Pastoral Leaders? Welfare and Guidance Managers?

Question

I work as a Welfare and Guidance Manager in a school and I believe that the jobs we are being asked to do are far more than the ones we should be doing. We are supposed to be there for the students, to "guide and support" them, but on top of that we are supposed to be the discipline reinforcers in the school, which makes our job difficult as students see us as "the horrible people" more than "the helpful, supportive people" we want to be known as. Another problem is the salary, which is really low for the amount of work we do. In addition to this, I am doing the attendance of the whole school and that takes most of my time. I don't know where to go, this is becoming too much for me. Do you have any ideas of what this job should be like (ie job description), salary, etc? Thanks a lot.

My job is not a teaching one, although I have my QTS.

Answer 1

I'm an NQT so probably not as qualified as some to give a good answer, but I'll give it a go.

The main problem I think is the fact that you're essentially doing two jobs, that as a carer and as an enforcer. Being one makes it very tough to do the other because, as you pointed out, many pupils will see you more in the role as an enforcer than as a supporter.
Now the set-up does change from school to school, but personally I think that the two roles should be separate with seprate people dealing with them. Obviously the two groups would have to work very closely with each other, but the staff involved with one shouldnt be seen by the pupils to also be the other. That would, I think, allow for the pupils to trust them more as the people they see in an 'enforcing' capacity would be different than those they saw in a 'guidance and support' capacity.

Even if you only have the one group, you could try to arrange it so that some people deal wholely or primarily with enforcement and the others with the guidance and support side.

As for working hours and pay, all I can suggest is talking to your department head, headteacher or union rep about it and seeing if you can't get any more help. It worked for UK teachers as we got the government to pass a law limiting the amlunt of non teaching work we could do and ensuring that proper office staff dealt with much of the papaerwork that was consuming our time. Maybe it can work for other school staff as well. At the very least you'll be sharing your problem (always a good way to releive the stress it causes) and maybe you'll be able to get some help from your school as they won't want to risk you leaving, even on a temporary basis, and thus strain an already overstretched department.

Whatetver course you choos, I wish you good luck. It's easy for people to overlook the non teaching staff in a school and I think it's a shame that they do.

Answer 2

Did you ask for a job description when you took the job? Ask for one now.

Discipline is part of a teacher's duties. You cannot be all goodness and light to the kids. They have to know you are strict but you want what is the best for them. It is difficult for a good teacher to straddle both sides of the job.

You might want to observe a more experienced colleague and take mental notes on how they handle day to day teaching challenges. You may ask a more experienced teacher to help you with some ideas for doing your job and perhaps you can find someone who will mentor you as you approach the challenges of your job.

Certainly, we all know, that teachers are underpaid. I think we cannot pay them enough. You will have to decide if you wish to keep teaching or try to get a job in a more lucrative field.