Teacher strike

patchwork_cat

jackieblack wrote: »

No it's not!
People living longer and therefore drawing their pensions for far longer than ever before, even if the age of retirement is extended, is part of the problem!

Yes it is when I started working my retirement age was 60, now it is 67 I am not going to live any longer than I would otherwise have done , so my retirement is getting shorter.

lostinrates

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Yes it is when I started working my retirement age was 60, now it is 67 I am not going to live any longer than I would otherwise have done , so my retirement is getting shorter.

I don't know how these stats work so had a google and indeed it seems life stats are recorded as changed over the course of a lifetime if not terribly dramatically. e.g.

e.g.http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health4/life-expec-at-birth-age-65/2004-06-to-2008-10/statistical-bulletin.html

greenbee

lostinrates wrote: »

apologies for a missread. I genuinely missread and thought it said no compassionate leave. I'm very happy to accept that was wrong of me.

Some organisations offer dependence or carers leave in addition to annual leave, sick leave and compassionate leave. One of my ex-employers even offered leave for voluntary work - I had 5 days a year to use as a school governor. Now I work for a US company, and although we get more benefitd in the UK than the US employees, we get considerably less than many UK companies or public sector.

As for pensions - yes, we're all living longer, so even if we work longer, we'll have longer retirements than we would have expected when we started work (or at least longer than the statisticians expected... I don't suppose we thought about it that much when we started working). I have numerous pensions from various different jobs, and don't expect to see another final salary pension, so try to make the most if what I can get.

As far as I can work out, if we're going to have to work longer, then we need to look at how we can manage it. I can't imagine wanting to work full time in my 60s, and I certainly can't imagine having to deal with a class full of kids on a daily basis. So a final salary pension doesn't seem that appealing ... Career average pensions at least allow for variations in earning at different times of life for those who stay in the same pension system throughout their careers. Sadly that doesn't apply to me, so I'll have to make the most of the defined contribution schemes that are likely to be the only option available to ne from now on.

lostinrates

greenbee wrote: »

Some organisations offer dependence or carers leave in addition to annual leave, sick leave and compassionate leave. One of my ex-employers even offered leave for voluntary work - I had 5 days a year to use as a school governor. Now I work for a US company, and although we get more benefitd in the UK than the US employees, we get considerably less than many UK companies or public sector.

As for pensions - yes, we're all living longer, so even if we work longer, we'll have longer retirements than we would have expected when we started work (or at least longer than the statisticians expected... I don't suppose we thought about it that much when we started working). I have numerous pensions from various different jobs, and don't expect to see another final salary pension, so try to make the most if what I can get.

As far as I can work out, if we're going to have to work longer, then we need to look at how we can manage it. I can't imagine wanting to work full time in my 60s, and I certainly can't imagine having to deal with a class full of kids on a daily basis. So a final salary pension doesn't seem that appealing ... Career average pensions at least allow for variations in earning at different times of life for those who stay in the same pension system throughout their careers. Sadly that doesn't apply to me, so I'll have to make the most of the defined contribution schemes that are likely to be the only option available to ne from now on.

I think the issue i the private sector, such as your employer, i incredibly variable. e.g. my dh's employers are also a US company and he gets far more time to do pro bono work, but is epecte to work over time when needed unpaid. More like your employers though, the other benefits are minimal ; employer pension contributions are very minimal, he is expected pretty much to make provitions to what best suits his personal situation and decide that himself.

jackieblack

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Yes it is when I started working my retirement age was 60, now it is 67 I am not going to live any longer than I would otherwise have done , so my retirement is getting shorter.

But pension scheme projections are not planned around individuals, they are based on average life expectancy (which has increased, hence the need for changes).
You couldn't possibly have a scheme where they project everyone's individual life expectancy and then calculate individual premiums accordingly.

patchwork_cat

lostinrates wrote: »

I don't know how these stats work so had a google and indeed it seems life stats are recorded as changed over the course of a lifetime if not terribly dramatically. e.g.

e.g.http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health4/life-expec-at-birth-age-65/2004-06-to-2008-10/statistical-bulletin.html

I suppose that will be modern medicine.

lostinrates

patchwork_cat wrote: »

I suppose that will be modern medicine.

I think ''wealth''and lifestyle changes probably inflence too (for better and worse.) On the personal basis (rather than the more relevant statistical) we also have chages. e.g. at 21 I thought I'd live longer than average, at 24 I wasn't meant to make 25 and now every day is received gratefully and I hope not too ambitiously I think :Dto see dh retire in a few decades:)

patchwork_cat

jackieblack wrote: »

But pension scheme projections are not planned around individuals, they are based on average life expectancy (which has increased, hence the need for changes).
You couldn't possibly have a scheme where they project everyone's individual life expectancy and then calculate individual premiums accordingly.

I am quite aware of that and I am not talking about pension schemes I am talking about state pension and retirement age.

jackieblack

patchwork_cat wrote: »

I am quite aware of that and I am not talking about pension schemes I am talking about state pension and retirement age.

Fair enough, admittedly that's not how I read it.
As this thread is about the teachers strike, and the teachers are striking over changes to their pension scheme, I assumed your were referring to that.

SingleSue

Bufger wrote: »

One day makes no noticable effect to a childs education. My parents took me out of secondary school during term time for a whole month for a tour of America. I took some school work with me and I still wasnt far behind the class when i got back and i considered myself average (got C's and D's at GCSE but now have a degree and a high earning job).

If you're that worried you can still make their day educational. You could even disguise it as fun if you wanted to put a bit of effort in :T

Its not only teachers that teach

I do teach them at home too, it is one of the reasons why my middle son is in the able, gifted and talented group at school and is top set for everything.

I've been doing fun educational things with them since they were babies, the boys say I am the only parent they know who actually managed to make the Woolworths shutting down sale into a maths lesson! :rotfl:

They don't really do the learning through play anymore...they are 13, 15 and 18. It tends to be more learning through technology and life experience, even a trip to Tesco's is a learning experience.

My arguement is that schools are always telling a parent that to take their child out of school for a few days is detrimental to their education, yet here they are striking and saying that it will not be detrimental as it is only a couple of days in a year...it doesn't add up I am afraid.

My other concern is that this is just the start and it may get to the point where enough lesson hours have not been covered to reach the standard to do the higher papers...this is what happened to my year in the strikes back in the 80's, a whole load of our O levels were scrapped as not enough classroom hours had been taught and we then had to do CSE's in those subjects. This is where their future lives could be impacted.

*My parents always took us on holiday during term time and it did us no harm whatsoever, I was the top student in 3rd year high school with straight A's in the end of year exams but I tend to observe rules a little more than they did and just cannot go against the home/school agreement.