Another sign of Teaching Council incompetence

sitstill

I received my renewal form today. In fact, I received two. As I was about to put one in the bin, thinking it was a duplicate, I read the two of them.

Both of the forms had my name, address, registration number and payroll number.

However, one had the correct school name, address and roll number and the other had the details of a different school, down in Cork that I have never heard of.

This is a serious enough issue because I think it poses questions about the treatment of sensitive information such as employment details in the TC office.

I rang them to query the situation, but of course it fell on deaf ears. I was told it "was just an office error" and to destroy the form with the wrong details. But my concerns about the treatment of sensitive information were ignored.

Moral of the story I guess is to check and double-check any documents you receive from them.

TheDriver

to be fair, you got a form with a wrong school on it, thats not sensitive information. I would be far more concerned if someone got a form with your details on it. And your moral goes for every form you ever sign, always always read and check every form.

Just seems to me that as much as I don't like the TC, people are jumping down their throats about everything including a small insignificant mistake. Just look up your name on google and I am sure your school will pop up very quickly and most likely under ratemyteachers

sitstill

Yes but my point is, that while this was not extremely sensitive information, it poses questions about the haphazard way they are obviously dealing with teacher's information and thus the potentially serious consequences which that could have.

TheDriver

I see your point but you can go online and look up a teachers name and see if they are registered and also tells you the school they are in.
Lots of offices make boo boos are some stage e.g. bord gais and the laptops and this example sounds like very low error and no real evidence that the office staff can't get their work done

rainbowtrout

It could also be that when the admin staff puts in a roll number into a computer to generate a form all the details of the school come up and they entered a roll number in error on one form so you got two different sets of details.

We would be the first to defend our integrity and professionalism when correcting the state exams (which I am doing now), yet mistakes do happen as can be seen from the appeals every year. Admin staff in this office are no different.

Now if it was the situation I was in 2 years ago setting up my AVC, I'd be more than annoyed. My AVC plan was sent to another teacher's address (teacher is in my school) and when I opened it and read the plan it had half of my financial details on it and half the details from a third teacher in my school. Now that's incompetence.

drusk

Ah for God's sake, would ya relax!! No need to get all hot and bothered over a clerical error.

The information was not dangerous, and it did not fall into the hands of a dangerous third party!

Btw I, like many of us, believe the TC is a waste of time and money.

Tigerandahalf

I would echo the concerns about the teaching council. For me they have very quickly turned into a body that teachers despise. We are only talking about a very small amount of teachers (NQTs in general) that are dealing with them yet the feedback is v negative. I have found their attitude and approach in dealing with teachers very bad. They are meant to be representatives and promoters of the teaching profession...but for who?Their approach recently to withdraw people's registrations (if they don't pay their renewal) and make them submit all their forms again, is pathetic politics. It would be better for them to recognise and deal with the concerns that teachers have. It would be in their interest now to start setting up relations with other teaching councils abroad so that the many unemployed teachers thinking of emigrating would be able to get recognition in other countries quickly and without excessive expense. All they have done so far is put obstacles and barriers in teachers' paths.

Feeded

sitstill wrote: »

I received my renewal form today. In fact, I received two. As I was about to put one in the bin, thinking it was a duplicate, I read the two of them.

Both of the forms had my name, address, registration number and payroll number.

However, one had the correct school name, address and roll number and the other had the details of a different school, down in Cork that I have never heard of.

This is a serious enough issue because I think it poses questions about the treatment of sensitive information such as employment details in the TC office.

I rang them to query the situation, but of course it fell on deaf ears. I was told it "was just an office error" and to destroy the form with the wrong details. But my concerns about the treatment of sensitive information were ignored.

Moral of the story I guess is to check and double-check any documents you receive from them.

Hi sitstill...(love the username by the way)

i didn't renew my membership with them this year - to be honest, i forgot.

they sent me a registered letter and informed me that if i didn't cough up the €100, i would be removed from the register.

I still haven't registered. I still haven't received the letter indicating my removal from the register. That was back in May.

If it's compulsary payment, why don't they take it from source??????

It really bugs me.....:mad:

spurious

The fact that they managed to send you a letter, no doubt on fancy paper and in two languages, means you 'are' on a register of some sort. You just haven't paid up to date fees. If the issue is whether or not you are registered as qualified to be a teacher, you are.

You would not be alone in not having paid. The sky has not fallen in.

rainbowtrout

Feeded wrote: »

If it's compulsary payment, why don't they take it from source??????

It really bugs me.....:mad:

Because not every teacher that is registered has a job.

TheDriver

Its not officially signed into law yet hence why they can't make you be a member/stop your pay etc. The only tricks I have seen is if you want to go for a job or go for promotion or claim expenses from the Dept, you need to be a member.
It would concern me that when it eventually is signed into law, they could hang people out the dry who haven't rejoined.

gaeilgegrinds1

I wonder could it be like the unions with out-of-membership fees having to be paid up?

mrboswell

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Because not every teacher that is registered has a job.

Then you should only have to pay if you have a job - simple