# New Job, but issue with old one :(



## CoOkIeMoNsTeR (Mar 6, 2011)

Moving up in the world haha, my time at the private school I've been teaching at the past 4 years is over as they're slimming staff following a merger with another private school. They wanted me to leave my post as a Design & Technology teacher (covering BTEC Engineering, Graphics, Product Design, Systems & Control and Photography Art & Design all at GSCE and A-Level) to Media Studies & Creative Arts.......




... Erm, NO!!! :doublesho

So at the WJEC examiners conference I was sat as usual with the other people in the country who mark D&T papers in Welsh and one happened to mention that he was leaving his job to join Bangor University lecturing on the course we both studied many moons ago and at different times I hasten to add  so a head of D&T job was going in a school much closer to my house, no more 125 miles a day driving, so I applied, got an interview, taught an hours observed lesson with a class and was then re interviewed to asses my managerial skills (I now have a whopping £1000 a year to budget on coffee, paper and photocopier toner :lol: ) and they gave me the job 

I'm well chuffed, only thing is, they want me to start pretty much straight away to settle me in and keep me up to date with the agenda for the coming academic year; as head of department and curriculum leader I need to know the department inside and out before I start in September and I'll need to brief my staff on what I want them to be teaching if I find a project or scheme of work I think we could improve or pool resources or compare schemes of work we've all used in the past in whatever school. This is customary with new staff to settle you in and it means they pay you over the summer too, but my current school won't let me leave until July 18th which is the end of term so it's not going to be easy :wall:

Anyone else on here been in a similar situation? Any other teachers on here with experience of the situation? I've actually been an acting head of department in my last school, but went to the private school as I was offered a more pastoral role as a behaviour co-ordinator and the same money too. They very kindly took that role off me at the start of term with no real explanation but suddenly offered me a head of year post if I stayed  I can't wait to leave tbh, will miss the staff but can't wait to start at the new school cos it's where I did my first teaching practice and it's within walking distance of the house so I'm already £90 a week better off as there'll be no diesel bills anymore :driver:

Anyhoo, the thing is, the school I'm at now want me to wait until after the end of term to sign my notice but they won't pay me over the summer  The new school want me on their payroll before the end of term which naturally, I'd like! Do I have any recourse on this? Is there anything I can do to get them to move? Of course I'll stay until the end of term in the current school, I won't just leave after I sign the notice, but I'll need to sign it before July 17th to go to the new job.

Citizen's Advice haven't got back to me yet so just asking out of interest really and also to see how many of you are working in education :thumb:

All advice/comments welcome. Thanks peeps


----------



## polac5397 (Apr 16, 2014)

ring acas mate .....well done though


----------



## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

+1 for me too and well done also:thumb:


----------



## CoOkIeMoNsTeR (Mar 6, 2011)

Cheers lads, didn't think about them haha :thumb: Will give it a go :thumb:


----------



## polac5397 (Apr 16, 2014)

sure you will get the answers from them good luck !!


----------



## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Congratulations on the new job

You can hand your notice in at any point and as long as you work the specified notice period you will be fine. You current employer does not need to approve a resignation just make sure you hand your letter in which gives the date of the notice and how long the contractual notice period is.

It is obviously always ideal to leave on good terms but read your contract and then reread it so you can discuss any details with confidence


----------



## Gavla (Apr 10, 2014)

As above. Simply give the notice you are required to give in terms of your contract. It is very noble of you to consider your current position but you need to look after number one...you. As long as you do not breach your contract they cannot hold your decision against you.


----------



## CoOkIeMoNsTeR (Mar 6, 2011)

Thanks for the input fellas, I'll have another word with the head's secretary tomorrow see if I can get an appointment to try and smooth things over, I have a copy of my contract on my desk which I shall look at tomorrow during my free and pore over, familiarise myself on the exact terms.

I'm amazed at the decision to cut STEM subjects in our schools tbh, science and maths are no good to pupils without the practical uses for the knowledge they learn in those lessons but being a private school the governors think they can just do what they want and as half the D&T staff are actually pilfered from other departments, they decided they could do without one of us and as I'm the most senior member off staff and the only full time D&T teacher so I cost them more than the others who are a bunch of temps, NQT's and non-specialists other than the current HoD who is senior management and in my observed staff report marked me down on professional values and practice because I refused to peel blu-tac off my classroom walls (long story short, teachers aren't allowed to perform certain 'menial tasks' that do not require our professional ability and one of them is displays, my classroom was earmarked for an open evening and my back was playing me up so I exercised that right which didn't please the HoD so in the report I was marked a 2  ). 

Now I'm not bitter, but I have always achieved straight 1's in my lesson observations even when I was only in my second year of training, in 9 years I have never been marked less than a 1 (we are marked by numbers, 1-4 then fail, 1 is outstanding practice, 2 is good, 3 adequate etc etc) until then so I wasn't impressed. I take my job very seriously and I will only ever aim to achieve the best for myself and my pupils, so it was decision made from then that my face clearly didn't fit anymore so I hope this new opportunity will be just the tonic as it was getting me down a little tbh, lucky I've not had much chance to worry about it with all the marking haha oh and the wedding planning and the Porsche recommissioning :doublesho Busy busy lol


----------



## Gek (Aug 8, 2012)

Not 100% on the Law in the UK (from Ireland here) but I would presume there are some similarities.

You are under contract which should call out the notice period you are required to give and also the notice the employer is required to give you, that said, In reality if for example your notice is 2 months and you leave after one month, without going through a court case, there is very little employers can do. 

Here they can hold you P45 (form you recieve once you leave a job that shows pay/tax paid to date) until the date that your notice period ends.

99% of the time its just not worth the time for the employer to pursue this through the courts. There are a few cases where they may pursue it i.e. if they can prove that your leaving would have a serious financial impact etc etc but its rare enough.

There are other non-tangible things to consider like you may not get a glowing reference and you may be leaving them stuck etc etc but nothing major.

I went through all this crap with managers and HR in my last role, bottom line I left after 2 weeks instead of 2 months, no impact so far.


----------



## CoOkIeMoNsTeR (Mar 6, 2011)

It's only the P45 I want haha :doublesho

Anyhoo, had a meeting the other day, contract in hand, discussed the options and managed to work it out. I will leave on July 18th, move to the new school and I will be paid over the summer as usual woohoo, and start in the new school September 1st :thumb: Will be given my keys last week of July and will have access to clear my office and classroom.

Glad it's all sorted now and thanks for all the replies and messages of good will


----------



## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Glad it worked out for you and good luck with the new job


----------

