Nice people thread 2 - now even nicer

LydiaJ

michaels wrote: »

To which the obvious response: 'Working longer than 9-3.30 and more than 40 weeks a year I don't have as much time for reading as I would like.'

Where's the rolling eyes smilie when you want it?

In my experience, the hours in the classroom are less than half the total hours worked. Admittedly, teachers don't generally work the kind of insane hours that investment bankers work, for example, but then we're not paid the insane salaries of investment bankers either.

Yes, the holidays are a big bonus, especially if you have kids yourself, and I personally am exceedingly grateful for them. However, they're not entirely without their drawbacks. I remember being on the discussion forum of a teachers' website and somebody who'd just begun a second career as a teacher innocently asked "There's something happening next month that I want to take time off for. What are the arrangements for taking annual leave in term time?" She wasn't very happy with the answer "You don't get any".

PasturesNew

Teaching's all about picking the right subject:
- something that can have no homework
- something that can have no outside clubs
- something that doesn't really change much/often

I did some teaching once, wrote the syllabus down, went through the 2 books in the cupboard and found the right page numbers. That was the lesson planning done. Then it was just a question of making a tick per syllabus item for each attendee, so when somebody walked into the class and I took the register, it lined up exactly with my "who was here last time/did that bit" list, so I knew what they'd missed and knew how that'd impact what was being done today.

Got a special hand-written "thank you" letter from the Head for increasing the pass marks of the kids - and they all loved the subject, even though they started off just taking it as "a doss". It wasn't a doss with me, but it wasn't hard either.

No homework. No out of school activities. Didn't change much .... although the subject no longer exists now. It was typing.

I used to go in, teach, leave. All marking was done immediately, during class time. As they completed each exercise I marked it individually and went through what the mistakes were and then either got them to do the next exercise, or explained that piece to them again one-to-one.

Class size of 35.

LydiaJ

PasturesNew wrote: »

Teaching's all about picking the right subject:
- something that can have no homework
- something that can have no outside clubs
- something that doesn't really change much/often

I did some teaching once, wrote the syllabus down, went through the 2 books in the cupboard and found the right page numbers. That was the lesson planning done. Then it was just a question of making a tick per syllabus item for each attendee, so when somebody walked into the class and I took the register, it lined up exactly with my "who was here last time/did that bit" list, so I knew what they'd missed and knew how that'd impact what was being done today.

Got a special hand-written "thank you" letter from the Head for increasing the pass marks of the kids - and they all loved the subject, even though they started off just taking it as "a doss". It wasn't a doss with me, but it wasn't hard either.

No homework. No out of school activities. Didn't change much .... although the subject no longer exists now. It was typing.

I used to go in, teach, leave. All marking was done immediately, during class time. As they completed each exercise I marked it individually and went through what the mistakes were and then either got them to do the next exercise, or explained that piece to them again one-to-one.

Class size of 35.

Nice work if you can get it.

PasturesNew

LydiaJ wrote: »

Nice work if you can get it.

It would have been .... typing was only ever a part-time course though. So I was at an age when I needed to be working full-time, yet only working part-time in a way that I couldn't then do other things.

It was two year groups, four classes. So I was there 1-2x a day every day.

Then I did two lots of evening classes too - so that was two evenings.

It was also only a one year contract, and I'd already got myself a full-time job when they asked me to stay on.... they should have discussed it sooner. They offered me a new thing called GCSEs. Could I teach GCSE Business Studies too. Too little, too late. Needed to work full-time to pay the bills.

It was all back in the days of manual typewriters.

Davesnave

LydiaJ wrote: »

Where's the rolling eyes smilie when you want it?

Right here:


....And that's all I'm saying on the subject of teachers' 'long' holidays!;)

vivatifosi

A question for the landlords who hang out hereabouts (I know of at least one ). One of my friends is having problems with the house next door. It has been rented in an ongoing state of deterioration for a few years. The result is that has in the past been let as house shares and has ended up being over-occupied. The current tenants, who are nearing the end of their time there, have said that they will not renew their lease as the heating doesn't work and they've taken it up with the landlord who will not fix it.

