Summer holiday fun on the cheap for teachers?

mumblingtaff

Hi
I'm sure I'm not the only teacher here?
The holidays can be a real financial drain on parents but teachers also have a lot of time on their hands in the holidays (when they're not marking, planning etc) and many of us don't have a lot of spare cash to fill the days with endless shopping trips and jollies to the sun.

So, I wondered whether any clever DFWers out there could suggest activities, trips out or general time fillers for a hard up but overworked and overtired teacher?

I'm the least creative person in the world (scientist!) so any suggestions are welcome!

ellesbellesxxx

I head to the library and stock up on books... Ones I have been meaning to read all term and some light reading for in the garden in the sun

sidefx

You earn enough to afford a last minute break. Even in the school holidays these can be found.

I do hope you are not asking for sympathy about having to endure all the holidays you have?

Whilst I know teaching isn't easy, the holidays teachers get are somewhat recompense.

Have a look on lastminute.com and find yourself a bargain

sazaccount

Hi,

Depending where you are there's normally lots of free local activities going on, eg if you want to get a bit fitter than there is weekly parkrun's going on in most places: http://www.parkrun.com/ my friend has 2 little ones one who she pushes in the push chair and the other who goes around on a little scooter or bike. They have people of all fitnesses from walking the 5k up!!

Could you get another job? if your in a tourist area bar work etc

or take ellesbellesxxx, advise and stock up on those books that you've wanted to read for a while, take a blanket and packed lunch/drinks and head to the local park

Window shopping noting down what you want instead of buying it (self control is needed though :eek:)

Look at the local trains and you might be able to get a bargin to your local city or London have a day wondering around or I'm an earth science geek so I like having a walk looking at the local rock formations and try to remember my uni geology (a bit sad I know lo :ol)

You could try doing on line surveys to build up vouchers for a shopping trip, I'm not so good at them but I know others on here who have made a bit. Having a mass clear out of your house and sell bits on facebook, ebay, gumtree etc, I personally prefer facebook as at my parents they have very well established bidding groups who are well managed, theirs no fees and buyer collects.

Check out the no spend days challenge threads for more ideas

Or my final and my personal favourite for days off is: washing and chilling out binge watching TV shows lazy I know but when I only have 1 night off a week Sleep and not doing much are my top priories lol

peaceandfreedom

mumblingtaff wrote: »

Hi
I'm sure I'm not the only teacher here?
The holidays can be a real financial drain on parents but teachers also have a lot of time on their hands in the holidays (when they're not marking, planning etc) and many of us don't have a lot of spare cash to fill the days with endless shopping trips and jollies to the sun.

So, I wondered whether any clever DFWers out there could suggest activities, trips out or general time fillers for a hard up but overworked and overtired teacher?

I'm the least creative person in the world (scientist!) so any suggestions are welcome!

Well it all depends on what you're interested in because everyone has different ideas about what constitutes a good day out. It also depends where you live and how much you are prepared to spend on travelling places.

If I were lucky enough to have so much holidays I would never be short of stuff to do and it would have to be cheap/free because I am on a mission to become debt-free. For all excursions I would bring my own refreshments, though perhaps I would splash out on a proper coffee occasionally.

I live in hilly countryside, great for walking and biking so I would do a lot of that (I do anyway). I would bring along a flask, some snacks and maybe a book and spend peaceful hours away from it all. Sounds like you could do with similar down-time, far from the madding crowd .

I would also:

• Research things like old churches / houses / museums / gardens / other places of interest and visit those - many have free entry.
• Just visit other towns and stroll about, research the place first to see what might be interesting to visit. Particularly seaside towns, always makes me feel like I'm on holidays.
• Go to London several times. Love just wandering about the city and a lot of museums / galleries have free entry.
• Read a LOT of books, just lying out in the back garden on a sunny day.
• Probably do a bit of decorating indoors, not because I want to but because it would be too good an opportunity to waste.
• Consider getting some kind of part-time work over the holidays if I were VERY hard up.
• Embark on an exercise regime, a bit of cardio and a bit of weight-training, a LOT of walking.
• Go to some outdoor cinema nights (not free though).
• Splash some cash on visiting some wildlife centres because I really enjoy that kind of thing.
• Go on a mad house declutter, revamp my wardrobe, chuck out a load of old tat (plan to do that anyway this summer) .
• Weed the garden to within an inch of its life .

That's just the sort of stuff I'd do if I were a free agent and had the whole summer to do as I please. Makes me kind of wish I do now .

mumblingtaff

Thank you all for the great suggestions. Lots that I hadn't thought of and are definitely worth a go.
Really grateful for the advice xx

thegreenone

I used to work in admin at a secondary school and, sidefx, you don't have a clue nor would you last a week as a teacher. Teaching doesn't start at 8.50am and finish at 3.30pm. 7.30am to 6pm was normal plus very little time off at half-term; in for the first and last weeks of the summer holidays with extra days for those teaching GCSE and A level for results. So if you add up two weeks at Christmas, two weeks'ish at Easter and two weeks plus a few days in the summer, it's not that much more than any other job. The last time I worked in industry I got five weeks leave.


I liked peaceandfreedom's advice until the last sentence!


Please do look at last minute bargains for city breaks and try booking through topcashback to hotels.com. They are slow paying out but worth it. Once you've booked ten nights you get one free. Also nectar points can be used to pay for easyjet flights.

bexster1975

There's always lots of non teachers looking for the opportunity to do a bit of teacher holiday bashing!!!

Makes me laugh, please step on up we have a teaching shortage in lots of subjects especially science and maths. I'm leaving after ten years of it. If one of the " easy life" brigade want my job - I will pass your details into my headteacher :rotfl:

Bexster

bexster1975

In terms of your question OP, what are your hobbies? Getting out and about in your own county needn't be costly and there are loads of beautiful places in the UK especially if we have a lovely summer.
I'm surprised you have too much time to worry, what with new AS specifications starting in September in science, including new assessment of practical skills, draft specs of the new GCSE sciences just released ready for teaching sept 2016 which will need to begin planning in the hols as when during a teaching week is there? Evaluation of your present ks3 provision and if year 9 do GCSEs at your place what you will teach from sept as we don't yet know how much of it will be relevant for the exam they will be taking in year 11 as the specification for that isn't finalised yet, nor is likely to bpe before Christmas ( so that's next summer holiday sorted!!) this is before you review where you are at with exam classes, go into school on results days, collate results and evaluate the exam results at AS A2 and GCSE. I'm barely getting started by the way for all those education experts ( I can't imagine you all want to be viewed with the same know it all disdain teachers generally reserve for MPs).

I hope you manage to get a rest OP, for my part I will be out of it by the time we enter 2016 having a rest running my own business!!

Bexster

Fireflyaway

How about a volunteering holiday? You can volunteer with many different causes and pay a small fee for the accommodation.

National Trust do lots of this type of thing. You spend some time helping out but they often reward you with activities such as surfing or even hand gliding.

mumblingtaff

Thanks again for all of the responses.

Bexter - all of those work things are in my summer plans - I've already done quite a bit of work on the new year 9 spec and we don't have a 6th form at the moment but there's still tons to be done. I'm a head of faculty so the jobs are never ending....
I just want to have a day or two off a week (currently work 7 days a week) and needed some inspiration!

Good luck with your new non-teaching life. Just out of interest are you staying in the education field?