PAY CAMPAIGN RESPONSES: (updated 1 February 2008) page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

As a member I am amazed by this proposed action. It is of course important that our pay rise remains in line with inflation. My pay (like many in the early years) has more than doubled in the seven years which I have been teaching. However it is the leaderships abject failure to appreciate that a strike would be counter productive that is of concern. In the first instance a strike would have a negative impact on the image of teachers (they are all greedy and have too long holidays etc). Second - a strike would only enhance Brown's 'new labour' credentials of being prudent with the public purse. Third- even if the strike did stir up anti Brown feeling, only the Tories would benefit - no doubt a Conservative election victory next year would bring worse conditions for schools and teachers. Last - what about our pupils? I left school in 1987 worse results on record I believe - due in no small sense to the fact that teachers were constantly on strike. Mat, Dorset

I have worked in education for 20 years and love the work, I do. I now work two days a week because I have two children under 5 and want to spend time with them. My husband is an engineer and we have a very small house and a low mortgage. We don’t have flashy cars, we don’t have expensive foreign holidays, we don’t have expensive hobbies, we don’t buy our children expensive toys or clothes but yet we struggle financially. I would not say we are poor and in comparison to many people round the world we are almost rich but we cannot afford to move house (and yet we could definitely do with a bigger house). Childcare costs, bills, car insurance, food prices, the prices of holiday cottages in England (ridiculous) - everything is so expensive. I work very hard for my two days pay (of course I don’t only work on those two days - as a teacher you are always working!) but there is very little money left once all bills etc have been paid. Can’t save, can’t put extra money into pension scheme so there is also the worry about the future And it starts to make you wonder what it is all about! I have never been on strike before but will definitely go on strike this time. I am quite fed up!! Susi, Gloucestershire

The fast approaching end to my protected MA3 allowance causes me more and more concern. A drop in pay of around £500 will mean I can no longer afford to pay for the roof over my head. Surely a UPS3 should be adequate for a teacher to survive on? It's not. After 26 years in a job I love it breaks my heart to think I may have to seek alternative work. Val

Student debt when I left university = £8,900. Student debt six years after graduating = £9,100. A 2.45% pay increase? Worthless!!
S, Nottinghamshire

I am the sole family earner. Before the introduction of TLR I was head of year with extra responsibility for staff cover and pupil attendance. I am now Learning Manager for two year groups,10 and 11, totalling 480 pupils. Although I have two pastoral assistants and no longer do cover or attendance work, my workload has increased considerably. I now lead a team of the two assistants, 16 tutors, 5 associate tutors and 12 support staff. In December my salary will fall by £4,000. This, in addition to rising costs and low pay awards, will cause considerable difficulty. However, more significantly the loss of pay and implied loss of status compared with curriculum leaders has made me feel undervalued. I am now considering retiring early. Prior to this I had every intention, and the energy and enthusiasm, to continue until 60 and beyond. Julia, Kingston-upon-Hull

I am glad to see a comment about the NUT itself. I fully agree that they do very little in real terms to help teachers. The only reason I am a member of any teaching union is because I fear being 'sued'; therefore I view my union 'dues' as a form of insurance, which I have to pay. The cost of this is completely crazy as well, what does the NUT et al, do with all this money. Get your calculators out and work it out. I googled and it said for 2007 there were 303,130 primary/secondary teachers. If only 70% are in a union, paying an average £10 each, that's Awesome little earner for 'very' little work. Do they pay their school reps? I don't think so. Were it not for this reason I would not be a member as Unions are useless; they are all associated in one way or another with the labour party. The teachers’ pension is one of the worst final salary schemes around. The union has done nothing to stop this awful government from making the pension benefits even worse. Yes teachers pay is rubbish but it's not just the pay, is it. I am one of the unfortunate teachers who work around 60 hours a week. Divide what I earn (MP3) by those hours and it works out to £7.50 per hour! Why do I work those long hours? I teach three subjects and I do a damned good job. One Week holiday and I have 4 x year 7 geography assessments, two x year 8 geography assessments to mark. I am exhausted but keep going. I think of MP's 'expenses', salaries and pensions and I want to weep. I have not had a 'holiday' for three years, I simply cannot afford it. I could go on and on, but what's the point. This government could not care less that teachers are leaving in droves. It's 'bums on seats' and there's another 'monkey' to do the job of the 'monkey' that just threw in the towel. They would rather spend millions on training us (bursaries) than add it to our wages or improve our pensions. This is so they can keep saying how many 'wonderful' teachers they have. God I feel nauseous and very powerless. Thanks 'new' labour! Thanks NUT! Helen, Doncaster

I have been teaching for seven years and have found every year I am worse off due to tax increases that are not being supplemented by my pay. I have been lucky to get onto the property ladder (with my partner, forget it if you're single) but I live in an ex-council house surrounded by council tenants and I have a very hefty mortgage to pay each month. I am hoping to start a family soon and I dream of being able to move to a nicer area but this will never happen! I think the problem with teachers trying to get onto the property ladder is primarily a problem in the South East and have found this to be a common trend amongst my colleagues. Teachers work extremely hard but this doesn't even get them a decent roof over their heads. It is extremely unfair that the Government are proposing a 2.45 per cent pay increase. I believe living standards are set to get even worse. Hayley, Windsor & Maidenhead

Whilst I agree wholeheartedly that teachers pay awards need to come into line with inflation, I feel unable to support the motion for strike action. A one day's strike will do little to alter the government’s attitude and is likely to simply alienate parents, especially of primary aged children, as well as the public at large. I think a more affective response to low pay awards (not forgetting that ALL public sector workers are affected) would be for all public sector employees to work to rule, and refuse to implement any non-statutory initiatives imposed by the government. If the government is unable to implement any new policies, surely they will be more inclined to listen to the voice of those they expect to carry them through. Just a thought...! Of course this will require all public sector unions to work together! E, Hull

