Pay Scales Question

Blue giant

I'm currently applying to jobs for next year and have a question about pay scales within fee-paying schools.

Some ads for jobs in fee-paying schools mention that they are school-paid. I have previously heard that such jobs would mean you would be back to point 1 on the pay scale if you switched to department paid roles, however someone recently told me that was untrue.

I have tried looking through the ASTI and TUI websites but cannot find a direct answer anywhere and would like to know whether this is true or not as it would be a major drawback of working in such schools.

rainbowtrout

Schools that advertise privately paid jobs can pay you whatever they like. Some pay a flat rate salary determined by the school, which does not change and is not on a payscale. Effectively it's the same as working in any private sector job and you could try and negotiate with the principal for a rise. Some privately paid positions match the teaching pay scale. However you won't know until you go for interview and ask about terms, how you will be paid.

If you switch from department pay, the idea that you go back to Point 1 of the scale is false. But the reality is that many of the privately paid positions offer a salary equivalent to the first point on the pay scale. However if you gave up a job in a dept paid school and you were on point 7 at the end of that job, and then took a privately paid position the following year, you will be paid whatever rate the school sets for that privately paid job. After a year let's say you switch to yet another job and it's department paid, you can apply to the department to recognise your year of teaching experience to move up the scale, so you should get that year which would be the equivalent to point 8 and then in the new job you would start on point 9.

Where the major issue occurs is the pension. If you are privately paid for a job you are not paying into the public service pension, so for each year you are privately paid, you are losing a year on the pension which adds up over time. You could choose to pay into a private pension in that time. Also if you are teaching prior to 2012 and therefore in the older pension, if you do not do any dept paid work for a total of 26 weeks then you are automatically put into the new pension.

Blue giant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120359435#Comment_120359435

Thanks very much for the detailed response. Definitely some things to consider, particularly pension wise.

Treppen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120359659#Comment_120359659

My own take is that controlling your own pension yields a better return than the current department pension.

Also some fee charging schools also contribute to privately paid teachers pensions.... Some don't.

Generally , most 'deacent' schools who pay privately keep in line with the department payscale. After about 5-10 years the privately paid school tend to move established privately paid teachers into the department contract because you will start to cost them too much.

TUI are opposed to fee charging schools so will not represent you. ASTI generally represent all teachers in fee charging schools. But getting them to answer questions on private pay is difficult, at this stage it's wild West as there are no obligation on schools to keep in line with department.

A private school may offer you entry into a PRSA pension scheme, do your homework on contribution charges + yearly management fee. It shouldn't be more than 5% and 1% . If they agree to pay into it with you then it's better than you going it alone.

gaiscioch

Fee-charging schools; fee-paying parents (no matter how many times journalists say otherwise). It depends on the fee-charging school, so I'd just ask the finance section of the school. One which I'm aware of matches the department payments for API, AP11, etc. They also have a pension scheme for all school-paid staff.

If a vacancy arises for a DoES post in the school, the school endeavours to move a school-paid teacher into it. There might also be accommodation available with the position, and I know for a fact that some religious orders which have extensive properties do offer subsidised accommodation. They're going to have to be doing more of that in the Dublin schools judging by the number of staff giving up on Dublin and moving back to rural areas for the cheaper accommodation.