RPT vs Fixed-term Contract

Caiseoipe19

Just wondering, what the difference between an RPT and fixed-term contract is?

I applied for a job which was advertised as an RPT and in the interview I think, but am not certain it was referred to as an RPT post. I got offered the job but in the letter from the principal it states:
"I am happy to offer you...the RPT/Fixed Term post as teacher of Maths. The post is a fixed term contract of one year..."

The vacancy came about from a career break. I was just a bit confused how it is referred to both types and wondering is this use of the term fixed-term significent?

Inspector Coptoor

It's one year fixed term.
The teacher you are replacing wont be getting paid while on career break so you'll be getting paid from Sept 1st to Aug 31st next year.

You'll probably be told in Feb/March with a letter from the BOM that your contract will expire on Aug 31st & you will be given an indication if the teacher in career break is coming back or not.

rainbowtrout

RPT because it is for one year, but Fixed Term because it's not a vacant position , it's a career break and the teacher is due back next year.

Teachers can only apply for one year at a time for career break. If the teacher wants a second year he/she can apply again during the coming academic year and if it's approved there would be another year's contract available more than likely. But if they come back after a year the job will no longer exist.

Caiseoipe19

Thanks, that makes sense. Here's hoping she'll enjoy the time off and decide to retire well so!

marilynhappy

Thanks for asking this- I'm just wondering so- (and sorry if this is obvious/already been answered)

Basically if you see an ad where it says "RPT" contract -does this usually mean they are your own hours (and you are not covering anybody else? Do these have more potential to turn into something long-term than, say, a temporary fixed term contract?

Is fixed-term, on the other hand, usually a cover of somebody else's hours?

Can schools advertise CID posts or Permanent Posts (or does this just never happen?) Are they not allowed to do so or do these jobs just not come up very often?

Grateful to anyone who can help! I should probably know the answers to all these questions by now, but I'd love some clarity on the question of how you might now whether a job is more long-term or not, from the way it is advertised...

teacherhead

marilynhappy wrote: »

Thanks for asking this- I'm just wondering so- (and sorry if this is obvious/already been answered)

Basically if you see an ad where it says "RPT" contract -does this usually mean they are your own hours (and you are not covering anybody else? Do these have more potential to turn into something long-term than, say, a temporary fixed term contract?

Is fixed-term, on the other hand, usually a cover of somebody else's hours?

Can schools advertise CID posts or Permanent Posts (or does this just never happen?) Are they not allowed to do so or do these jobs just not come up very often?

Grateful to anyone who can help! I should probably know the answers to all these questions by now, but I'd love some clarity on the question of how you might now whether a job is more long-term or not, from the way it is advertised...

RPR is regular part time. That is not (usually) full hours and regular as in not subbing day by day etc.

They may or may not be fixed term. Fixed term is a confusing term. It means that a contract is for a specific length of time. Most contracts, are like this except for CID and pwt. That is all. The reason for the hours becoming available is irrelevant.

Specific purpose contracts will be for a defined reason, career break etc. This should be written into the contract as an objective ground for not offering you a CID.

Usually it will say in an ad if the job is maternity leave etc, although sometimes some hours can be a jobshare say and some can be standalone hours.

Theres s girl.in my school atm with 22 hours. 11 are jobshare - she will never benefit from these in a CID unless the.jobshare teacher leaves, the others are for a teacher on career break, again she may never benefit from these as both are for a specific purpose.

rainbowtrout

marilynhappy wrote: »

Can schools advertise CID posts or Permanent Posts (or does this just never happen?) Are they not allowed to do so or do these jobs just not come up very often?

Grateful to anyone who can help! I should probably know the answers to all these questions by now, but I'd love some clarity on the question of how you might now whether a job is more long-term or not, from the way it is advertised...

Everything teacherhead said and CIDs/Permanent can be advertised but no school is going down that road of making a teacher permanent straight off. They are only legally obliged to make a person CID after four years, actually you have to be starting your fifth year with them to get CID. They can let you go after four years if they want. So if hours get cut, you could find yourself out the door, if they made you permanent they couldn't do that. Typically schools are not awarding CIDs until they have to.

vamos!

I was caught thinking that RPT hours were 'mine'. The job was advertised RPT with no mention of fixed term or career break. At the time I thought it was horribly misleading but is it actually the norm? I remember being furious that there was no mention of the career break in the interview

rainbowtrout

vamos! wrote: »

I was caught thinking that RPT hours were 'mine'. The job was advertised RPT with no mention of fixed term or career break. At the time I thought it was horribly misleading but is it actually the norm? I remember being furious that there was no mention of the career break in the interview

Are you in a job that is currently covering a career break? They should have said it to you in the interview. At least then you would know it was more than likely only for the year.

