I find it difficlut to accept the level of disruption to families and businesses caused by this strike.  It seems that in looking for a higher pay settlement they are ignoring the fact that they are among the lucky few with a guaranteed pension to follow at 65 paid for by the tax payer.  May of those not in public sector employment would like such a penison.  Instead there are many burdened with tax liabilities that have been told that they may have to limit their expections and work to 70+ whilst funding these peoples pension pots. 

 Whilst I can understand that money today is important, money for a comfortable retirement should be more highly valued by these lucky people!  By all means try negotiating a better deal but do we who pay your salaries and pensions deserve to be penalised further by strike action?

It seems that you are too focused on the pensions that teachers will get when they finally retire, what about the money we need too pay for somewhere to live and provide for our families in the forty years before we retire?

 Yes, the money is good when we retire, I understand we are lucky in that respect, but I pay a good £160 a month towards that, so its not like we are handed it on a plate. Teachers save that money throughout their career, so surely it is no different to other people setting up a pension fund themselves?

 The matter in hand is not actually about pensions though is it, it is about the poor pay we receive. The cost of living is going up and our pay does not reflect that. It is not only the cost of living that we cover, every month I and most other teachers spend a lot of our own money on resources to support the children in their learning, as the government does not provide the money needed.

My pay goes up by about a hundred pounds a year. I cannot afford to get on the property ladder and I will not be able to as it costs so much to rent-this is something I think the government could help with to encourage people into the profession.

My day in school starts at 7am and I usually leave shcool at about 6.30, when I will take my marking and assessment home with me. I spend my lunchtimes running clubs and supporting children with work. Teachers do not have their weekends to themselves as there is so much planning, assessment and other paperwork to complete. We spend a lot of our school holidays in school making resources and displays. Can you think of many other jobs that expect this many hours work for such little pay?

I know it is easy to look in from the outside and think its great because of all the holidays we get and the pension, but do you know what, I think a lot of the people that are complaining about the strikes wouldn't last a term in teaching.

Jess (Primary School Teacher)

I think you are forgetting that we also have families that are affected in different ways and that we pay tax too! You arent paying for our wages we are paying for them! Thats why a third of my wages disappear every month before I actually get anything!

Wake up! 

I wish I had £160 a month spare to pay towards a pension!!

Well, as a teacher in my early years of teaching, trying to support myself and pay of numerous debts I built up in the 4 years at uni (in which I also worked every minute I could); I could do with the extra £160 a month, but unfortunately in our profession we don't get a choice, we don't see the money until we are too old to do much with it!

I am currently doing bar work on a Fri and Sat night to pay my bills, so how people can say teachers have it easy? I rarely get a moment when I am not working or doing something school related.

 Fair enough there are jobs that are worse paid then teaching, I have done some grotty jobs in the past, but what we get paid does not relect what we do at all. I have got to say I am only in the profession because I care about the children and hope I can make a difference to their lives, there are many teachers leaving the profession because of problems with pay, those of you that disagree with our stikes today will soon be complaining if your children do not get a good education!

You are currently doing bar work because you are training.  Once you are a fully qualified teacher I somehow don't think you'll have to resort to bar work to top up your wage!! 

btw what we, as low paid workers, get paid doesn't reflect what we do either.  Manual workers work a lot harder than those who merely exercise their brain.  As for the stress associated with the job, try living on half the salary you get then tell me about stress!!!   Education's over-rated anyway because when all's said and done it isn't what you know but who you know that matters.

Sorry, misread that, I thought you said early years of training not teaching.  Sounds like you're incredibly over-worked then - so much time "working or doing something school related" that you're spending time griping about it on this messageboard?

p.s. I have two jobs as well but to reach the level of pay you're on I would probably have to get two more jobs!!

Excuse me, I finished uni 2 years ago. I am teaching a year 6 class full time, I'm not training! You clearly no nothing about what we get paid!

Well, I doubt you will be encouraging your children to do their best at school then if 'its who you know that matters'! Don't bother sending your children to school!

 I worked hard to get my job, and before you say anything about I was the lucky one to go to uni, I paid for everything myself. I had the ambition to go to uni and my parents couldn't afford to support me so I saved and then worked every hour possible at uni.This is part of the reason I am working the extra hours, so I can pay off what I owe.

I'm affraid you are either bitter because you have a job you hate or you have a lot to learn. It may be who you know in the media and a few other jobs, but not in teaching. I knew nobody in this profession, I worked hard to get here, I know I deserve my job.

May I suggest that you do something to help yourself if you are unhappy in such a low paid job. There are numerous free courses run for people who want to gain qualifications, its just up to you to go for it. I could have ended up doing something lower paid, but I had more ambition. But then again, if its who you know, you might just want to make some friends in the right areas!

Well it seems whatever I type in reply it's deemed offensive by the moderators - either that or they just disagree with what I say and believe you should have the last word.  I will however try one last time.

You're assuming a great deal if you assume I have no qualifications.  As it happens I do but I like the job I do - the only thing I don't like is the pay.  In return for your kind suggestion however might I suggest that you look towards the private sector - it would probably pay better than a state school I see nothing offensive in this message and I don't really see the point of contributing to a messageboard if messages are constantly declined when there is nothing offensive about them.  If this message is not printed I will draw my own conclusions as to why (i.e. the middle class voice is always more readily accepted than the working class).   Same as it ever was.  I'll leave you middle class folk to chew the fat. 

Ah right!  I see where the problem lay now.  So it's ok for someone to suggest I am either "bitter" or "have a lot to learn" but it's wrong of me to suggest that low paid workers are paying taxes to fund teachers (which is in fact a fact as opposed to an insult).   Like I say, all geared to the middle class point of view this board (as is life in general really).