What is skilled, semi-skilled and ordinary? (Teaching assistant).

[ericmark]

I have been reading this BBC report on how teaching assistances are claiming they are skilled, in any job one clearly learns skills, but in the main we judge as to if skilled by the amount of time which is required to train for the work, any building site, factory or other venue where there is some risk, workers are trained to avoid the hazards, it may take an hour to whole day, and then during the job often we have tool box talks which afford further training, some which could take up to a week, but I would not consider that training as making the worker skilled.

An electricians mate is considered as semi-skilled, he will often have training as to regulations, the one assigned to me, was there primary to conform with heath and safety rules, so I was not a lone worker, he was required to have a driving licence, which in the main means two weeks training and a test, he was likely doing well over what he should have been doing, looking at the Emma Shaw case, but he was working on my instructions, I was the skilled person.

I would have thought a teaching assistance should be also working under the instructions of the teacher, the teacher is above skilled as skilled normally needs level 3 collage education and teachers I would assume are level 6 at least, it is considered as a vocation as with nurses, rather than a professional as back in history the job was often low pay or unpaid and only people with a private income could really afford to do the job.

I would have said a skilled worker needs at least a level 3 qualification in the work they do, but the exam to show you can read the wiring regulations is level 3, as are 'A' levels, so I would say skilled would require a level 3 qualification, but a level 3 does not make some one skilled.

I am not saying anyone should not get a good wage, I would say the longer some one needs to train before they can earn money the greater renunciation they should expect, however nurses are supported thought university nearly every other professional has to support themselves through university so using that argument nurses should be paid less than other graduates. It does seem some professions are low paid, archaeology for example, mainly as with nurses and school teaches it is a vocation with people doing the work for just expenses or for free.

I now work for no money, I volunteer at a heritage railway, OK for me I am retired now, but the railway can't give any workers money for their work unless it is to minimum wage, this all or nothing seem mad, there are a few jobs where the skills are so specialised that they can only work for one employer, health service, schools, and social services, but in the main, the idea should be, if you don't like the money move to a job which pays better.

I did not like the money I was getting so got off my backside and went to work in Algeria, Falkland Islands and Hong Kong, I did not just accept my lot, there seems to be too many people looking for a hand out, to my mind minimum wage for 40 hours should not exceed government old age pension, if as a pensioner we can live on it, why can't others?

 

[carmanmemoranda]

I have been reading this BBC report on how teaching assistances are claiming they are skilled, in any job one clearly learns skills, but in the main we judge as to if skilled by the amount of time which is required to train for the work, any building site, factory or other venue where there is some risk, workers are trained to avoid the hazards, it may take an hour to whole day, and then during the job often we have tool box talks which afford further training, some which could take up to a week, but I would not consider that training as making the worker skilled.

An electricians mate is considered as semi-skilled, he will often have training as to regulations, the one assigned to me, was there primary to conform with heath and safety rules, so I was not a lone worker, he was required to have a driving licence, which in the main means two weeks training and a test, he was likely doing well over what he should have been doing, looking at the Emma Shaw case, but he was working on my instructions, I was the skilled person.

I would have thought a teaching assistance should be also working under the instructions of the teacher, the teacher is above skilled as skilled normally needs level 3 collage education and teachers I would assume are level 6 at least, it is considered as a vocation as with nurses, rather than a professional as back in history the job was often low pay or unpaid and only people with a private income could really afford to do the job.

I would have said a skilled worker needs at least a level 3 qualification in the work they do, but the exam to show you can read the wiring regulations is level 3, as are 'A' levels, so I would say skilled would require a level 3 qualification, but a level 3 does not make some one skilled.

there seems to be too many people looking for a hand out, to my mind minimum wage for 40 hours should not exceed government old age pension, if as a pensioner we can live on it, why can't others?

Apart from the fact they may have much bigger expenses like housing and children you might have a point.

Minimum wage should be enough to live on, not just exist on.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I did not like the money I was getting so got off my backside and went to work in Algeria, Falkland Islands and Hong Kong, I did not just accept my lot, there seems to be too many people looking for a hand out, to my mind minimum wage for 40 hours should not exceed government old age pension, if as a pensioner we can live on it, why can't others?

