How many reading this have an actual contract?

evolving_doors

I mean an actual physical piece of paper with signatures etc!!

Most teachers I've talked to have just been told what category their contract is, and that's that. Is there a statutory obligation on a school to provide a written contract or does a verbal one suffice?

TheDriver

I do, a teaching one and one for my post.

r93kaey5p2izun

Over the years I had written contracts some years and none other years. I was given my CID contract in writing though. Several times the ETB issued a "contract" that was just a statement of hours and objective reasons for it not to added to my long held part time CID - no signature from me required. Foolishly I accepted this for a number of years as I didn't want to cause trouble, and later discovered these "contracts" would have been laughed out of arbitration and I would have had my full CID a lot sooner. Since then I have seen about three quarters of contracts checked by my union branch rejected as unacceptable, with teachers benefiting from proper contracts once the Etb is brought to task on it. They are getting away with a multitude though for all the people who just accept it.

sitstill

I have my actual CID contract but was never given an actual contract for my AP post.

Ladyrunrunrun

Can I ask how I go about requesting a contract?

evolving_doors

Ladyrunrunrun wrote: »

Can I ask how I go about requesting a contract?

Ask the school secretary, deputy or principal. Dunno if it's different for ETB.

bobbyss

Am I correct in assuming that all of these issues: eligilibity for contracts, contract type, legal obligations of employer and contractual rights of employee and so on are not thoroughly covered in the final months of teacher qualification? To prepare people to make huge decisions about their future.

If that is the case no wonder many (including myself let me hastily add) are at such a loss.

Maybe less of Plato's cave and more of the above might stand teachers in better stead. Is it any wonder employers run rings around employees.

Corkgirl18

bobbyss wrote: »

Am I correct in assuming that all of these issues: eligilibity for contracts, contract type, legal obligations of employer and contractual rights of employee and so on are not thoroughly covered in the final months of teacher qualification? To prepare people to make huge decisions about their future.

Thoroughly covered? Nothing of the sort was even mentioned to my year anyway.

Postgrad10

Not ever mentioned.

r93kaey5p2izun

It was covered when I trained both by our tutor and a union session was also facilitated covering this information. I didn't lack knowledge. I was just initially naive as the older principal treated me fairly and I assumed the same would continue with new principal. I waited for my 4 additional years to get my CID increased to full time, then bam, suddenly my contract changed to job share and it was gone. Then I was afraid to rock the boat in a school where new principal was openly hostile to the union and where the long term staff had let a situation develop whereby there was no union rep and general apathy about the union, and so new management was free to just walked all over everyone.

Incidentally I was advised that not having a contract was more beneficial, and not to go looking for one!

Noveight

Yep. ETB seem to do things very by the book.

r93kaey5p2izun

Noveight wrote: »

Yep. ETB seem to do things very by the book.

My experiences were with an ETB. They do things by the book when it suits them but are in breach of employment law and ignore agreed procedures and policies when they feel like it.

Postgrad10

Some ETBs are good. Some are bad. Just like the DES schools.