Career as Teacher

Originally Posted by Unregistered

How long does one usually stay on as an internal KP? I have been one since middle of this year but no news about going for interview. Usually when will they hint to you about going for interview?

Don't wait for hints, be thick skinned and say you feel ready and ask when is the next round of interview. Express your keenness and who knows? Your SLs might prep you. But first, get ready your portfolio. All the best!

Just curious, as a new mid career myself. How do you survive the very cloistered civil service after 18 years in the private sector, MNC some more?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi, I’m a mid career teacher with 18 years experience in MNC. Salary for untrained teacher will not exceed $5000. With your experience, upon completing PGDE, you will likely be promoted to GEO3, salary range $3900-$6250, so you may get around $5500.

Subsequently, how fast you move up the salary scale will depend on your performance. The year you complete PGDE and start being a trained teacher is considered Year 0. You start your 1st year of service 12 months after completing PGDE.

Teachers who are degree holders and have been teaching for >20 years but are not KPs will likely be GEO5, salary range $5150-$8250.

Welcome to the real world, I told myself when I discovered that this is indeed the case. I just did not know how prevalent this is, since I am only at my first school. My RO lies through his teeth all the time. It took me a long time to realise it.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

My goodness, I hope one day you are not the teacher of my child to teach this sort of warped values. So are you suggesting students at promotion retention meeting who have more social currency can be promoted over someone who did equally badly but not as endearing? Whatever happened to fairness, equity and justice?

I’m disgusted.

Mid career here. This is my conclusion - the workload is very unreasonable for the pay we get. So many portfolios to hold, so many skillsets they need us to demonstrate. Which other job you do outside makes you do bread-and-butter, PLUS coordinate all kinds of events, PLUS oversee CCA (sometimes even have to teach it yourself). I really think that teachers who actually honestly and successfully do all these are super people who actually deserve to be paid the private sector salary. If not, ministry should look into hiring people to take care of all these other miscellaneous roles / hats.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

You are a kind HOD. I am sure your staff in your department have great morale and are willing to do more just for you. I used to take MC as a BT when I was not feeling well in my previous school, feeling it was an entitlement, and also I felt a bit burnt out. In the end, I was stuck in a vicious cycle of work piling up. The work assigned are not completed by relief teachers, other teachers also had to take my class and it became unfair to them. They were also tired but they still came to school. They started to not like me or gossip about me. Ranking was affected naturally, I got bad grade.

So as much as possible, we should not be a burden to others. After posting to new school, I try to endure more. Nowadays, I take maximum 1 to 2 days of sick leaves per year. Even for childcare leave，I try to ask my spouse to take. The good thing is I can complete more work, students are more meaningfully engaged with my presence. However on days when I feel tired but still forced myself to go and work, but got arrowed to do relief lesson for someone else, it really does not feel good. However, I did not give up. I endured. Have been getting good grades for past few years as a reward with more performance bonus.

I think it is all about team work. Everyone should try to be present as much as possible. And being in this profession, we have to learn to take care of our health to be there for the students. Taking MC just when we feel tired is not a solution. It will make the situation worse. In fact, I feel so much better, by minimising my absence. My colleagues appreciate me more and trust me more. They know that I will always be around and can use me as backup if anyone else is absent.

It is a tiring profession. But which job is not a tiring one? Just hang in there, if we don't do, who do?

If you want good pay increment, it's difficult because the headcount of teachers is too big. Where is the money going to come from given that the GDP only increase few percent per year? The only way is to cut down manpower which is what we are facing. You want more money but less work, it is not possible unless the ministers take less salary or other ministry spend less and give MOE more to give to the teachers.

Also, many a times, people sitting in HQ are too comfortable with their jobs. They will not think much about the difficulties or challenges a teacher faces. They still continue to get their salary, travel overseas with their bonus and try very hard not to come back to school. I have known too many who rather quit than come back to school. They cannot take the workload in school as a teacher anymore. However, someone must do the job, it is the teachers. We need to take care of these kids until they are mature enough to go out into the society. In fact, MOE is a mega childcare. Teachers and students are just a number in the system. So, don't think too highly of ourselves. We just do our job as best as we can, help as many kids as we can and try to stay sane with the recent $500 given to us which is not enough to buy half a new iPhone 16.

