Why do teachers get automatic pay rises based of years of service?

Parent and student feedback your having a laugh. You don't like a teacher or poor johnny gets a bad mark well that a low mark

You do sound bitter to be fair, and your ranting does your argument no favours. Take your first point for example, you are not as "qualified" as a teacher (a subjective term I don't agree with) but you earn more than a teacher who has worked the same amount of years.

Even if that teacher works really hard they can't earn as much as you.

They are not impossible to fire - that is just hyperbole on your part. Ditto for the lazy comment. Every profession has useless staff, and yes they should be weeded out.

Holidays...they are what they are and are pretty much the same over the world give or take a few weeks. Unless you begrudge children the time to be children that won't change.

If you think all teachers only work the hours they are in the classroom...again that is your ignorance and prejudice on the topic coming to the fore.

The pension argument can be made for other public sector jobs, and some private sector jobs have excellent pension perks and other benefits as well.

How does a special needs child provide feedback? Or an EAL child or their non english speaking parent?

Objectives are usually different for each child, who sets objectives and decides when they've reached them. Children learn at different rates.

Your posts are incorrect and ill-formed on a number of points.

Teachers are not impossible to fire. There is a very clear protocol in place for this set up by the Teaching Council of Ireland.

Lazy - there are almost 66,000 teachers in Ireland, primary and secondary. Are you making this claim about them all?

The length of the school holidays is determined by the Dept of Education, not teachers.

If you are going to refer to teachers as ‘glorified babysitters’, it shows that your mindset is unlikely to be changed by facts. However, very very few teachers work 9-3pm. I don’t know any teacher who works those hours and I have worked at both primary and secondary level.

There are four separate pension deductions on my payslip adding up to approx 20% of my gross monthly pay.

Buying back a year of pension contribution costs in excess of €10,000.

The TUI - Teachers’ Union of Ireland - are one of the secondary teachers’ unions. The ASTI is the other one for secondary. Why there are two is a mystery to most people.

The INTO is the primary teachers’ union.

The Teaching Council of Ireland is a government body.

Role of the Teaching Council

The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. It acts in the interests of the public good while upholding and enhancing standards in the teaching profession.