The name of the contract is still valid, it's one year contract, the hours are yours for the year but there is just no guarantee that they will have hours for you after the contract expires. All RPT contracts are like that, only the ones that are not covering career breaks have a better chance of being kept on as they weren't covering hours that were someone else's in the first place.

vamos!

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Are you in a job that is currently covering a career break? They should have said it to you in the interview. At least then you would know it was more than likely only for the year.

The name of the contract is still valid, it's one year contract, the hours are yours for the year but there is just no guarantee that they will have hours for you after the contract expires. All RPT contracts are like that, only the ones that are not covering career breaks have a better chance of being kept on as they weren't covering hours that were someone else's in the first place.

I didn't take the job. I got a very bad feeling from it all and thought it was very underhanded so decided to take less hours elsewhere. I would never have applied for a career break. I have since seen sense and am currently covering a career break. 22 hours for a year is better for me than 8 hours that may or may not exist the year after.

rainbowtrout

vamos! wrote: »

I didn't take the job. I got a very bad feeling from it all and thought it was very underhanded so decided to take less hours elsewhere. I would never have applied for a career break. I have since seen sense and am currently covering a career break. 22 hours for a year is better for me than 8 hours that may or may not exist the year after.

Very true. Also while some people do only take the 1 year break, some do extend it or hours can come up in the school which can then form part of a new contract for you when the teacher comes back off their break. One teacher I work with came in on a maternity leave starting in September, he was there for the year as the teacher took unpaid maternity to get her to the end of the school year. Another teacher of the same subject left at the end of the year and the principal offered this guy the hours. He's been kept on again this year for his third year with us. Sometimes you can get lucky and I would say his position looks 'relatively' secure now, barring any major disaster with allocations.

marilynhappy

Hi, thanks Teacherhead, Vamos and Rainbowtrout, that actually helps a lot. I suppose really, so, there are no indicators in job ads as to whether jobs are going to definitely lead to something. Hmmm so, really, it's a bit of a lottery, going for or taking certain jobs and you just don't know what the long term outlook might be. Vamos, I was interested to hear your story about the job and hours and how you thought the job might have been more longterm than a career break, at first. This is immensely annoying, but I suppose your point about taking a longer contract, even if it covers a career break, is well made.

I've seen permanent jobs advertised (once in a blue moon, I should say) but I've seen a very small handful in the past few years. It is impossible to know if they are, in fact, permanent so.
Thanks for the help

rainbowtrout

marilynhappy wrote: »

Hi, thanks Teacherhead, Vamos and Rainbowtrout, that actually helps a lot. I suppose really, so, there are no indicators in job ads as to whether jobs are going to definitely lead to something. Hmmm so, really, it's a bit of a lottery, going for or taking certain jobs and you just don't know what the long term outlook might be. Vamos, I was interested to hear your story about the job and hours and how you thought the job might have been more longterm than a career break, at first. This is immensely annoying, but I suppose your point about taking a longer contract, even if it covers a career break, is well made.

I've seen permanent jobs advertised (once in a blue moon, I should say) but I've seen a very small handful in the past few years. It is impossible to know if they are, in fact, permanent so.
Thanks for the help

Oh permanent means permanent but if the status of a job changes from part time to permanent schools are legally obliged to advertise it. There is a very good chance that there is a person already in the job and that they will get it and the interview process is just meeting legal requirements but you're not going to know that when the job is advertised

wolfyboy555

I have an interview for PRPT hours for a person on secondment. What does this mean exactly? Is it similar to a career break. It has more hours than what I am on at the minute but if I am on my own hours now I am better sticking with them than going to this position?

seavill

It is like career break in a way. Someone on secondment is gone to somewhere in the department for example. They themselves may only be replacing someone taking a year out or they may be gone for the foreseeable future. I know of people in both situations.

Most people that move up very rarely move back to the classroom unless they really have to. They may be gone to JCSP, NBSS, Inspectorate etc. I am not sure is there a certain length of time that their school hours are kept open for or can they keep them open forever, but definitely for a certain amount of time the hours will always belong to that person on secondment.

As to whether you are better off moving or not. Depends on a number of factors is it 22hours v 18 hours or is it 22 v 8 hours there is a big difference. Is there any sign of your own hours ever increasing or someone in your department retiring. Do you know anyone in the school where the interview is taking place as they would know if the person on secondment is gone long term or short term.

Moody_mona

seavill wrote: »

Most people that move up very rarely move back to the classroom unless they really have to.

I think this is the major difference between career break and secondment. There's no guarantee of the person coming back but if they went to the bother of applying for a job outside of teaching but still linked to education, it's possible that they'll stay there and resign their original teaching post. I'm going into my third year of covering a secondment and that's certainly what I'll be hoping for!

teacherhead

I don't want to rain on your parade but several people were sent back to their schools when the cutbacks hit initially. As the support services were wound down most of these people ended up back in the classroom.