My 5 year old did get pretty bored last summer to be honest, 7 weeks is a bit too long we that age, I remember it when I was young - the last couple of weeks used to drag so badly :joker:.

I wouldn't give less holidays though, I'd take 2 weeks off of the summer and add one at easter and one in October.

As for the thread topic - from what I've heard from most of my teacher friends, working a 70-hour week can be pretty standard, and whilst I know that's also true of many "high powered" careers, the pay given to teachers certainly doesn't reflect those sorts of hours. So if you take those worked hours in lieu, their holidays are probably reasonable.

I get 6 weeks holiday a year but I can bank overtime in this way "officially" and take the hours as holiday rather than take it paid. Two weeks of moderate overtime can bag me an extra week off. All things considered, I probably take 8 full weeks and a couple of 5-day stretches through the year.

Wanting people to work like they're on community service just because they get more holidays than you do sounds like a firm case of the jealous jessies to me :joker:.

No. They are pushed enough, they deserve more holidays.

Why don't they just de professionalise every sector except MPs, bankers and lawyers?

I take 1 week a year and so should teachers. :fist: Then perhaps we would have a bright future. Its not jealousy its progressive politics.

I can see only ukip adopting this great move. Nigel works 7 days a week . Which should be the norm. Lazy toy soldier is the problem

Nigel gets to spend half his time 'working' in the pub though which isn't a bad deal

No.
If anything they have to big a workload.
My daughter goes in every holidays for sorting the classroom, planning etc.
Works late most nights and then writes up reports once she gets home.
Even her weekends aren't her own, she managed to get away from schoolwork this weekend, by taking the kids camping for their D of E awards.
For all the hard work, she still finds it very rewarding.

TEACHING IS HARD WORK. I do think its too hard to get rid of bad teachers, I do think we need to actively seek to get more male teachers, especially primary, maybe they will bring in positive discrimination male only teacher posts....overall I say let them have their holidays

they say caring for a child (a housewife or a nanny) in an of itself is a full time job, imagine taking care of 30 children. is that 30 full time jobs? Teachers most definitely deserve their extra holidays.

My sister is a teacher and the horror stories i hear, if it was any other job, if any other profession someone had to deal with what she has to deal with on a daily basis, she could sue for harassment and abuse and all sorts of other things. Teachers put up with more in one week than any other job has to put up with in an entire year.

A bright future of perpetual work. Woohoo, LT knows how to paaartaaayy!

He has to keep those shareholders in Versace TS!! :fist:

Did I mention half term is the week after next :flutter:

Off topic,you must be pleased at the promotion of James Smudgie,

On topic now, I have great sympathy for teachers, this is where I have no political gripe at all as to one party.
Teachers must get fed up,govt; after govt; comes in and starts dismantling what the previous one did.

There is far too much changing of education procedure and never enough continuity of policy from any of the parties.

This must add massively to Teachers workloads and how I wish some consensus as to education policy was in place and it left alone for a long period with no govt; interference at all.

Teachers must be at times driven crazy with all the new plans and changes being kept being forced on them.
So even if, and I stress if, it appears on paper they get a lot of holidays, then for me they should have them.
It must be a constant nightmare as to a a profession, not only in the working in the classrooms but wondering what on earth politicians will be coming up with next for them to change and learn, as 'experiments' as to children's futures.