Career as Teacher

Originally Posted by Unregistered

years EXCLUDE NIE phase / contract teaching phase:

18 yrs, female,NIE grad, SEO1 (HOD), 9.8k
15 yrs, male, PGDE, SEO1 (HOD), 9.4k
16 yrs, female, Dip Ed, emplacement to degree during 8th year, GEO 4, 6k
13 yrs, female, mid-career, GEO5A, 8.5k (increment 5 to 5A was only $200)
12 yrs, male, PGDE, GEO5, 7.4k
11 yrs, male, NIE grad, GEO5 (SH), 7.6k
9 yrs, female, HOD, NUS grad, GEO5, about 7k plus (she said it's below 8k)
8 yrs, male, GEO5, SH, 7.5K
8 yrs, male, NIE grad, GEO 4, 6.1k
8 yrs, male, PGDE local FCH, GEO 3, 6.2k
8 yrs, male, NIE grad, GEO3, 5.9k
6 yrs, male, PGDE Overseas degree, SEO1 (Int HOD) 7.5k
6 yrs, male, PGDE Overseas degree, GEO5 6.6k
6 yrs, male, PGDE local degree (HQ officer), GEO5 6.7k
6 yrs, male, PGDE local degree (HQ officer), GEO4 6.3k
6 yrs, female, NIE grad, GEO4 (SH new), 6k
6 yrs, male, NIE grad, GEO4, 6.2k
5 yrs, female, NIE grad, GEO3, 5.1k
5 yrs, female, PGDE, GEO3, 5.1k
4 yrs, female, NIE grad, GEO3, 5.4k
4 yrs, female, mid-career, GEO3, 6.1k
4 yrs, male, NIE grad, GEO4, 5.6k
4 yrs, male, NIE grad, GEO4, 5.3k
3 yrs, male, PGDE, GEO3, 5.4k
3 yrs, male, PGDE, GEO3, 5.7k
1 yr, female, mid-career, GEO3, 5.9k

SEO1 in 6 years means 4 promotions sia. And GEO4 to 5, and 5 to SEO1 all takes at least 2 to 3 years liao. Presuming your GEO2 to 3 took 1 year, then your GEO3 to 4 also took 1 year only? A bit impossible leh. Int SH with GEO5 at 6 years is possible, but SEO1.. a bit hard to believe especially now much harder to climb liao. Anyone else want to come verify or call bluff?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

SEO1 in 6 years means 4 promotions sia. And GEO4 to 5, and 5 to SEO1 all takes at least 2 to 3 years liao. Presuming your GEO2 to 3 took 1 year, then your GEO3 to 4 also took 1 year only? A bit impossible leh. Int SH with GEO5 at 6 years is possible, but SEO1.. a bit hard to believe especially now much harder to climb liao. Anyone else want to come verify or call bluff?

I though HOD need to be confirmed before can be SEO1? Int HOD should be GEO5 only right?

The school leaders, especially the Principal, plays an important role to ensure that ranking is fair and confidential. And for the ranking to be fair, it is important that every officer's work contributions and the impact of his/her are considered. The SLs need to know the role and responsibilities of her people, including the Senior Teachers, who are supposed to drive pedagogy instead of meddling with office politics.
In my school, a Senior Teacher went to HOD and gave comments that the teacher colleague took CCL and therefore, there is a need to put in one more person in a particular project. She is always 'busy' downplaying her colleagues who are in the same sub grade as her or has the potential to be ranked higher due to their work contributions.
Sadly, to the SL, it is viewed as an operational needs instead of finding out the work contributions and family situation of this officer. No conversations to find out more. And perhaps later on in ranking, it will become a AFI.
Sadly, the teaching profession has allowed such people to continue to rise up in the ranks, KPs, STs, or even a SL. Many teacher colleagues who can really teach well either had decided to be a FAJT or a private tutor. Being in MOE for more than 15 years, I really feel disgusted by how some Senior Teachers (especially the cross-level ones) carry themselves. Their character and the perspective towards culture building are terribly wrong.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

SEO1 in 6 years means 4 promotions sia. And GEO4 to 5, and 5 to SEO1 all takes at least 2 to 3 years liao. Presuming your GEO2 to 3 took 1 year, then your GEO3 to 4 also took 1 year only? A bit impossible leh. Int SH with GEO5 at 6 years is possible, but SEO1.. a bit hard to believe especially now much harder to climb liao. Anyone else want to come verify or call bluff?

