PD days during holidays

[nickykinz]

I am term time only but at the beginning of every year we have 3 PD days that we are expected to attend. In prevous years they have gone away, one optional night and one compulsory night. In the past I have managed to get out of it with a variety of reasons but not sure I can manage to get out of it this year. I have children and because I do a term time only job my children don't have to go to childcare. Therefore it is quite difficult to arrange just a few days when I have no relationship with any childcare place and the kids don't know any one there. Does any one else have to do something similar?

[linotas]

Is there someone else who can look after them for you? Relative? Friend? I love going on PD (sad I know lol) but my kids attend daycare (under school aged)/vacation care (schoolies) and if for some reason my DH has work commitments that make it difficult, mum looks after them.

[Narelle01]

i'm not sure why the pink 'forum rules' banner is up the top, but anyways.

If you have to go away for PD, i would see if the kids could come too - after all it is outside work hours - you can't be expected to have your family time compromised like that.

That said, i am very fortunate that I know my mum would step in and have my chn for me - she would love it too!

[nickykinz]

I'm sure we will sort something out with the childcare but I think what I am getting at really is the "compulsory" part of going away and being expected to do these things when we are term time only.

[dime]

I would have thought that if you are not being paid for the PD, that it cannot be compulsory. If you are paid wages, (by the hour) that it is not compulsory. Teachers, who are salaried are a different story, and it is probably one of their conditions of employment and are therefore paid for their attendance, by their salary conditions.

[linotas]

I'm sure we will sort something out with the childcare but I think what I am getting at really is the "compulsory" part of going away and being expected to do these things when we are term time only.

I would say that it cannot be compulsory unless you are paid for the PD. Even then, depending what your contract states, if you really did not want to go you could probably get out of it if it explicitly states "term time only" or "X weeks per year" (as mine does) . If you are not contracted for those extra three days then I would say you would have to agree to them and hence it couldn't be compulsory.

Are you part of a union? I am a member of IEU and they are very helpful in such matters.

[RosalieM]

I agree, unless you are paid AT OVERTIME RATES for them, then they shouldn't be compulsory.

[nickykinz]

We get paid casual rates but only for the day time bit. We are having "fun" in the evening! They also pay for the accomadation on the compulsory night but you are still giving up a lot of your time. I'm just having a whinge really. I'm sure I could kick up a fuss and not go but then I would be seen as the difficult one.

[linotas]

why is one evening "compulsory"? If you are doing school work and not just socialising, I would be expecting to get paid for it (or time in lieu) personally. Any PD I do in my holidays for the job I do not have to work (I am a labbie at 2 schools) I take time in lieu for it. As they are very flexible if I need to attend something for my kids at school, I use it for those times.

[Ian]

Nicky,
Linatos is right in that they can not force you to turn up if they are not paying you for it, but I think the catch is that you are working for a private school. They seem to have an unwritten expectation that all staff will willingly go above and beyond the call of duty and never expect anything in return. (I'm at a private school too!)

We have a few "compulsory" things at my school. some I go to and some I don't. I go to the annual "Staff Dinner" because they feed me for free and I have a wife to babysit the kids. I don't go to "Speech Night" because it invariably co-incides with my own children's Speech Night at another school.

Our PD days are in the last week of the July holidays, but I work the last week of every holidays, so it is not an issue with me. I just get free lunch on those days and go to sessions that I feel interested in and retreat to my prep room in between times.

I am sure that if you explained to your principal that it would cause you significant hardship if you went, in terms of finding (and paying for) baby sitters for your kids, he would understand. After a few times, it becomes "tradition" and nobody will question it. They will just say "Oh, Nicky doesn't go to these" and think no more about it!

I hope this helps

Cheers,
Ian

[Xenon]

I'm term time only too, and only attend PD days when it suits me, e.g. to keep my 1st aid certificate up to date or Free Lunch. The teachers here have 4 PD days starting a week before kids come back -that aint 'term time' in my book- besides, is listening to someone drone on about albeit riveting topics such as 'curricular strategies for the inclusion of students with special needs into the regular learning environments' worth a feed?