Allan & Loren
Free Member
just heard on the news that the teaching profession are looking to make their hours more flexible so teachers with children can return to their profession after maternity leave.
I know I am probably going to upset many teachers and can already hear the shouts of heavy workloads, long hours, etc and how hard it is with a family but I'd like a teacher to step into my Shoes and do my job for a few years and see if they still moan.
My children are grown up now but when I had them I worked full time in sales. My official hours were 9am to 6pm but as a Manager I was expected to do as many hours as it took to get the job done which was often 70/100hrs. The overtime was unpaid, just expected if I wanted to hit my targets/keep my job! I had 4 weeks holiday per year plus bank holidays which were compulsory to work as these are peak times and so is christmas and new year. If I wanted to go to Christmas pantos, school sports day, even parents evening I needed to take the day as holidays or I couldn't guarantee getting there and I only got the time off if cover was available! I employed an au pair who lived with us so she could take the kids to school or pick them up, etc. I chose the Au Pair route as a more cost effective option. A nanny was £500 per week and a childminder was £300, I tried both of these and this was back in the early 90's. Now don't get me wrong I enjoyed my work and was very successful but I had to give up quite a lot. Our holidays were very special as this was my time to be with the children and Allan (who worked just as hard as me in the same industry). It has allowed us to have a nice house, nothing out of the ordinary, just a 3 bed bungalow but in a nice place and allowed us to help the children by buying their first car, paying for university, etc. At the end of the day it was my choice to work after maternity leave and I didn't expect my employers to change their policies to fit in with me and make my life easier. At the end of the day it's not forever and you choose to have children, they are not compulsory.
I know I am probably going to upset many teachers and can already hear the shouts of heavy workloads, long hours, etc and how hard it is with a family but I'd like a teacher to step into my Shoes and do my job for a few years and see if they still moan.
My children are grown up now but when I had them I worked full time in sales. My official hours were 9am to 6pm but as a Manager I was expected to do as many hours as it took to get the job done which was often 70/100hrs. The overtime was unpaid, just expected if I wanted to hit my targets/keep my job! I had 4 weeks holiday per year plus bank holidays which were compulsory to work as these are peak times and so is christmas and new year. If I wanted to go to Christmas pantos, school sports day, even parents evening I needed to take the day as holidays or I couldn't guarantee getting there and I only got the time off if cover was available! I employed an au pair who lived with us so she could take the kids to school or pick them up, etc. I chose the Au Pair route as a more cost effective option. A nanny was £500 per week and a childminder was £300, I tried both of these and this was back in the early 90's. Now don't get me wrong I enjoyed my work and was very successful but I had to give up quite a lot. Our holidays were very special as this was my time to be with the children and Allan (who worked just as hard as me in the same industry). It has allowed us to have a nice house, nothing out of the ordinary, just a 3 bed bungalow but in a nice place and allowed us to help the children by buying their first car, paying for university, etc. At the end of the day it was my choice to work after maternity leave and I didn't expect my employers to change their policies to fit in with me and make my life easier. At the end of the day it's not forever and you choose to have children, they are not compulsory.