The pay dispute between teacher's and the government has escalated. This could have been avoided if the government kept its promise of reviewing the pay rise if inflation rised above 3.1%.

As an NQT I am finding it extremely hard to make ends meet. Those people who are under the misconception that teachers get endless holidays, I am on Easter break at the moment and I have spent on average 6 hours a day marking courseworks and books.

To add to this I am also planning a scheme of work for the new curriculum the government has planned to take over the current curriculum by 2013.

The teachers who are going on strike will lose a day's pay for the strike. But if the government listen to our concerns then it will be worth it. Those teachers who are not going on strike will also benefit but won't lose the day's pay. This is not fair.

If all the unions were united and took action tigether we would have a much much stronger case for the government to listen to us.
Regards

Sham, london, uk

I'm not fussed about money.(although I have very little - I can't afford to fix my heating) I've just been lying on my bed for the last hour and a half after one day's teaching. So tired I'm unable to put food in the oven. I have work to do tonight. I defy anyone to crtitise me for my long holidays. In response to Parent in Swindon / we are educators not free child care providers. Perhaps if parents spent more time with their children I would be able to educate and not be so exhasuted by crowd control.
To be honest I'd like more respect rather than pay.

Len, Prefer not to state, Yorkshire

You will have to get down from the front of the class Mike and sit with your pupils! It's 'receive' not 'recieve' (remember 'i before e except after c') and 'jealous' not 'jelous'. In addition, a few more full stops would have helped the flow of your prose.
As well as helping us understand why educational standards have fallen your comments on recruitment and retention are not founded on fact. I have read the STRB report and would like to point out that the issue of supply and demand for teachers is fully covered and discussed in the text. There is not a teacher recruitment problem except in Inner London and to some extent Outer London, and for certain subjects such as Maths and Physics. The former issue was addressed in the report by an additional pay increase in those areas, the latter by the application of 'golden hello' payments.
So for your end of term report Mike it's a C. I would suggest that you practice your spelling and check your facts more in future.

Regards

Bruce, London, UK

S from London, Salty and parent from Swindon. If the teaching profession is so easy with lots of holidays that any idiot can teach then I suggest you sign up for it. My wife is a secondary school teacher and works from the moment she comes home until the moment she goes to bed. The lack of support from parents is also staggering always blaming schools and teachers for the appalling attitude and behaviour of thier children! We are parents and the responsibilty of the behaviour of my child firmly lies with me and my wife!
All teachers are asking for is a pay rise in line with Inflation it's not much to ask.

Phil, Cardiff,

Oh yes - teachers can strike for their pay deal while police have had to just accept it! Doesn't seem right to me that police are putting their lives at risk for us every day and still aren't paid what they are worth. Teachers pay is good anyway! I agree should receive inflation at least but the same should go for police! They have been told they're getting what equates 2.9% per year so also under inflation. I know which job I'd prefer to do!!! Also who assesses the teachers? ..........they're aren't all brilliant! Police are assessed regularly in their work and have to keep certain standards. Yes bogged down with paperwork but that's not their fault it's the powers above them sadly!

Zannah, Weston-super-Mare, England

Braindead NUT, as always! How much money will the local authorities save when they dock one day's pay from all the strikers, following a one-day strike that will have a minimal effect on pupils? Still, as a taxpayer, I should, perhaps, thank the NUT for reducing the pressure on local government finances and therefore easing my tax burden.

James Wheeldon, Carnforth, UK

The students long term issue is recruitment and retention of staff. If people would like to discuss market forces then a lack of staff and demand for teaching posts will have a far larger effect on students in school that cannot recruit staff because of low pay and stressful working conditions. People need to value education and teachers as they produce the skilled workforce. Without teachers there are fewer skills and a crippled system. The term "real world" is a myth, we all live in the real world. I have witnessed many teachers leave the profession to become successful in the industry this is a very common cause of teacher shortages, secondly many teachers arriving form industry leave in a few months unable to cope with the levels of stress. Teachers are not wishing to recieve more than other public services, it would be nice to all have the recognition of a pay increace. We do not recieve the bonuses of the private sector, which often tops up most workers wages! Be fair not jelous!

