Anyone work for a school/local Council?

doodoot

Hi guys, need a bit of help/info.

I started working for a school a couple of months ago and still haven't received a contract or written statement.

I've been receiving pay and have wage slips from the Council, and have also received my certificate for the LGPS so I know for definite that I'm employed!

For the last couple of weeks before school broke up I kept asking at work for my written statement or contract and was told that the Council are slow to send them out...but they have now gone over the time limit for a written statement.

I rang the local Town Hall yesterday to attempt to talk to someone who can shed any light but the switchboard had no idea who to put me through to...I could kick myself for not asking at work for the number before the school holidays began!

Does anyone here have any idea which department I should contact at the Council?

(And please don't bother posting that I should have badgered before school broke up, as I did...a lot!)

TIA xx

marybelle01

Depnding on how your Council is structured, it will either be Childrens Services or Educational Services HR (they may not be called exactly that - every council seems to call them something slightly different, or structure them slightly different). And some councils contract this type of service, but HR is the place to start. And it also may not be them! Schools are really complicated these days, and qualifying for membership of the LGPS or getting wage slips from the council doesn't actually mean that the council is the employer - they may process these things on behalf of the employer, which could be the school! I would say that in my experience, but obviously that only means the councils I know, it is actually very rare that the contract isn't sent out before someone starts, and even rarer that they haven't got it by 12 weeks after! In all the ones that I deal with (not schools - social services) they are sent before someone takes up their post. It may well be that if it is the councils job to send then out, it isn't them that is slow - if the school sends in the paperwork for an appointment late then that can cause delays too! The paperwork for contracts is not usually/always the same paperwork for starting a salary payment and they go to different departments (at least in my experience) so just because one set of papers got to the right place doesn't mean the others did!

Pont

LA's are notoriously slow in getting contracts posted out - contact the Councils's HR department. You could try laying it on a bit thick by saying that you need your contract urgently as you have to forward a copy to your mortgage company/bank etc.

Wonderful100

I agree they're very slow in doing anything. Is there not a payroll contact number on your payslips?

Failing that it's the childrens and young peoples services department that I ask to be put through to at our council offices.

I hope this helps a little.

gibson123

Lot of changes in Council's at the moment, particularly with T&C of employment, so yes there is likely to be a serious backlog. Have you received an offer letter, offering you the job, if yes then the person who signed the letter is who you should contact.

doodoot

Thank you for the replies - they are most helpful! :T

To say that I'm shocked by the whole process of getting this job is an understatement, as I expected it to be very professional.

I didn't receive a written offer, wasn't told anything about holidays/pay spine/inset days etc...just a case of 'see you on Monday and you will be shadowing Mrs X until your CRB comes through'. :cool:

It wasn't until I got my 1st pay slip that I knew for definite what my wages are.

Shall get on to payroll on Monday and ask them for the number for HR.

Thanks again xxx:beer:

thegirlintheattic

It can take ages! It took 2 months for my written offer to come through (I'd already started working at that point) and another two months for my contract. When I got a new job in the same school it took 2 months for a contract to come through.

There is still admin staff at school during the holidays. Try calling around 10 or 11. If not, it's usually HR at the council and use the payroll number on your payslip.

nimbo

my sister got a 2 term contract and the paper copy didn't arrive until the end of the second term....

Just call switch board for the council, and ask for HR...

LE3

you need to talk to HR, BUT I expect they will pass you back to whoever does HR at the school. I work in a school & didn't get a contract till after my 6 month probationary period was up - it became a joke with me asking when I'd get it on a regular basis!

Savvy_Sue

I was going to ask why you needed it, but if you didn't get a written offer either and don't know all you need about your holidays, then that's a valid reason!

You say it's passed the time limit, but there's actually little penalty for not issuing it within the time limit. IF you end up going to an employment tribunal, then the financial penalty (if you're successful) may be increased if they failed to issue this within the time limit, but that's about it ...