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Dedicated



Joined: 18 May 2007
Posts: 972
Location: UK

PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Everybody is looking at bottom feeder jobs. If you have a DELTA/MA check out all the adverts on jobs.ac.uk and baleap.org for pre-sessional teachers in the summer from April onwards.

Salaries at many universities are 650-700 GB pounds a week + free accommodation in most cases.

If you do a good job, this is often "the way in" to a more permanent contract. It saves the university from advertising.
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Hod



Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 1613
Location: Home

PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Amongst the summer school jobs already advertised, I was stunned to see some last a whole eight weeks, which is presumably the sort of time required to pocket 2000 Pounds? To do that, to be in such close proximity to students and teachers for eight long weeks, and then to return to the normal job at the end, a hardened executive would get stressed out.
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slapntickle



Joined: 07 Sep 2010
Posts: 270

PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 8:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dedicated wrote:
Everybody is looking at bottom feeder jobs. If you have a DELTA/MA check out all the adverts on jobs.ac.uk and baleap.org for pre-sessional teachers in the summer from April onwards.


These jobs don't pay as well as they used to and many of the summer jobs are given to returnees who are already known. Hundreds apply for these jobs and many don't even have their application acknowledged.

Quote:
Salaries at many universities are 650-700 GB pounds a week + free accommodation in most cases.


I've taught on presessionals at 3 universities in the UK and none of them offered accommodation for free. Many universities are in bed with private companies who will rent out rooms over the summer to teachers they employ, but the price isn't cheap.

Quote:
If you do a good job, this is often "the way in" to a more permanent contract. It saves the university from advertising.


You're right up to a point, but at the end of the summer most presessional students migrate onto their courses, which means that there are lean pickings at the end of September. If there is extra work available, it usually goes to those who are already have 'permanent' contracts with the Language Dept.

Summer presessional jobs are great for those that are working overseas and have time on their hands to pop home and top-up their income. However, as has been mentioned by other posters, summer presessionals are often quite stressful because the students are low-level and they need a lot more attention. Besides the teaching and grading and project supervision, there are also a myriad of admin tasks to complete. You'll often be working a 40+ hour deal and you'll soon start to realise that the attractive hourly rate that you saw advertised at www.jobs.ac.uk before you took the job is actually a lie. If you're lucky enough to get a summer gig, make sure you check the contract very very carefully before signing on the dotted line.

I'd also just like to mention one other problem with summer presessionals. Don't forget that you're an outsider. The Dept already has its cohort of teachers who have often worked together for a while and built up a certain level of camaraderie. Often you as an outsider will be made to feel like an intruder. Very soon it can become a question of us vs them, or old vs new, and the atmosphere becomes quite tetchy. As the end of presessional draws to a close, you, as a new teacher, start thinking to yourself: "God, I can't wait to bail and get back on a plane."
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 12:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

650 quid a week for 8 weeks is fine. Then what ? TESCO shelf-stacking ?
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slapntickle



Joined: 07 Sep 2010
Posts: 270

PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 5:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

scot47 wrote:
650 quid a week for 8 weeks is fine. Then what ? TESCO shelf-stacking ?


Exactly! Once the summer is over, you are no longer wanted. Images of queuing at JobCentre Plus start whirling around in your mind, or if you have pride and need a job, you may start thinking Tesco's? But then you read The Sun and check the headlines and realise that Tesco's sales have been falling of late and they've even sacked their CEO. You start to wonder if that job stacking shelves at Tesco's that originally looked so safe and secure has now slipped through your fingers . . . ?
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barabbas



Joined: 22 Aug 2009
Posts: 58

PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 9:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The discussion seems to have got a bit maudlin.

For example, I knew a guy who lived in southern Africa, who came to England to do a summer school, then used the money to pay for his visits to family and friends in the UK, then pay for his flights to the States to visit family and friends in the States, then fly back to Africa. It suited him perfectly as it suited his circumstances.

If you are settled in one place then seasonal work there is never going to be a permanent solution.
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slapntickle



Joined: 07 Sep 2010
Posts: 270

PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2012 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

barabbas wrote:
If you are settled in one place then seasonal work there is never going to be a permanent solution.


Yes, that about sums it up. The best jobs to be had by qualified teflers are the summer gigs at the universities. However, outside of the summer, there is little that is either permanent or well-paid in the UK. Having a job overseas and popping back for the summer might work, but once you factor in the cost of the round-trip ticket, accommodation, food and other costs, is it really worth it? If I had a job overseas and had a nice long summer break, I certainly wouldn't come back to the UK. No, I'd be drinking a nice cocktail on a tranquil island and gazing up at the twinkling stars in the night sky . . .
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Now you know why all those EFLers head for the Middle East ! A pay cheque every month for 12 months !
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Denim-Maniac



Joined: 31 Jan 2012
Posts: 1238

PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 5:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I quite like my summer work in the UK. Maybe Im the only one?

I teach German teenagers in Sussex. Its not residential, and its in my hometown so its convenient and normally fun. I teach 3 x 90 minute classes a day, and each lesson is repeated so I actually only prepare one class per day. My students last year were all with me for just 7 teaching days, then I had a new group. So I basically prepared 7 lessons and taught them all summer. The day starts at 8.30 and we normally finish at about 1pm. No other duties required.

I spent most of last year in the UK, and I get enough work from March to October to get by. I have the regular summer/easter/whitsun groups, and get the odd day/morning here and there from the same company. In between that I did some exam invigilation and online teaching. Yes, it doesnt pay fantastically well, but it pays enough for me to continue doing the work I enjoy. I think from memory it was about �56 per morning.

I have seen occasional jobs at a local college. Pay is much higher, more than double, but Ive never had a call back from them, pretty hard to get in I think.
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Mrguay84



Joined: 03 Dec 2009
Posts: 125

PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 10:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I heard a rumour that the UK tax-man steals a lot of your hard earned wage anyway.
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2012 10:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can earn up to a certain limit without liablity to Uk Income Tax. If it is deducted by employer you can claim it back.
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Dedicated



Joined: 18 May 2007
Posts: 972
Location: UK

PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2012 1:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with scot47's post.

For the 2012-2013 tax year, the personal allowance is 8,105 GB pounds.That means you can earn that amount without paying tax. So if you come from abroad, work on a pre-sessional course, for example, and get taxed, then you can claim it all back.
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Hod



Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 1613
Location: Home

PostPosted: Sun May 20, 2012 11:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mrguay84 wrote:
I heard a rumour that the UK tax-man steals a lot of your hard earned wage anyway.


I'm sure tax isn't only a British thing.
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JimJam



Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 69
Location: UK

PostPosted: Sun May 20, 2012 1:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dedicated wrote:
For the 2012-2013 tax year, the personal allowance is 8,105 GB pounds.That means you can earn that amount without paying tax.


That's only on yearly income tax. What about national insurance which is the weekly income tax.

Someone earning �600 a week for 8 weeks' work will pay �730 income tax which they can reclaim at the end of the year, and �442.56 national insurance, which they cannot reclaim.
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Dedicated



Joined: 18 May 2007
Posts: 972
Location: UK

PostPosted: Sun May 20, 2012 10:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Everybody who is employed in the UK, up to retirement age, pays National Insurance which goes towards state benefits etc etc.

If you live abroad and want to maintain your state benefits entitlement (eg. pension) it's worth paying.
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