Where have you been? Old news....

http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/inthenews/a00200959/final-teacher-pension-scheme-member-contribution-changes-for-2012-13-announced

Mines gone up by about £10 but I'm on m1. On the plus side, tax has gone down so overall I think I'm £10 up compared to last month. I think it's now graduated so my contributions are now 6.4% but some ppl pay up to 10%. Also my student loan amount dropped from £49 to £43 and I really don't know why.

 

modgepodge

Also my student loan amount dropped from £49 to £43 and I really don't know why.

The income threshold rose from £15,000 to £15,795....

I know i should have known but i posted on here because i knew you would put me straight crow bob!!! I kind of knew, just didn't realise i would be poorer from this month onwards... My NI up as well. :-(

Wait until next April and April 2014 when contributions rise twice more! Plus your cost of living pay freeze.

Pay more for longer to get less.

Good ere innit!

Well... people didn't want to strike... so hey ho....

I did strike! I thought we were in this together; don't quite understand the 'we told you so' nature of the posts! I didn't bring this on myself! As the 1st month where this actually affects us, i thought i would post about it - because i think it's wrong and was wondering how it impacted others.

Pension increases in my pay packet would be a welcome sign that I was getting paid! 

My supply bookings have reduced from an average of 160 days per year 3 years ago to around 20 so far this school year.  I'm expecting a small payment at the end of April for 2 days work at the beginning of March.

I've had no work so far in April so don't expect to be getting any pay at the end of May.

Crowbob

 

modgepodge

Also my student loan amount dropped from £49 to £43 and I really don't know why.

The income threshold rose from £15,000 to £15,795....

Great news thanks. Does this happen every year? I w under the impression it'd been £15k since I graduated hence I was surprised when the payment dropped. This does make it all the less likely I'll ever pay it all back...at the current rate it'll take me about 465 years! Not including interest....Hopefully my pay should go up a bit each year but tbh I've accepted it'll never all be gone.

modgepodge

This does make it all the less likely I'll ever pay it all back...at the current rate it'll take me about 465 years! Not including interest....Hopefully my pay should go up a bit each year but tbh I've accepted it'll never all be gone.

If it's not paid off at a certain number of years (25 or 30?), the debt is written off.

Yes - it's bloody daylight robbery!  My pension has jumped by £55 (tax was £20 less, N.I. up £3 so all in all I'm worse off by £35 a month.

jubilee

modgepodge

This does make it all the less likely I'll ever pay it all back...at the current rate it'll take me about 465 years! Not including interest....Hopefully my pay should go up a bit each year but tbh I've accepted it'll never all be gone.

If it's not paid off at a certain number of years (25 or 30?), the debt is written off.

I know....it's just depressing. One of my loans (bsc) was taken out under the old scheme (per 2006) so I think that stays til I'm 60. The other ( pgce) was taken out in 2010 under the new system and I think goes after 25 yrs. not sure which one Im paying off, and have no idea how to find out, but am assuming ( and hoping) it's the first.

modgepodge

Great news thanks. Does this happen every year?

 

Not normally. I actually don't know the reason why it went up this year...

!

slimj

Yes - it's bloody daylight robbery!  My pension has jumped by £55 (tax was £20 less, N.I. up £3 so all in all I'm worse off by £35 a month.

I've just checked my payslip and I'm in the same situation as you - totally sucks!

[edited by: birdsaz at 12:03 (GMT 0) on 29-4-2012]

A lot less in my pay packet too this month and hence during a time of pay freeze I and all in my profession have been given an effective pay cut!

When I rang my local representative for the NASUWT, he told me that there was nothing I could do about this pension increase as the government had instituted laws to enforce it and apparently no teacher even has the right to opt out of this increase.

In addition, he said that I was the only teacher who had rang him to discuss this matter and hence it would appear (although it is still early days yet!) that many in the teaching profession are prepared to roll over and allow these insidious increases.

If the teaching profession as a whole does allow this, be prepared, as think tanks have informed the govenment that with regard to public sector pensions they have not gone nearly far enough. 

 By rolling over and fully accepting this increase today, teachers will be voting for numerous more cuts to their pensions over the decades to come!  Both the government and the Unions are closely watching to see what the response of the teaching profession will be. 

If teachers do nothing, key talent will also drain from the profession as surely as night follows day.  Those of us who propose that teachers have the moral duty to teach in all circumstances hopefully are aware of this.

 I am hoping the NASUWT at national level will have foresight enough to anticipate the government's (and future governments) potential to erode pensions even more in the decades to come.  Having spoken to them at the local level, I am starting to have doubts about their ability to anticipate and react effectively on our behalf, but they still have time to show the opposite and to be fair they have done fairly well up to now in many respects.   (Although, their Action Short Of Strike Action appears to be very ineffective) 

 I for one am hoping that both teachers and our unions will come up with a response in the near future that displays much more intelligence and some "lateral" solutions to the messy situation the current government have created.

We assume in the future you will not giving any of your good will or free time at your  school.

This does not cost  you anything..

coppull

We assume in the future you will not giving any of your good will or free time at your  school.

This does not cost  you anything..

Agreed.

I'm not in favour of the superannuation increase even though it no longer affects me (I've called it a day on supply ... or no supply ... and today resigned from my LA agency and filled in the forms to trigger my pension early) but there will be loads of teachers annoyed about the increase who nonetheless spend their own taxed pay on school resources and rewards for the pupils.

Teachers now need to Work To Rule, undertaking only their contractual duties and they need to stop buying treats for their pupils and subsidising the school's budget by buying wipes and tissues for pupil use, concoctions for cleaning whiteboards (see recent thread for the array of products that teacher buy!) and pensils and biros for pupil use.

Teachers should also withdraw from school trips, both because of the unpaid time involved and the personal legal implications from any incident/accident.  Unions do advise teachers not to take part.

Teachers should also be claiming for additional  expenses where applicable.

For instance, when there is a parents' evening, there are two options.

1) if there is a gap of a few hours after school before the meeting, and it is feasible for you to go home, you can claim for one of your two return trip to school that day, at the LA approved mileage rate or reimbursement of public transport costs.  The school have the forms and should be informing all staff of their rights in this regard.

2.  If it's not practical to go home in beteween because of time constraints and/or distance, your are eligible to claim the LA subsistence rate for a meal.  Some schools provide a buffet, after asking who would be happy with that solution, but others can assert their right to buy food of their choice to a certain value and claim back the cost on production of a receipt.

P/t teachers should refuse to attend after school meetings or INSETs that are not sceduled on their work days.  If they agree to attend, it should be with additional pay at the full supply teacher rate (annual salary divided by 195 for  a day's attendance and anual salary divided by 975 for each hour of a part day)., payable to the nearest  .. rounded-up quarter of an hour).

Play hard ball, as the Americans say!

Don't forget to claim tax relief on your Union subs (present and past, up to 6 years ago) and past GTC fees.

If you ever teach PE and need to provide, launder and replace your own PE kit, with no laundry facilities provided on-site) you can claim a Uniform Allowance of £60 per year to offset against tax, saving you £12 in tax if your highest rate is 20% and £24 less tax if you pay 40% on the upper portion of your pay.

I am part time and I am shocked by what the increase means to my meagre salary. I can't see how I can continue to put such a sum of money aside in case I get to retirement when I can't find the money I need to cover all my bills today.