Vacancy applicants?

[CovTech]

You must have been popular

Never been bothered by that
I'm more of a "tell an idiot (s)he's being an idiot by yelling "IDIOT" at the idiot" kind of person

One teachers tried to tell me that they are striking for us to get better pay. Yeah, now, where did I see that flying pig go?

I also pointed out that the same union that's holding out for 12% for them got us 2% and patted themselves on the back over a job well done......
Opened a few eyes as they didn't even realise that had happened

 

[CovTech]

I'm baffled why 2 teachers here that openly have said that they think they are well paid & one even said he's got more money than he's ever had or can spend, will still strike

I did like the last minute pivot that they weren't striking over their pay or lack thereof but because that pay rise was expected to come out of the school budget

First time I'd heard that from any of them was on the 6'o'clock news on Wednesday weirdly, like they didn't have the support they wanted....

 

[Carys]

I did like the last minute pivot that they weren't striking over their pay or lack thereof but because that pay rise was expected to come out of the school budget

First time I'd heard that from any of them was on the 6'o'clock news on Wednesday weirdly, like they didn't have the support they wanted....

That's interesting because all our teachers have been saying that's the reason since the very start, including those who are nearing retirement and for whom a one year's pay rise would make very little difference.

 

[Puds]

That's interesting because all our teachers have been saying that's the reason since the very start, including those who are nearing retirement and for whom a one year's pay rise would make very little difference.

If anyone bothered to look ( us techs do) at the school published finances, they're doing very nicely thanks, enough saved every year to get at least a couple of new SLT & still be well in the black.

 

[Puds]

My job has been up for about 3 weeks, not a single application form.
Managament acting all confused. I gave up explaining to someone earning £80k why it takes longer to hire someone to do a niche job for £20k in London

Their usual response is: Ya buT Da HolLidYz and AnYonE fRoM AsDa...

I pointed that out the other day & our HoD said " Oh there'll be someone out there that it will suit.
So, they need to be:

• Qualified or at least experienced.
• Live locally ( couldn't afford fares - we've had people drop out of applications before for this reason)
• Not rent ( couldn't afford it, local studios are approx £1300 upwards)
• Single or have a partner with a wage or living with parents
• Want or need to work in a school ( But the need aspect would mean kids, which brings us back to wage, the want aspect is a quite small pool)
• Or independently well off enjoys science & not fussed about wage

Little wonder it takes so long to recruit.

 

[RHSChem]

We had to advertise 5 times over a 6-month period to get a biology technician, and we're in the independent sector with slightly higher pay and longer holidays than many state schools. Some rounds we didn't get any applicants, other rounds we had a handful of mostly unsuitable applications (e.g. people from overseas who thought they were applying for a teaching position).
We also get many other perks, including a full cooked lunch, free tickets to concerts, use of the gym and swimming pool.

 

[Technician Q]

We had to advertise 5 times over a 6-month period to get a biology technician, and we're in the independent sector with slightly higher pay and longer holidays than many state schools. Some rounds we didn't get any applicants, other rounds we had a handful of mostly unsuitable applications (e.g. people from overseas who thought they were applying for a teaching position).
We also get many other perks, including a full cooked lunch, free tickets to concerts, use of the gym and swimming pool.

We had to recruit twice for the last position. There was only one other applicant for my job. I don’t think our pay is above average but we certainly have all the other perks. We’re all second wage earners with kids - except one who keeps applying for better paid positions or ones nearer where they live.

 

[kaj]

I had a supply teacher think I was on £40 grand plus. I nearly fell off my stool. She nearly fell off her stool when I told her how much we were actually on....

 

[CovTech]

I had a supply teacher think I was on £40 grand plus. I nearly fell off my stool. She nearly fell off her stool when I told her how much we were actually on....

Our current "long term" supply teacher is on £250 a day and still complains when they're asked to do a cover over the 12 hours a week they're timetabled for

When the revolution comes, no survivors comrades!

 

[Puds]

Worries me that our HoD & SLT will just take the first person that applies regardless of suitability.

 

[Deleted member 32724]

Our current "long term" supply teacher is on £250 a day and still complains when they're asked to do a cover over the 12 hours a week they're timetabled for

When the revolution comes, no survivors comrades!

There needs to be a re-distribution of pay. There is plenty of money out there in the system, it's just not fairly distributed.
Just asking for more money is a short term, band aid fix which doesn't solve the core issue - too much money to too few people! Despite good intentions, unions do not realize that they are fuelling inflation and making the economy worse in the long run by simply asking for extra money to come out of nowhere. They need to be fighting for the highest paid (eg SLMT, NHS "managers" etc) to take pay cuts and redistribute that same money to the lowest paid (eg technicians, nurses etc). It's all very well and good eventually paying train drivers £80k if you then can't afford cleaning/maintenance staff to keep the station open in the first place...

This will result a fall in inflation as you aren't printing more money to pay those salaries and no higher taxes. The lowest paid will then have extra disposable income to put back into the economy, hence reducing inflation and prices meaning everyone wins. The highest paid will just moan that they took a pay cut (oh well ), but they won't cease to spend (unlike the lowest paid which have no choice, they can't cut back any more!).

Politicians can start by taking a pay cut to set a good example since they are oh so concerned about the struggling masses

Oh well, crony capitalism at its finest.

 

[Mirage]

Our current "long term" supply teacher is on £250 a day and still complains when they're asked to do a cover over the 12 hours a week they're timetabled for

When the revolution comes, no survivors comrades!

Supply teachers get my goat...there's one here who swans around the place and has never acknowledged my presence. I ignore him now. Umpteen times I've nipped into the class he's "teaching" and he's been reading a book and occasionally mumbling stuff to try persuade Tyson to stop pulling poor Chantelle's hair. Money for jam.

He's first.

 

[TDM]

Our current "long term" supply teacher is on £250 a day and still complains when they're asked to do a cover over the 12 hours a week they're timetabled for

When the revolution comes, no survivors comrades!

We had one that would deliberately stay late - because if they 'worked' after a certain time they were paid for their evening meal...

 

[Med Sci]

I worked as a manager of 3 University labs for 18 years. In the early days we would have 40 plus very high quality applicants for a Grade 4 technician role. Over the years the number of applicants got less and less and the quality decreased. I'm in the later stages of my career, run down to retirement, and now work in a school. The pay in many schools is very poor for the skills and knowledge that are required to do the job properly. Not being paid over the holidays must make people think twice about applying for a school technical role.

 

[Puds]

How's everyone doing for applicants lately?
Not a single applicant so far for our Chemistry tech role.

 

[Med Sci]

How's everyone doing for applicants lately?
Not a single applicant so far for our Chemistry tech role.

Where are you based?

 

[Puds]

Where are you based?

North Est London.
We've just got an agency worker in who seems keen so fingers crossed!

 

[Paul]

North Est London.
We've just got an agency worker in who seems keen so fingers crossed!

mine stayed but one job in NE london offered the FT salary for TTO.

 

[Med Sci]

Such a shame that technician's in schools/colleges are very under paid. My opinion, it's because many of the managers in schools don't understand the job or the responsibilities. Universities do pay better and there is a career structure from assistant technician to laboratory manager. A manager can earn 40k+. a grade 5 technician with demonstrating 28k.

 

[Pippa M]

When people post jobs on here, do they get many people applying having seen it? We are loosing a tech in the summer due to family relocation, so just thinking about where I can advertise in addition to the places the school will do automatically. We really struggled to fill vacancies last time.