Someone who is working, does usually need more income than someone retired, on a pension. A working person has lots of extra expenses, which a pensioner does not, such as bus fares, petrol, less time to shop, so they often have to pay more, they will likely be paying more for their housing too. To be honest, I was slightly concerned, come time to retire from a well paid job, how I would manage on the drop in income and a pension - in fact I managed very well indeed.

 

[charliegolf]

Two points...

A Higher Level Teaching Assistant is regarded as Level 4 (The vast majority are not though.)
The woman who kicked this off is almost certainly not using the word skilled like you are, Eric. She's saying, "We do skilled work, often 'teaching' individuals or small groups what the teacher wants taught." And, "We deserve a bit more than min wage*."

*Average pay is c£12/hr, but mean average is not useful in this context, since the vast majority of TAs will be on scale points 1-3.

 

[cwhaley]

My Mother in Law is a TA (has been for 30 years). Her work involves planning lessons (often unpaid, outside of work), one-to-one work, school outings and dealing with very difficult pupils, plus all the day-to-day stuff in helping in lessons. Nearly all the teachers agree that their work is critical to the running of the school. The school she's at has some very disadvantaged children.

They went on strike in 2016 after the city council in Derby proposed a plan to cut their wages by 25%. I can't remember why it was such a drop, but it was in an effort to try and ensure 'fair pair'. Their striking worked and they saved their pay.

 

[motorbiking]

Supply and demand.

Plenty of great candidates want term time / school time work while their kids go to school, so why should pay be increased, if vacancies are over subscribed?

If you want more money, work somewhere else.

 

[IT Minion]

Supply and demand.

Plenty of great candidates want term time / school time work while their kids go to school, so why should pay be increased, if vacancies are over subscribed?

If you want more money, work somewhere else.

Isn't there a national shortage of teaching assistants due to the poor pay?

 

[ericmark]

Isn't there a national shortage of teaching assistants due to the poor pay?

It has worked then.

Years ago there were jobs for the retired, be it night watchman, the corner shop, or other work where one might need to do something for an hour in an eight hour shift, min wage has killed all these jobs which gave pocket money to students and the retired.

We have two systems, communism and capitalism and history show communism does not work.

 

[Odds]

We have two systems, communism and capitalism and history show communism does not work.

The Chinese seem to be doing okay: don't mistake Stalins five-year plans for Communism.

 

[Bod ...]

I think this is a very serious problem we have in this country . The building industry is shyt because skilled rolls are deemed as manual labour and jobs are filled by un-skilled workers.

I choose the building industry because that's what I know.

The plumbing and industry is very wide. I'm good at most things maybe not so good at boiler diagnosis. I would still consider myself professional because of my overal skills and the service I give to my customers.


The NHS has far to many under qualified or inexperienced nurses and other Hospital staff.

Yet the professionals of society are said to be lawyer's, bankers, Doctors.

The terms Professional and skilled should be given to those who are good at their job, top of their game. Not for a job title, and those who are paid for failure.

Whos the real Professional an average footballer/manager or a cleaner who knows her products and how best to go about her job.

 

[motorbiking]

The whole skilled vs un-skilled is con, to create a hierarchy of work. There are many jobs which are vastly better paid without needing any specific qualifications. On the other hand, there are jobs requiring many, that are not well paid.

It's all about the supply and demand.

Once you start looking at jobs paying above 200k then its about the influence of revenue, margin etc. If you can pull in £5M a year, then nobody minds paying £300k.

 

[Odds]

It's all about the supply and demand.

Once you start looking at jobs paying above 200k then its about the influence of revenue, margin etc. If you can pull in £5M a year, then nobody minds paying £300k.

Is that why a footballer can earn £50,000 a week while nursing staff don't get that in a year?

 

[motorbiking]

2.5M a week if you are Ronaldo or 400m a year if you have the rights to a shoe.

 

[Odds]

Then i guess we're into the world of 'trickle down economics': you know; Ronaldo gets the finance to build a football pitch for a school or George Weah basically bankrolls his home country, Liberia.
Perhaps football clubs could put finance into their own communities and pay for new hospitals and infrastructure. The Arabs taking over those clubs can afford it, after all.