Mike, london,

Teaching isn't what it used to be. There is a highly prescriptive curriculum in Primary schools, ( almost any idiot could deliver it just open the 'file' and it's all there), and teaching staff were given an extra 2 hours a week non teaching time, (free time), two years ago which is actually almost 10% of the teaching week. They have Teaching Assistants everywhere doing their bidding, ( and sometimes a lot more than they should be doing), so what exactly do they want? The Government have fallen over themselves to transfer the 'burden' of teaching onto everybody else and they're still not happy. As for 65 hour weeks, are these people running the school? The Teachers that I work with come into school after me and leave before me. Methinks these teachers protest too much!

judy, Liverpool, England

The thing thats missing in all the comments sofar are the kids that are going to be affected by these strike.

alex, london , uk

Salty.
Please could you find me one of these mythical teaching jobs you talk about.
I work 39 weeks a year in school and dedicate a large proportion of my holiday to work as well.
During term time I work an average of 65 hours per week.
Does this not justify a break every six weeks or so?

Comparing teaching with soldiers is a cheap shot. The armed forces do a fabulous job, and should alos be supported better!

'Ineffective communication with parents' makes you sound like you have an issue with teaching in general. I can assure you most teachers I know are professional and go above and beyond their job description for the good of the pupils in their care!!

If you are really as jealous as you appear, why not retrain and join us?!

Dave, Worcester, WORCS

Having read Steve from South Yorks comment, I do think the issue of leave applies, whether it is mandatory or not. Assuming a new teacher earns 21k for 39 weeks that is more than I bring home on a higher salary over 52 weeks. Key workers such as teachers, also benefit from easier access to first time buyer schemes to help them get on the property ladder. This means that a teacher of the same age as myself, with the equivalent entry level job is actually better off.

I do not dispute that it is unfair that the government uses dual systems to calculate pay rises to student loans etc; so in particular, a new teacher will find that they are paying 4.9% on their loan with a payrise of 2.5%. Our teachers should be more valued in general and I would support a strike but I personally think that we should not just focus on the teachers but all workers in this position. Either bring back the grant or stop calculating student loans and other goivernment loans on the RPI.

Alex, Woking, Surrey

Teachers are paid more than Soldiers, get more time off and much shorter hours. Please don't give me the pay doesn't reflect difficult working conditions.

Try Afghanistan or Iraq for working conditions.

That coupled with Teachers refusal to tackle difficult issues such as race relations, integration into society, encroachment into areas that are parental responsibility and the completely ineffective communication to us parents as an educational partnership and they get more than they deserve.

If you want to back teachers by saying they get paid for 39 weeks pro rata then they are vastly overpaid for the work they do.

We are all struggling, why should teachers get a better deal than other public sector workers?

Leave teaching and join the private sector. You will soon go back to your easy life when you have tasted the real world.

Of course you could top up salaries by 6 weeks seasonal work in the summer and still have 7 weeks off in a year (more than anyone else).

Disgusted.

Salty, Reading,

Why does the old teacher's holidays arguement come into this discussion? Do people still not realise that teachers are paid for 39 weeks of work a year. They are not paid for the holidays that they are told when to take. They are paid each month simply because their 39 weeks of pay are split into 12 equal amounts.

steve, south yorks,

32 percent turnout - Yes Mr Balls this is low but I think you will find that the vast majority of NUT members were marking work at the time ! Dare I say the Govt should consider going "back to basics" !!! Consider the motivation of exisiting, loyal teachers as apposed to the "golden handshakes" given to new staff, who after a couple of years say thank you very much and leave.
Mr Balls - we do not want to strike. We are in this job for the students. Their success is ours. Many teachers will have to think long and hard about April 24th - the blame for this lies at the door of the Govt.

HK, Hampshire, UK

Maybe a pro rata pay system would be the way forward - have the 4.9%, but reduce leave to the 26 days the rest of the population - doing equally useful and stressful jobs - enjoy. We could look forward to end to end childcare within schools supporting the child poverty agenda and parents into employment...

Parent, Swindon,

I am surprised at the demand by teachers for higher pay, especially when statistics after statistics suggests pupils are failing in their learning. By giving into teachers demand are we not rewarding incompetence and promote injustice to our future generation over their rights to be taught efficiently and effectively in order that they stand a minute chance in competing against the global economic market/

s, london,

How is it that the RPI used to set the interest rate for Student Loans is 4.9% but when applied to salaries of teachers, nurses etc it is set at 2.4%?
Oh Yes!!!! The government coin it in from the students so called interest free loans but would have to pay it out to employees. Silly me!!

barbara, north east,

I have been teaching now for 4 years and think that our pay does not reflect the difficulties that are faced by many teachers in the classrooms of today. Living in a city where house prices are high, my boyfriend and I are struggling to get a mortgage, and our monthly outgoings on bills and the cost of living leave us with very little money at the end of the month.

Lisa Dawson, Leeds, West Yorkshire