Generally sub coordinator role does not move the needle when it comes to rankings. For EOs in geo3-5. I have seen their peers who has no added responsibility being given similar quantums. It also depends on how much their ROs upsell the contribution. I have sat through countless rankings to know that sometimes it is not fair - that is how much the RO fights for EO depends on how likeable/palatable the officer is to the management team.

But granted, he/she (likely a she) is a geo2.. taking that role is a bit like going above what the grade demands.

My advise to you is just edit and resubmit if you want to survive long in your school
Im sure they would want you to continue with the role next year if you had done a good job[/QUOTE]

OP likely listed an impact in EPMS form that should have been done by the RO.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Welcome to the real world, I told myself when I discovered that this is indeed the case. I just did not know how prevalent this is, since I am only at my first school. My RO lies through his teeth all the time. It took me a long time to realise it.

As someone who made it to management, the ability to lie, wayang and put on a face are necessary skills to survive at that level. Its a cut throat business. And you can see these characters occupying leadership positions. The EOs that think they have to be honest and display integrity will be eaten, get frustrated and quit.

Would also like to share that most ranking exercises are not fair. Its very very personal and subjective. Popularity and likeability play a huge factor. Let me give you one example. If an EO is popular, the ranking panel will not raise up any deficiencies or weaknesses of EO and chose to amplify impact contributed by EO. On the other hand, if an EO is known to not be willing to toe the line/carry balls/too quiet, KPs can nitpick one brief observation and make a big deal out of it (twist and make a ridiculous conclusion). KPs, especially the newer ones who are less influential, may have to play along with the flow because of fear of being marginalised for raising up the unfairness.

Of course it depends on the school. I have been involved in ranking panels in 2 schools. The first school that i went to practised this.

Thanks for the insight. I wish I knew earlier.
Because my school SL is very big on Integrity, but middle management don't seem to practise it.

Can I conclude that, if promotion is not the top priority for me, then I can don't worry about it so much?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

As someone who made it to management, the ability to lie, wayang and put on a face are necessary skills to survive at that level. Its a cut throat business. And you can see these characters occupying leadership positions. The EOs that think they have to be honest and display integrity will be eaten, get frustrated and quit.

Would also like to share that most ranking exercises are not fair. Its very very personal and subjective. Popularity and likeability play a huge factor. Let me give you one example. If an EO is popular, the ranking panel will not raise up any deficiencies or weaknesses of EO and chose to amplify impact contributed by EO. On the other hand, if an EO is known to not be willing to toe the line/carry balls/too quiet, KPs can nitpick one brief observation and make a big deal out of it (twist and make a ridiculous conclusion). KPs, especially the newer ones who are less influential, may have to play along with the flow because of fear of being marginalised for raising up the unfairness.

Of course it depends on the school. I have been involved in ranking panels in 2 schools. The first school that i went to practised this.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Thanks for the insight. I wish I knew earlier.
Because my school SL is very big on Integrity, but middle management don't seem to practise it.

Can I conclude that, if promotion is not the top priority for me, then I can don't worry about it so much?

Most EOs will get a C grade, which is not so bad in terms of PB (1.5 month). If you are aiming for more bonuses, you need to be mindful that you may not great the grade that you hope for. Always best to put in sincere work that you feel is best for students. Whether the school recognizes you or is not within your control.

Adopt these expectations and you wouldnt feel disappointed. And take good care of your well being because most schools dont actually care (sad but true).

[Jared_81]

A lot of these comments seem quite depressing... On a side note, for my fellow parents and educators out there, I chanced upon a tuition centre offering very affordable classes at only $30 for a 2 hour lesson. Might be worth checking out...

Has anyone received their fhq email?