Teaching trots need to get real

The news that every teaching union is to take strike action to defend their generous publicly funded final salary pension scheme is not surprising, but it is futile and insulting to the millions of people who work without complaint on far less generous terms and conditions.

But the far left leadership of the teaching unions will no doubt point to the pressure and importance of the job, along with some headline grabbing below average salary levels (for trainees). But the fact that they get away with this is more a product of the hideously complex, opaque and lengthy terms and conditions issued by government.

You can download the 195 page document here if you are having trouble sleeping, but they seem to suggest the following levels of salary for qualified teachers:

£21,588 - £31,552 (outside London) plus £3-5K for those in London. Teachers salaries increase in £1.5k increments so in just six years they reach the top of the scale.

But they also have something called 'a post threshold scale' - presumably something to guarantee annual payrises for teachers after year six. That would take an 'ordinary' qualified teacher (outside London) from £31,552 to £36,756 in a further three years and to £40-45k in London.

But it doesn't end there...

There are also allowances called 'Teaching and learning responsibility payments' which are made for 'for the purpose of ensuring the continued delivery of high-quality teaching and learning and for which the teacher is made accountable.' Otherwise known as 'doing your job'. These payments range between £2,535 and £12,393.

So nine years after qualification your 'ordinary' classroom teachers could be earning between £39,000 and £49,000 outside London and £47,000 and £59,000 in London.

But it doesn't end there...

There are additional pay scales for 'Advanced skilled teachers' and 'excellent teachers'

Advanced skills teachers get paid between £37,461 and £56,950 outside London and between £40,433 and £64,036 in London.

Excellent teachers are guaranteed between £39,697 and £52,090 outside London and between £43,668 and £60,993 in London.

Oh and pay scales are 'safeguarded' even if the responsibilities for which they are paid end.

Of course teachers may get promoted. Head teachers salary scales start at £42,379 outside London and finish at a shade over £100k. Within London they start at £45,351 and finish at nearly £112,200

Teachers pay 6.4% and their employers (you and me) 14% of their salaries into their pension scheme.

I'm sure they will get a sympathetic hearing from the millions of private sector workers who have taken a pay cut in recent years, lost their jobs or have to make do with a contribution based pension scheme. The day they will take off work to look after their kids while the teachers are indulging in trotskyite fantasies will come out of their 20 day holiday entitlement - assuming they are still in a job.