My friend, who doesn't hang out on boards like this chatting to landlords and ladies (one could argue he has a life) is worried about the deteriorating state of said house, and consequently the deteriorating state of its tenants.

Surely they shouldn't be able to rent it out without fixing the heating? It doesn't need a CORGI cert as house all electric, but does seem a bit of a con.

LydiaJ

Sorry can't answer your question, viva. If you don't get an answer here, try the house buying, renting etc board. They're good at that sort of thing over there.

In the meantime, here is my latest news:
Progress on buying house 2 continues. I have booked the drain survey, delivered proof of funds to the EA and filled in a form for the solicitor.

Today, house 1 came on the market. I feel kind of weird about it. I would have been very happy to have bought it. I am also very happy to be buying house 2. Prices very similar. These are the only two houses I've really liked in two and a half years, and then they both come available within a few weeks of each other.

House 1 has a bigger garden but less downstairs space indoors, bigger bedrooms 3 & 4 but smaller bedrooms 1 & 2, similar distance to secondary school but down a steep hill whereas the walk to school from house 2 is on the level.

I am not even remotely considering changing my mind, but it feels very odd, nevertheless.

Davesnave

LydiaJ wrote: »

I am not even remotely considering changing my mind, but it feels very odd, nevertheless.

It seems inevitable in this house buying lark that something will come along to complicate one's emotions.

Lostinrates knows that literally days after we put an offer on this place, something rather special came up in a location we knew well.
It would have suited me far better, and involved no serious work, but it was £100k more.:eek:

Being so focused on other things, and with this place 'in the bag', I missed it. In the three or four days it was on the market, we were blithely going about other duties, like whizzing up & down the M5 looking after DD1, who was then having a bit of a crisis. By the time we asked for a viewing, it was under offer.:(

So, I can't advise on this, except to say, be sure you know your own mind and don't worry about offending anyone else. Our house here was a fantastic bargain, and eventually, it will be all we desired, but it was bought with the head, not with the heart. Even now, although we're happy here, I have no way of knowing if I'll be content to see it as our 'forever home.' Something, deep down, tells me there's another, if our health holds out long term.

All the best with your purchase. Being at the end of that long road of endless seeking is a lovely feeling.

silvercar

vivatifosi wrote: »

Surely they shouldn't be able to rent it out without fixing the heating? It doesn't need a CORGI cert as house all electric, but does seem a bit of a con.

If it has heating, the landlord is obliged to keep it in working order.

If the tenants are moving out, this is an ideal time for the landlord to sort out the problems and then rent it for a decent rent to decent tenants. Or upgrade the property and sell it.

lemonjelly

vivatifosi wrote: »

A question for the landlords who hang out hereabouts (I know of at least one ). One of my friends is having problems with the house next door. It has been rented in an ongoing state of deterioration for a few years. The result is that has in the past been let as house shares and has ended up being over-occupied. The current tenants, who are nearing the end of their time there, have said that they will not renew their lease as the heating doesn't work and they've taken it up with the landlord who will not fix it.

My friend, who doesn't hang out on boards like this chatting to landlords and ladies (one could argue he has a life) is worried about the deteriorating state of said house, and consequently the deteriorating state of its tenants.

Surely they shouldn't be able to rent it out without fixing the heating? It doesn't need a CORGI cert as house all electric, but does seem a bit of a con.

In theory, as silvercar says, the LL should repair the heating system.
Arguably, if there is no source of heating in the entire house, the property is uninhabitable, & the environmental health department can get involved & issue an order on the LL to remedy this.

Part of me does think that the LL is waiting for the poor quality tenants to move out before doing the repairs.

Viva, if the tenants/their actions are having an adverse impact on your friends property (ie any damage) a letter from your friends insurer to the LL advising they will seek to recover any losses incurred as a result can frequently work wonders! (Though this is only viable if there is any risk of damage to your friends property).

PM me if you like, I'll be away from a PC from 3.30 until next friday though.