on my experience, it would be impossible to work even a part-time job while correcting. Expect to be correcting JC papers in your first year. I corrected JC and came out with €1.2k after correcting over 350 scripts. Worked for just over three weeks. I had about €900 after tax, and €300ish of that was an advance given before correcting began.

I would be something similar, numbers-wise. I don't mind sticking at JC, I've seen the hideous amount of work colleagues put in for some LC subjects.

We had to pay for the cup of tea last year for the first time. It really is penny pinching and quite disrespectful to people who have almost all travelled with an early start, at a time when they are crying out for people.

mtoutlemonde

spurious wrote: »

I would be something similar, numbers-wise. I don't mind sticking at JC, I've seen the hideous amount of work colleagues put in for some LC subjects.

We had to pay for the cup of tea last year for the first time. It really is penny pinching and quite disrespectful to people who have almost all travelled with an early start, at a time when they are crying out for people.

We got free tea, scones and biscuits for break and got a reduction for lunch - we must have been the good examiners

amacca

Notorious wrote: »

Based on my experience, it would be impossible to work even a part-time job while correcting. Expect to be correcting JC papers in your first year. I corrected JC and came out with €1.2k after correcting over 350 scripts. Worked for just over three weeks. I had about €900 after tax, and €300ish of that was an advance given before correcting began.

I cannot work out why anyone in their right mind would bother when you could earn more for much less hassle in terms of the nature of the work and the hours....

its not as if it really does give you all that much of an insight above going over past exam questions and applying the marking scheme

I found it labour intensive tedious work and reckoned I'd need a hell of a lot more money to ever do it again......and sitting down hunched over scripts for hours on end can't be particularly healthy etc......if it was paid properly then maybe they wouldn't be struggling to attract people to do it

Notorious

amacca wrote: »

its not as if it really does give you all that much of an insight above going over past exam questions and applying the marking scheme

While I agree with most of what you've said, I have to disagree here. I've a much better insight into how marks are distributed and I've passed some of that knowledge onto my students. It was more valuable than all of the inservices or training I've been on.

deiseindublin

I wonder is the new poster in staff rooms the SEC being proactive, or do they already know they'll be up the creek this year?

It's amazing all the people I know that said never again. Was talking to a friend of a friend that was asked to do invigilation last minute for 3 days, given about 48 hours notice and it suited him ok so he decided to give them a dig out. They then 2 months later questioned her route and M50 toll charge. Not sure he'll be giving them a digout again.

dory

Notorious wrote: »

Based on my experience, it would be impossible to work even a part-time job while correcting. Expect to be correcting JC papers in your first year. I corrected JC and came out with €1.2k after correcting over 350 scripts. Worked for just over three weeks. I had about €900 after tax, and €300ish of that was an advance given before correcting began.

Whoa, that's way less than I thought it would be. Mind if I ask what subject that was? I'm considering it this year for the first time, just for the experience. But for €300/week I think I might go experience something else...

amacca

Notorious wrote: »

While I agree with most of what you've said, I have to disagree here. I've a much better insight into how marks are distributed and I've passed some of that knowledge onto my students. It was more valuable than all of the inservices or training I've been on.

Id say how beneficial it is may be related to the subjects taught......I taught and corrected science subjects.....the marking schemes were fairly cut and dried, there really wasn't anything much extra to be gained from correcting that would benefit my students a hell of a lot. Not much if anything was open to interpretation.....

To do it once was an experience and in fairness while not renumerated properly for the work involved I suppose I did benefit from seeing how it worked and realising there were a lot of checks and balances in the system and that on the whole the grades are fair, trustworthy and reliable (as reliable as anything can be where human error has to be factored in).....but as to insight above and beyond that, nah not really in my case

deiseindublin

I think correcting is more useful to you as a teacher if you have weaker students. It's good to see all the combinations of attempt marks (3/10) that would get a student over the line when averaged with what they got correct.

For a higher level LC student aiming for a good honour, the marking scheme would be more black/white.

GERMAN ROCKS

If the SEC didn't bother wasting money on the pamphlets and instead paid teachers properly for their work they might get a better response.

fh041205

amacca wrote: »

I cannot work out why anyone in their right mind would bother when you could earn more for much less hassle in terms of the nature of the work and the hours....

Would love to know how!! For 3/4 weeks work in the middle of the summer? Are you thinking grinds or something?

clunked

fh041205 wrote: »

Would love to know how!! For 3/4 weeks work in the middle of the summer? Are you thinking grinds or something?

I'd say you would earn more picking fruit

rainbowtrout

deiseindublin wrote: »

I wonder is the new poster in staff rooms the SEC being proactive, or do they already know they'll be up the creek this year?

It's amazing all the people I know that said never again. Was talking to a friend of a friend that was asked to do invigilation last minute for 3 days, given about 48 hours notice and it suited him ok so he decided to give them a dig out. They then 2 months later questioned her route and M50 toll charge. Not sure he'll be giving them a digout again.

I'd say a little bit of A, a big bit of B.

They were fairly stuck for invigilators last year too. A friend of mine had turned down invigilation, and they sent her the letter again, and she refused it again, and then a couple of days into the LC she got a desperate phone call from the SEC, offering her a choice of 3 schools in Dublin, when she lives in the west of Ireland. Now she would have got her mileage and overnights out of it, but it didn't suit her, but the previous year she was given somewhere down the road so she made hardly anything on it.


The SEC have really shot themselves in both feet with the expenses thing. Not just putting people in schools local to them, but this notion of paying people mileage from their school or home, whichever is closer to their exam centre. It should be from an examiner's home, that is where they are travelling from in June. The Dept/ETB are a separate employer to the SEC, so a teacher's place of employment shouldn't even be a reckoner when they are employed as an examiner.