Teaching Assistants-Sex Discrimination?

vwelsh13

I think there's few men because basically its s**T pay! I am qualified to nvq 4 and my last job was 37hrs a week for less than £13 000

owlet

My husband is a teaching assistant (we both are). When he started, some years ago, he was one of two. There are about 5 now but are still in the minority (over 100 TAs in our school). Luckily, our outgoings are small because the pay is rubbish! I think this is mainly why there are so few male TAs, the pay is nowhere near enough to support a family, without taking a second job in the evenings and at weekends.

mandragora_2

We have two.

socks_uk

I think traditionally women apply for TA jobs because of the work hours as many TAs had children of school age. The wage per hour is not actually low at all... it's the pro-rata side of things that 'dilutes' the salary. If a TA job was a 37.5 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, our wage packets would be fairly reasonable. There aren't that many jobs where there are enforced unpaid 8 weeks holidays!

Indecently, a few months ago a representative from one of the Unions came into school and told us about the (then) government wanted TAs to be paid all year round BUT they would then be expected to run clubs and playschemes throughout the holidays. I've not heard any more since the new coalition government came in. Back to the subject of male TAs, most men, but not all of course, need a full-time job to support their family. Our primary school has 2 male and (about) 25 female TAs! It's easier to count the men! lol We have 550(ish) children!

KimYeovil

Yes, there is a lot of discrimination - male applicants are treated far more favourably than female applicants.

KiKi

Paranoid wrote: »

This really is a sad and bigoted reply.

I'm very sure s/he was joking.

There's a slight irony here. You've posted because you think people might believe the worst of men wanting to be TAs, and yet you are believing the worst in the poster who commented...

You are living up to your name, Paranoid!

KiKi

jackieblack

socks_uk wrote: »

I think traditionally women apply for TA jobs because of the work hours as many TAs had children of school age.

I think this is true, school hour/term time jobs are obviously far more convenient when you have school age children, however the nature of the job has changed considerably over the last few years, and with all the new training/qualifications it is being seen more as a career choice.

socks_uk wrote: »

The wage per hour is not actually low at all... it's the pro-rata side of things that 'dilutes' the salary. If a TA job was a 37.5 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, our wage packets would be fairly reasonable.

Maybe it depends where you work, and what you consider low?

Average TA pay in a village primary school is not enough for a family breadwinner to support a family on (based on the 'living wage' calculations of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation) even on 37.5 hours a week, 52 weeks a year.

socks_uk wrote: »

There aren't that many jobs where there are enforced unpaid 8 weeks holidays!

That's true, but for those with children who've taken the job because of the convenience of working school hours it's alot simpler (and cheaper) than having to sort out childcare for the duration of the school holidays.

Person_one

vwelsh13 wrote: »

I think there's few men because basically its s**T pay! I am qualified to nvq 4 and my last job was 37hrs a week for less than £13 000

But its ok for women to work for s**t pay?

nzmegs

Most "traditional" female roles tend to be poorly paid. men don't go into those roles because they don't have the same restrictions that women get lumbered with ie: having to work around school times and holidays or needing to do part time as they care for relatives. men can choose to do better paid jobs, women have less choice. this amounts to discrimination.

the sooner men realise that they need to take 50% responsibility for the care of children and the government offers half the maternity leave to men, then the sooner we will see a balance in the numbers of men taking on jobs which are currently left to the women. oh and the pay will increase too probably.

traditional female jobs also need to be viewed as being more worthwhile. people see being a teaching assistant as being a "little job on the side" for "the wife". Inconsequential and unimportant. This view needs to be challenged at the highest level.

jackieblack

Person_one wrote: »

But its ok for women to work for s**t pay?

No, of course it isn't, but for some women with school age children, the convenience of term time/school hours working outweighs the low pay.