Those overpaid teachers…

This is an item I came across online that amused me and felt it should be reproduced. I imagine and hope that all of us can remember at least one inspirational teacher, probably rather more. As in all things, people are people and some are far better at their work than others. No single profession or group are all good or all bad. However I have come to deeply respect teachers over the years and they have had more than their fair share of mountains to climb. So here is a piece that I am reposting in response to criticism that is seriously misplaced.

Are you sick of highly paid teachers?

Teachers’ hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year! It’s time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do -babysit! We can get that for less than minimum wage. That’s right. Let’s give them £5.93 an hour and only the hours they work; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be £41.51 a day (8.30 am to 3:30 PM with 30 min. off for lunch and play –that equals 7 1/2 hours).

 

Babysitting Service

Each parent could pay £41.51 a day for these teachers to babysit their children. Now how many children do they teach in a day…32? So that’s £41.51 x 32 = £1328.32 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any holidays .LET’S SEE…. That’s £1328.32 X 180= £239,097.60 per year.

Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries. What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master’s degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage (£6.90), and just to be fair, round it off to £7.00 an hour. That would be £7.00 X 7 1/2 hours X 32 children X 180 days = £302,400.00 per year. Wait a minute –there’s something wrong here! There sure is! The average teacher’s salary (nationwide) is £25,000.00/180 days = £138.90 per day/ 32 children = £4.34 / 7 1/2 hours = £0.58 per hour per student–a very inexpensive babysitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!!

(from a post online)

In support of teachers

Whilst it is true that teachers have half-term and end of term breaks. It is grossly unfair and misleading to assume that they have lots of time off. The increased testing and micro management implemented over the years by successive “we know best” Governments has essentially replaced a lot of teaching with a lot of form filling. Something that the bueracrats are attempting to introduce everywhere with their obsession about “outcomes”.

The reposted story above assumes a very unusual day. I am unhappy to report that I know a great many teachers who work at least 12 hours a day often 6 days a week. They are exhausted. This is the experience from top to bottom across the age spectrum.

I appreciate that the reposted story is only one way of considering the numbers. There are many costs in running a school, not simply the cost of each teacher.

Let me pose a question. If we actually believe the experts who tell us that the formative years are the most important to “personhood” which has a life-long impact on citizenship, the ability to be part of a community that thinks and acts beyond self; shouldn’t we be investing in children and those that inspire and encourage them for the greater good. After all, these children will grow up to one day govern, pose and vote on laws about social policy, including whether you are cared for or dispatched early to make way for the new (which makes more “economic sense”).

Of course the same could be said of many aspects of our “State employees” – doctors, nurses, firemen, police and so on. The constant undervaluing and bogus attempts to apply market values to everything is utterly flawed.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email info@solomonsifa.co.uk