Job Discussion Forums

[wajela]

If one was fortunate to be considered for both,are there people on this forum who can provide a perspective having worked in both systems? I appreciate any feedback.

[Joshua2006]

'Search'

[wajela]

Having been on these boars much longer than yourself, your response was unhelpful or called for.

I had already done Boolean searches through the threads, however since I am requesting information on a perspective from someone in a similar situation as myself, I require specific feedback.

[Joshua2006]

[Honky Nick]

I have worked in the NET scheme and I have friends who have worked in both systems. The consensus seems to be that NET scheme is generally fairly unchallenging, but is well-paid (of course conditions vary from school to school). ESF jobs are harder to get, a lot more work and very well paid (substantially more than NET).

Good luck!

[Perilla]

[Honky Nick]

Thanks for the info. You might be right that the gap is bigger the fewer years' experience you have. I have six years' experience and would be much better off at ESF. 65k at the top of the scale is quite high and I'm not actually sure how high the ESF scale goes. Maybe someone else can help out with that?

[RiverMystic]

If my understanding is correct, there is no standard pay for ESF schools. The top international schools pay big money, but I'm not sure exactly how much. But I did have a friend who worked at an international school who pulled in 30 000 a month only. I assume it was an ESF school, but am not certain. He's now a PNET and earning much more. His PNET job is also very, very easy. A bit of a scam, really.

[Joshua2006]

[Joshua2006]

[Perilla]

[Joshua2006]

[RiverMystic]

[Smoog]

Having worked in both, I question Rivermystic's claim that PNET is better paid. That his friend is getting $60k as a PNET shows he's at the top of the scale there (salary is $43k & Special Allowance is $16k).
Top of the scale at ESF is $55k with an allowance of $8k, making for $63k.

There's 12 points to both the PNET & ESF salary scale but the ESF recognises tertiary and teaching qualifications. They also recognise any PNET teaching experience. To reach top of the ESF scale, assuming you hold a degree & PGDE (which you need to in order to be employed there) it takes just 9 years teaching experience to reach the top. It takes 12 to reach the top of the PNET scale.

I was still 4 steps below the top when I left the scheme but am on top step at ESF.

Thus, if his mate is top of the scale as a PNET, then he would've been top at ESF - and earning more. And not just the $3k a month more either: gratuity for PNET is 15% of salary: ESF, it's 20%. This equates to ~$6.5k & $11k a month respectively.
On top of that you can get extra for doing extra work at ESF.

Other than that, I agree with the rest of Mystic's comments.

Work is a breeze as a PNET if you're lucky to get a good school. If you're not, or if you end up with the satan principal I had, it's hell. I knew of one NET who was expected to be at school 7.30 - 5.30pm every day, and for most of nearly every Saturday.
The new principal at my last PNET school treated everyone, but me especially, so badly sick leave skyrocketed. I was given the last 2 months off last school year on stress leave, having been diagnosed by 3 different doctors as suffering from severe depression due to how the principal treated me. And what could I do? absolutely nothing. There's no recourse or support around to help you, or any organisation to make a complaint to. Before you ask, neither NESTA nor the PTU were of any help. NESTA refused to help me, and the PTU said I needed to provide physical proof of her treating me poorly - my detailed log & doctor's diagnoses weren't enough (i.e. I needed to create a time machine, go back in time and record her in front of assembly screaming that I was not good enough to be a teacher because she had decided a student I had trained for the speech festival was pronouncing a word wrong).

Even if you do win the lottery and get a good school, working as a PNET is pretty soul destroying if your aim is to be a teacher. You will do very little work: it sounds great but really it isn't: going into work every day knowing it's likely you won't do anything all day but are expected to sit there for 8-9 hours can, and does, wear. There's up to 3 exams a year: the week leading up, the exam week itself and, usually, the week after your classes will be taken off you. The first & final month of the school year you will likely have few, if any, classes. Out of 40 school weeks, you will likely only teach something approaching a full workload in perhaps 30 of them. If you're lucky. Prob more like 25. The rest of the time you'll be seat-warming.
The local teachers won't view your classes as important or essential: any reason - particularly exams but also if they've fallen behind in their lessons - will have them confiscating your lessons for revision or catch-up. And there will be very little, if any, social contact between you and the local teachers, due partly to culture and partly to language. You may also find some of them downright hostile towards you, thinking you're being paid far more than them and for doing far less work (which is essentially wrong on both counts).

On the plus side, the holidays are good and the pay is excellent. You will notice most people will tell you this. When a job is promoted based on those two criteria, you need to ask yourself whether it is what you want.

The longer you stay as a PNET, you will find yourself becoming less and less employable elsewhere. Most Int Schools don't think much of PNETs, mostly for reasons above. And after a few years of barely teaching in a very antiquated educational system you will wonder if you're capable of taking on a proper teaching job.


As for ESF, the work expected is much greater but I've found it's much more rewarding. The simple fact I'm able to hold a conversation with a colleague or student that's longer than, "how are you?" is simply liberating. In addition, I have my own classes that I see regularly without fail and without anyone else deciding to confiscate them because they've decided their work is more important. I get to set and run their lessons the way I want. After so many years being a PNET, I finally feel like I'm teaching (and being a teacher) again.

[Perilla]