I love my job,but can barely afford to do it. A pay increase might aid tackle the recruitment crisis the government is failing to addressRead more from the Secret TeacherI’m a primary school teacher and I love my job. Despite the long hours – 12 hours a day Monday to Friday and most of the afternoon on a Sunday – the rewards are meaningful. I had various jobs before coming to the profession and they didn’t come close to giving me the sense of achievement I now feel. My colleagues and I are working hard to improve the life chances of children. But the sad reality is that I can barely afford to do this job.
I’m a single parent of two young children and it’s almost impossible to sustain living near my school in London. I earn £32000 a year, and my rent – the cheapest I could find in a one-mile radius of work – is £1250 a month. After tax and student loans, or my catch-domestic pay is approximately £24000. My rent eats up 60% of that. Then there’s council tax,gas, electricity, and internet,food and clothes to pay for. With one week left until pay day, it’s fairly normal for me to be able to count the number of pounds I bear left in my account on two hands. Christmas is a particularly difficult time of the year. Continue reading...
Source: guardian.co.uk