Plumbing lecturer

[diyjunky]

The pension scheme was excellent then became very good and now in it's third incarnation which I would describe as "better than most"

For each year you work, you receive 1/57th (one fifty seventh) of your salary. This will cost you about 8% of your salary. So if you were on £35,000, it would be about £262 per month deducted from your salary (before it is taxed)

The benefit: If you were on a salary of £35,000 and worked for 1 year, you would receive an annual index linked pension from the age of 67 of £614 per year or £6,140 after 10 years service.

College's have charitable status and are financed by the education department. They are roughly aligned with schools.

My understanding is that all pensions work in a similar fashion but the Teacher/Lecture/Instructor pensions are index linked which during times of high inflation (as we have just experienced) is a very bonus.

Here I am on a plumbing forum talking about Teachers Pensions ! I really don't mind because in the short time I have been on this wonderful forum I have received excellent and polite responses to my, sometimes dumb, questions

Good luck.

 

[hllns]

I was wondering how the pensions work. It's a teachers pension? But FE colleges are private sector?

Sort of, pension rights got migrated across when FE colleges were separated from the local authorities.
Teaching staff are on the Teacher's Pension scheme and support staff are part of the Local Government Pension scheme, both public sector.

 

[Matt887]

The pension scheme was excellent then became very good and now in it's third incarnation which I would describe as "better than most"

For each year you work, you receive 1/57th (one fifty seventh) of your salary. This will cost you about 8% of your salary. So if you were on £35,000, it would be about £262 per month deducted from your salary (before it is taxed)

The benefit: If you were on a salary of £35,000 and worked for 1 year, you would receive an annual index linked pension from the age of 67 of £614 per year or £6,140 after 10 years service.

College's have charitable status and are financed by the education department. They are roughly aligned with schools.

My understanding is that all pensions work in a similar fashion but the Teacher/Lecture/Instructor pensions are index linked which during times of high inflation (as we have just experienced) is a very bonus.

Here I am on a plumbing forum talking about Teachers Pensions ! I really don't mind because in the short time I have been on this wonderful forum I have received excellent and polite responses to my, sometimes dumb, questions

Good luck.

And did you enjoy it? I'm be worried about losing my skills on the tools.

 

[XanderHarris]

Sort of, pension rights got migrated across when FE colleges were separated from the local authorities.
Teaching staff are on the Teacher's Pension scheme and support staff are part of the Local Government Pension scheme, both public sector.

Interesting

 

[Matt887]

Do lectures at colleges get a similar percentage pay increases to school teachers or not?

 

[vulcancontinental]

Interesting that much of the conversation is about pensions and not the students, facilities or the job generally.

I did three years part time when recovering from illness. Many students didn't want to be there but were pushed by their parents. The good ones tended to be mature with a young family or guys laid of from factories looking for another career. Good to help those that wanted to do a good job, less pleasing to help those who were out getting work in the evening in a sign written van purchased with their redundancy then coming into college to ask how to do it the next day.

When asked to do full time I declined basically because the head of department and deputy, both top, top professionals, had screensavers on their desktops which flashed up something numbering the weeks to their retirement. Same way into work every day, not for me.

 

[Agile]

I was quite lucky because the BBC decided to implement a PIE for those who wanted it. That stands for a Pension Increase Exchange.

Basically they give you a higher increase now on most of your pension balanced by little increase in the future. It enables them to better budget for future pension costs.

So mine worked out at about 25% increase. How beneficial that is or isn't depends on the inflation rates and how long I live for.

I had to have an argument to get it offered to me. As my earlier contribution years were on paper records they thought they would not offer it to me. But they saw the merit of my argument that I should be dealt with equally.

As inflation has been fairly low since I took it I think that I have definately made the best descision. And my pension must be fairly close to what a BG engineer gets if he does not work any overtime.

 

[gas112]

As inflation has been fairly low since I took it I think that I have definately made the best descision. And my pension must be fairly close to what a BG engineer gets if he does not work any overtime.

