People say that politicians are out of touch? I think that the 10% pay rise demanded by teachers shows a far worse case of being out of touch than the comparatively meagre pay rise afforded to MPs. The teachers union NUT has demanded at 10% rise or a 3,000 Pound rise whichever one is greater. Their alleged reason for this is that teachers are going abroad because of the low pay. But is that really the case?
It certainly appears that teachers are moving abroad. But is this really down to the low pay? The average pay for teachers is 33,000 Pounds. This, together with public sector pensions and the far longer holidays afforded to teachers, seems to be high enough in order to be able to perform a job which, although difficult, is no more difficult than others of a similar pay grade in the private sector.
So why are teachers moving abroad? It seems that a far more reasonable explanation for the movement of these teachers might be the excessive target setting and the large amount of top down testing that takes place in this country. Add this to a letigious mindset that prevents teachers from taking any action to stop their being attacked or harrassed, and it is understandable that teachers might want a change of culture.
But a 10% pay increase? Come off it.
Posted by Will Stobart 