Teaching in the UK?

[rosbif77]

I'm currently an expat in France ( see my other thread), but would like more precise feedback about the actual state of education/teaching in the UK. There seems to be a lot of contradictory information in the media about what is actually happening.

I understand the current government wants all schools to join a MAT( multi-academy trust) by 2022!

What exactly is a MAT?
How are MAT's created and by who?
Would schools lose their legal independence ?
Who actually owns/runs these MAT's?
What exactly does performance related pay mean? Who gets it and how?
Why are there posters claiming that teachers can earn up to £60k if record numbers of them want to leave?
Why do so many schools have TA's if there's a funding crisis? ( here in France TA's don't exist.
Why are record numbers of graduates entering the profession if the job is so tough?

Finally, why is there so much inspection/monitoring of teachers yet in other highly skilled professions there doesn't seem to be the equivalent of OFSTED?




So what exactly is going on? Is it worth entering the profession, or in my case re-entering?

Edited by rosbif77 on Wednesday 27th April 12:15

[rosbif77]

Who actually can create a MAT?
I thought all educational establishments and the land that the schools are built on is public state controlled?

[rosbif77]

devnull said:

All i have seen is that Academies are run like businesses, with kids being the customers. Staff can and will be "managed out of the business" far quicker than they have been in state run schools.

I'm not sure any of us asked for this privatisation of our school system in this country?

My missus is a teacher, she does it because shes loves the essence of it - actually teaching and developing the kids. But the work load is insane.

I'd rather eat razor blades than go into teaching.

Edited by devnull on Wednesday 27th April 17:58

Isn't anyone concerned about this 'privatisation' ?

[rosbif77]

rog007 said:

rosbif77 said:

Finally, why is there so much inspection/monitoring of teachers yet in other highly skilled professions there doesn't seem to be the equivalent of OFSTED?

Edited by rosbif77 on Wednesday 27th April 12:15

OFSTED doesn't inspect teachers per se, rather they 'inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people,...', so an OFSTED report is about the provider and not named individuals within it (save possibly for the Head if they determine that leadership is lacking) in order to ensure that the provider is doing a good job. Just as for example MONITOR inspects those organisations who provide healthcare services to ensure they are safe for us to use. Like OFSTED, MONITOR does not inspect individual practitioners, but reports holistically on the providing organisation.

All 'professions' with protected titles do however have 'regulators', but they rarely 'inspect' individuals. They do set standards and take action when individuals are reported to them who are allegedly not complying with those standards: http://www.ecctis.co.uk/UK%20NCP/Individuals/Regul...

Hope that helps

Yes, thankyou.

Going back to my opening list of questions then, are OFSTED inspections used in assessing which teachers should be awarded performance related pay, or is there another procedure for that?

[rosbif77]

pherlopolus said:

Flooble said:

Given the choice between teaching and clearing land mines, I'd take the mines ...

And me, wife is a teacher who is lucky to have a husband who is letting her retire at 45. She loved the teaching, it's just the other crap that is the issue.

What exactly is the 'other crap'?
When i was a teacher back in the early 90's we all expected to put in one extra hour/week for every lesson taught. I also remember staying one hour each day after the pupils left for meetings etc.

[rosbif77]

Pillskii said:

devnull said:

All i have seen is that Academies are run like businesses, with kids being the customers. Staff can and will be "managed out of the business" far quicker than they have been in state run schools.

I'm not sure any of us asked for this privatisation of our school system in this country?

My missus is a teacher, she does it because shes loves the essence of it - actually teaching and developing the kids. But the work load is insane.

I'd rather eat razor blades than go into teaching.

Edited by devnull on Wednesday 27th April 17:58

I hear a lot about teachers' workloads but I admit I am a bit sceptical about it. How many hours is the average teacher actually working a week? How many days holiday do they get a year - it must be significantly more than your average joe private sector employee? Don't forget they are, in the grand scheme of things, fairly well paid (outside of London).

I'm mid-twenties so school wasn't so long ago for me (decent/good school) and I remember there being huge differences in the quality of teaching provided by the 'good' and the 'bad' teachers. Most of the bad teachers were the ones who'd been there for 15-20 years.

I guess the longer than average holidays and relatively higher salaries explain the rush for places on teacher training!

[rosbif77]

Forgive me if i'm wrong but why is the government forcing all schools to join a MAT?
Is it to drive up standards and offer a better quality of education?
or is it a backdoor way of privatizing all education?

What about 'if it ain't broken don't fix it'?

[rosbif77]

mrtwisty said:

What were you thinking of teaching OP? MFL?

It would be teaching English and/or history.

[rosbif77]

21TonyK said:

Forget the adverts of 60K

National average salary:

Primary: 36252
Secondary: 38246

A look at the blue indicates what you could expect.

I work 24h per week at the sixth form plus 2-3h week at my second job. I take home 1850euros from the main job. That's after 11 years teaching in the same private sixth form. I've never had a pay rise and in fact my weekly hours were cut this year so my monthly pay dropped by 250 euros. I also work 14 Saturdays a year on average (one year i did 20!!!), which just like my teaching hours is paid on an hourly basis. Most Saturdays aren't paid (school open day/invigilating mock exams/special events etc).
Daily commute:2h30. Work day 8.30-6.30pm.

Plus 1-2 h marking/lesson planning per evening.
I also do private tutoring to pay my fuel bills(2-4 a week), plus mark exams for an EFL exam centre (1 euro per essay!).
With all the above i can pay my rent/food/household bills/my children's school fees. Anything else (private pension/cinema/days out) comes out of savings!!!
Oh yes i nearly forgot:
I got a pension estimate last month. On current salary i can retire at 77 with the minimum wage!

Edited by rosbif77 on Sunday 1st May 07:43

Edited by rosbif77 on Sunday 1st May 07:48

Edited by rosbif77 on Sunday 1st May 07:58

[rosbif77]

Sorry i forgot to add. In addition to my 24h/week teaching i also prepare curriculum programs/coursework/prepare students to pass UK university entrance exams/ give extra revision lessons for gifted students/organise school trips/run history club/prepare students for SAT's/create history resources for colleagues, all of which are unpaid!!!