A Question of Honour
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PAY CAMPAIGN RESPONSES: page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 |
| I am on M4 but as a single person with a mortgage and rising costs I do not feel any better off than when I was an NQT. I cannot afford to save, go on holiday or do anything except work - so much for going to university and becoming a professional to have a comfortable life! - HR, Wirral |
| I am an NQT and am disgusted with the poor pay for such a demanding job - my mortgage and bills take almost 2 thirds of my wage and that’s only paying half of the mortgage. I have a teacher friend who is 28 and still lives with her parents because she can't afford a mortgage alone. Is this really what we deserve, and is this really what the government thinks of us? -LM, Sheffield |
| Last July I had to bite the bullet and buy by myself. Now I struggle on a month to month basis. I think for the time, effort and commitment we put in, our wages at least should reflect the national increase. Government beware as I feel teachers will start leaving the profession if things do not change. - EB, Brighton and Hove |
| September's annual rise made a difference of £25 each month but with rises in tax and other deductions, water and council tax bills and mortgage rises, we are about £100 worse off a month. I have the added bonus of not being able to afford to live where I work and travelling 2 hours a day at the cost of £250 a month alone on petrol. I am always looking for another job that will pay what I feel I am worth! - JO, Derby City |
| I have circulated a petition to staff calling for an urgent pay review and the response has been tremendous - everyone approached has eagerly signed the petition which will be sent to the Secretary of State. - CK, Lambeth |
| I knew it would be tough financially when I moved to Surrey as a primary NQT, after being unable to get a job in Wiltshire/Hampshire where it is cheaper to live. Four years later, I am working in a pub at the weekends, babysitting and tutoring at nights and watching every penny. If I don’t find somewhere affordable to live, I will have no choice but to leave my job and move elsewhere. What a waste that would be... and all because I could not afford to buy a 1 bed flat within 15 miles of work! - LJ, Surrey |
| Having just got married and bought a small house in an expensive area of the country, I feel an injustice at the disparity between inflation and pay - I didn’t go into this for the money but I am a graduate and a professional and I don’t think we should be struggling to have a decent standard of life. - NF, Brighton and Hove |
| Having been teaching less than 2 years, I am devastated to already find out that my dream job isn't all I thought it would be. With the massive workload, low pay and high deductions it's simply impossible to even contemplate being able to afford my own home. My parents tell me of days when having a teacher's job was an honour and a privilege, have these days completely gone? -CK, Swansea |
| As I approach retirement I cannot say that I believe my contribution to the society that I serve has been appreciated by my employers - the Government of any political party. We do not have the status or respect awarded other professionals. We need to resurrect that excellent slogan which has been forgotten by our political masters – “If you can read this, thank a teacher!” - SC, Barnet |
| How many other graduate professions are as low paid as teachers? I don’t know of any. As a Labour voter since 1972 I hoped that a Labour Government would look after a sector that is supposedly top of the agenda. Here’s hoping Gordon Brown provides a real pay increase and I no longer have to borrow to pay for something other professionals take for granted - a holiday. - RLB, Norfolk |
| How many other graduate professions are as low paid as teachers? I don’t know of any. As a Labour voter since 1972 I hoped that a Labour Government would look after a sector that is supposedly top of the agenda. Here’s hoping Gordon Brown provides a real pay increase and I no longer have to borrow to pay for something other professionals take for granted - a holiday. - RLB, Norfolk |
| My wife and I both have TLRs and we still can't afford to send our little one to nursery and buy a house in Teddington where I have lived since I was born. It really is sad that two teachers with quite good jobs can't get on the property ladder. - OB, Surrey |
| Several years after entering teaching, it is clear that even a tiny flat is not going to be an option unless I move out of Bristol, destroying my home and social life altogether. It seems that the more work we teachers do and the more we, rather than parents, are deemed “responsible for” kids, the less we are respected and the less we are compensated. - JW, North Somerset |
| As a divorced parent I am not finding it difficult to cope on my salary - I am finding it impossible. Supporting four people on one salary has led me to the edge of bankruptcy - not bad for a profession that's supposed to be laying the foundation for this country's future! - AH, Bristol |
| There are fewer children in our schools these days and more and more teachers are facing job cuts. The Government knew this would be the case years ago. It’s somewhat of a co-incidence that during these slimmer years we are given a pay cut! - TB, Conwy |
| If I'd known how low the pay would be and how de-valued I was going to be, I never would have bothered training. Come on teachers, stand up together and show them that this is just not acceptable - we've had to jump through hoops and meet this and that target or standard - now it's their turn! - JB, Gwynedd |
| As an NQT I am finding it difficult to find any form of accommodation in Southampton, so it looks like I may have to find alternative employment. It’s about time teaching salaries matched that of other graduate professionals. I’ve only just started and I am already thinking of leaving the profession - that doesn’t bode well. - JV, Hampshire |