I still love my job even though the heating hasn't worked for years, the shift in responsibility for results continues to move ever further away from the students and there is a cultural assumption that teachers will work for nothing in their own time. I have a lot of patience with children, especially if they don't realise their actions may negatively affect others. I don't extend the same tolerance towards the government. People in the public sector are often there for a reason and our managers (including the politicians) would do well not to mistake kindness for weakness. I will vote yes in the forthcoming ballot because "enough is enough". Peter, Newcastle

Eighteen months into my teaching career I am faced with the horrible truth that the career that I have chosen, and care passionately about, simply does not pay me enough to live on each month without spiralling into debt. As I await the arrival of my third credit card this year, I wonder if I will ever be in a position to stop worrying about mortgage payments (interest only-can't afford repayment), bills and basic living costs every month. My sister, working in the private sector, also in her first job, has just received a 16% (yes, you read it correctly) pay rise. When will the government start to recognise the contribution we make and pay us accordingly? It better happen soon before I have to resort to marrying for money or, worse, move to the private sector! A, South Gloucestershire

I'm in my fifth year of teaching. I choose to be a teacher and avoid the continual bombardment offering "promotion". I question the word promotion and suggest it should have a health and safety warning saying, "for a tiny amount more in your pay packet you will be expected to do another days work, push up your blood pressure and question why do you do this job"? The NQT's I studied with through the PGCE programme have all picked up different levels of promotion and when I talk with them they do it for the extra cash. Most are not enjoying the extra burden put upon them but feel they have no choice. It occurs to me that if the pay structure was more realistic, there would be happier teachers doing what they do best without the continual vacancies or the quest by teachers to work up the promotion ladder. Before I entered teaching I was a successful general manager of a furniture installations company. I no longer need the money and wanted more time with my family. I had total responsibility for the running of my workforce with just six supervisors on a good pay scale to make it worth their while to be responsible for individual projects. There were over thirty other employees on a fixed salary, all happy to work without any extra responsibility. That's one person taking charge of five at least. In my faculty, of seven teaching staff, there is a HOF, HO Art and KS3 coordinator, HOY 9 and HO electronics, two unqualified support teachers and just two teachers. Ever heard the saying, "too many chiefs, not enough Indians"? I am always being asked to take responsibility for jobs that are of no interest to me, will detract from my ability to teach well because those with the responsibility have too much to do alongside their teaching. I suggest the cure is to separate the responsible jobs and leave the teachers to teach. More jobs would be done more efficiently and teachers would be happier to accept the correct pay with a secure annual increase in line with inflation. The government need to keep it simple, stop making promises that have to be broken. Lee, Hertfordshire

I am a 45 year old recently qualified teacher. I was a TA before I qualified and thought I was well informed and well prepared for the challenge ahead. Despite constant advice from my colleagues to do anything else but teach, I was determined. I could not have known what lay ahead, but two years in, now a lone parent of 3, I wish I had listened. I work at least 12 hours a day during the week and either sat or sun at the weekend. Much of the 'generous' holidays are spent planning, assessing and catch-up marking, leaving little time or energy to spend with my children. I would begrudge none of this if I could afford to live and support my children on my salary. I receive Child Tax Credits but, despite 'tightening our belts' to the extreme, am still £200 per month short of covering very basic expenses and am deeper in debt as each month goes by. I know I need to get a second job but unless I work through the night, when would I do this? What really rubs salt in the wounds is the knowledge that 20 years ago, before I had my children, I had a 9-5 clerical type job earning £15,000 per year. 20 years and a degree in education later I have added £5000 to this!!! So, two years into the profession I so desperately wanted to join, I am looking for a way out. Won't even have paid off my student loan! Debbie, Lincolnshire

I was dismayed to see that the NASUWT have come out and said they feel that teachers have no appetite for the strike and are willing to accept the pay deal. They obviously haven't seen this forum. If it’s the NUT on their own well then so be it but someone has to make a stand Anon, Hertfordshire

With regards to the pay, what an insult. I agree with all the comments posted online. The cost of living has gone up but as usual our money has not. However, I feel have been insulted by this government, after all education, education, education. I have been teaching since they came into power and things have got a lot worse. But I am sorry as I think that the unions have let us down. Not so much the NUT but definately the NASUWT, they allowed the government to bring in new pay structure, TLR's which is basically divisive and insulting, people who do nothing get more. If you just want to teach, tough, you get jack. I was a CL and teaching half the school and yet someone who did G&T got more money than me?? We have less power, kids and parents rule, although they do not parent! We take our lives in our hands, we get as much abuse as the Police, and work just as hard, paperwork etc, but hey we don't get paid overtime or retire at 45 when to be quite honest most teachers are knackered by 55, but of course we can't afford to retire. The whole thing is a farce. Oh and the unions allowed senior teaching assistants, again good ones and very bad ones, with no experience, training or brain cells. But hey they are cheap!! No wonder standards are slipping. When the word RESPECT comes back into the national vocabulary may be then we could get a decent inflation related pay increase. Perhaps if all teachers had just one union, things may be different, but as some people have benefited from TLRs/ hey why should they want to strike, IF we were ALL united, we could make a difference. Although we all chose to be teachers there is no need to take advantage, it isn't a vocation or a duty. I want to teach but due to RIGHTS of the pupils and parents it is becoming ridiculous. Bring back the POWER to the school and the staff. Schools are for learning and educating, not a babysitting service. At the end of the day the government have not kept their promise and done their job and if a teacher does not keep targets and produce results, well you know the answer!! Caroline, Portsmouth