What anything between 700k and million quid in pension pot depending on the market at the time
So 175k to 250k lump sum and over 25k a year pension ?

 

[denso13]

Do lectures at colleges get a similar percentage pay increases to school teachers or not?

Different unions, different working arrangements, so not necessarily.

 

[Matt887]

How soon after starting did anyone do there iqa assessors course?

 

[Matt887]

I think maybe I may miss the tools. But it's 38k a year. 35 hour week. 23 hours teaching time. 55 days leave so school teachers holidays.

 

[jurassic sparkk]

What were both your opinions on it please?

I'm a part time lecturer at the moment, on a casual contract (which is very common for the first few years of an academic career). To get to this point I had to complete a Masters and most of a PhD (four years altogether), as well as various in-house teacher training courses. I'm currently paid £50 per contact hour which involves designing the course almost from scratch, delivering lectures and seminars, producing a bunch of material for our e-learning platform, and writing and then marking exams for my course; I estimate there's at least 4 hours of unpaid prep work or marking for each paid contact hour. My contract means I'm not part of a pension scheme, although full-time salaried workers are. Full-time staff are expected to conduct research alongside their teaching, but this is often unpaid: I know several people who have had to move down to part-time contracts just so they have time to complete the research which is required for promotion or securing a permanent role.

A big difference between secondary and university teaching is the fact that, for the latter, there are no schemes of work and no co-teaching so you have to design the whole course by yourself. Another difference is that student engagement is often very low: at least in the humanities, many students don't attend lectures or seminars or do the assigned reading and hope they can just catch up later (at my university, all the lectures are recorded for them to watch in their own time). It can be very disheartening to have to deliver a lecture where only 2 students out of 20 have shown up, or a seminar where the students are meant to be discussing an article that nobody in the room but the lecturer has read. If you want to find out more about issues with pay and working conditions, look into the ongoing UCU strike action.

There are some very nice positions in academia, and permanent senior lecturers and professors make a much better wage than most teachers - but you're looking at a decade or more of grind to get there.

 

[Matt887]

Thanks what are you lecturering in please?

 

[jurassic sparkk]

Thanks what are you lecturering in please?

Economics and finance

 

[RandomGrinch]

I'm a part time lecturer at the moment, on a casual contract

You've made some interesting points, and I may be in a very different institution from you, but..

Full-time staff are expected to conduct research alongside their teaching, but this is often unpaid: I know several people who have had to move down to part-time contracts just so they have time to complete the research which is required for promotion or securing a permanent role.

Most of the universities I have been involved in are research led.
Your Masters and PhD would be working around a certain area of research, with opportunities to take part in teaching activities, i.e. lab demonstrating, or marking etc.
Since the criteria of the REF has changed, most full time staff have to be included in the submission - teaching only posts are rare in my place and very much take a back seat; every academic is expected to contribute to research, first and foremost.

A big difference between secondary and university teaching is the fact that, for the latter, there are no schemes of work and no co-teaching so you have to design the whole course by yourself.

Again, very different to us.
Most courses are continually evolved - new members of staff usually pick-up and modify previously run modules.
New modules are created, but these will first be assessed for feasibility by the course committee and led by a MO, supported by a DMO for contingency.

Another difference is that student engagement is often very low: at least in the humanities, many students don't attend lectures or seminars or do the assigned reading and hope they can just catch up later (at my university, all the lectures are recorded for them to watch in their own time). It can be very disheartening to have to deliver a lecture where only 2 students out of 20 have shown up

Although COVID had an impact, our engagement levels are really good.
Lectures are recorded, but students still attend - it has been known for students to listen to a certain well spoken lecturers recordings to fall asleep to - unintentional ASMR!
My area is lab based, and lab attendance is compulsory, so again I don't see any issues with lack of engagement.
The students are paying a good deal of money to be here; if you and the institution engage with them properly, they are really keen to learn.