This guy is a fairly well-known PSC scholar teaching in the west. The salary point I can't verify. But the subgrade is real.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

There seems to be a hiring freeze for STEM subjects, and they are still cutting headcounts. If you teach subjects like English, Mother Tongue, they are always short of teachers, got higher chance to as pgde or mid career.

For those subjects with hiring freeze, the newbies who come in are ALL scholars.
It seems like the number of scholarships cannot be cut (bad PR for parents/voters)
Got more spots for scholars than farmers

It's a HR pipeline constraint. Most scholarships are given before uni. When a hiring freeze is implemented for any curriculum subject, there will still be a steady supply of scholars coming in who got their scholarships 5 years ago, so yes the ratio of scholars:direct hires will be very skewed, and this is observable amongst the NIE cohort.

So the skewed scholar:direct hire ratio doesn't imply that HR is not cutting scholarships; it just means that if HR cuts scholarships you can only see the effects 5 years later.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

This guy is a fairly well-known PSC scholar teaching in the west. The salary point I can't verify. But the subgrade is real.

As I understand it, progression for PSC/Education is 2 years in schools, 2 years in HQ, and then a decision on whether to return to schools (sectoral) or rotate to another ministry (WOG). The officer should enter HQ as a GEO3 and return to schools on enhanced posting as GEO4. Not sure whether it's possible to jump one sub-grade every year thereafter.

As for salary point, it's possible that this officer is drawing a higher salary than peers because PSC scholars are automatically emplaced on PSLP/FLP which has its own allowance. (Not the same as the RA that KPs draw.)

Originally Posted by Unregistered

It's a HR pipeline constraint. Most scholarships are given before uni. When a hiring freeze is implemented for any curriculum subject, there will still be a steady supply of scholars coming in who got their scholarships 5 years ago, so yes the ratio of scholars:direct hires will be very skewed, and this is observable amongst the NIE cohort.

So the skewed scholar:direct hire ratio doesn't imply that HR is not cutting scholarships; it just means that if HR cuts scholarships you can only see the effects 5 years later.

HR will also not cut scholarships lah. This is an absolute and applies for all ministries. It is simply bad PR.

Freezing headcount and cutting recruitment of fresh grads is seen as being prudent, saves taxpayers money.

Cutting scholarships, to the public, is seen as taking away chances for A level students to get overseas education, taking away resources from underprivileged students who worked hard in school.

Regardless of the economy, you still see that the number of PSC scholarships, president scholarship, the elite scholarships are kept more or less constant.
Maybe due to covid travel restrictions, some who are bound for overseas uni couldn't do so, and end up studying in local unis. But the quota wasn't changed.

And no, they are not going to tell the scholars. Hey, we got 'surplus' of STEM teachers. Do not study STEM. You can only study music, humanities and languages.

Not going to happen.

Will an officer's CEP be affected or downgraded if he/she applied and is accepted for OPE elsewhere?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

As I understand it, progression for PSC/Education is 2 years in schools, 2 years in HQ, and then a decision on whether to return to schools (sectoral) or rotate to another ministry (WOG). The officer should enter HQ as a GEO3 and return to schools on enhanced posting as GEO4. Not sure whether it's possible to jump one sub-grade every year thereafter.

Yes, possible to jump one sub-grade every year. My current HOD return from HQ as GEO4. The following year got promoted to GEO5. And again the following year, got promoted to SEO1. Scholar.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Yes, possible to jump one sub-grade every year. My current HOD return from HQ as GEO4. The following year got promoted to GEO5. And again the following year, got promoted to SEO1. Scholar.

That's why can eat salmon caviar wor