Poster: A snowHead
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Can I preface this by saying that a) I've just been to see Les Mis and am slightly emotional and b) I've had a glass of wine, so be kind.....
Early stages, but we're thinking of a new venture for next season, where a large (50 bed) property has a week set aside (in school holidays) for teachers only. Our other properties are fully-booked very early on, for HT weeks, by - naturally enough - families. However, I've noticed various postings here, and elsewhere, from teachers looking for groups to join during those high peak weeks. It wouldn't be a 'singles' week in the sense of matchmaking and the like, but singles would be welcome along with groups of all sizes.
Part of the thinking is that child-free teachers may not want to spend their holidays with lots of children, but in school holidays, may not have much choice.
Thoughts from suitably knowledgeable SHs would be appreciated and welcome
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ridiculous idea - teachers have more choice over dates than anybody. Half term is also a peak weak for those of us that have 2 kids (school holiday restricted) and have 23 days holiday a year. Teachers have a choice of upto 3 weeks at Xmas and 4 weeks at easter, a luxury I dont have.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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alti - dude, you've got a choice of 2 weeks at Xmas and 2 weeks at Easter like any ordinary state school teacher though.
I don't see the problem although the savvier teachers are probably organising their own trips to resorts not favoured by Brits where the predominant nationality isn't yet on school breaks.
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alti - dude wrote: |
Ridiculous idea - teachers have more choice over dates than anybody. Half term is also a peak weak for those of us that have 2 kids (school holiday restricted) and have 23 days holiday a year. Teachers have a choice of upto 3 weeks at Xmas and 4 weeks at easter, a luxury I dont have. |
Teachers have no choice - they can only go in school holidays. Anyone else can go whenever they want, for the vast majority of kids a week out of school will make bug all difference (yep, even in GCSE and A Level years), especially if they ask beforehand what they will miss.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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alti - dude, they do have a choice of dates, but surely they are the same choice of dates as families wanting to ski during the school holidays? They are all a) peak weeks and b) likely to be populated by children and families. I'm not sure why they have a choice of "up to 3 weeks at Christmas and 4 weeks at Easter"? My children are off for two weeks at Christmas and around 2 weeks at Easter
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Anniepen, TBH as a teacher I wouldn't want to deliberately set out to spend my holidays with a bunch of the same. We'd bore the pants off each other and rant all night about the education system, marking, blah, blah, blah, I'm boring myself now
alti - dude,
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3 weeks at Xmas and 4 weeks at easter
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Not in the state system we don't. But I will say we get paid enough to afford the peak rates (I'd probably better duck and run). Many parents I know simply take their kids out of school if they want a cheaper holiday.
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Anniepen, I think that is a brilliant idea. My daughter is a teacher in Essex, and contrary to what alti-dude says, she only gets a choice of 2 holidays weeks at Xmas & 11 days (inc 2 bank holidays) at Easter, which in 2014 falls very late (07.04.14 to 21.04.14.) so the choie is even more limited.
Only thing is that the slopes would be packed with ankle biters in those weeks anyway
alti-dude, I am sorry that you only get 23 days holiday....you want to get a proper job where you 31 days holiday like me
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Anniepen, That would be an awful lot of forfeit rounds, we just can't help ourselves. It's like asking a dog not to lick it's nuts.
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clarky999 wrote: |
alti - dude wrote: |
Ridiculous idea - teachers have more choice over dates than anybody. Half term is also a peak weak for those of us that have 2 kids (school holiday restricted) and have 23 days holiday a year. Teachers have a choice of upto 3 weeks at Xmas and 4 weeks at easter, a luxury I dont have. |
Teachers have no choice - they can only go in school holidays. Anyone else can go whenever they want, for the vast majority of kids a week out of school will make bug all difference (yep, even in GCSE and A Level years), especially if they ask beforehand what they will miss. |
I can't go when I want a I have 2 kids in school so im bound by school holidays just like teachers. I won't take my kids out of school during term time.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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robapplegate, how many days do you get in a year then if you are so hard done by over Xmas and Easter?
PS might be a bit sensitive as on half term break and just spent the last three hours working . . . . . Ricay, any jobs going?
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You know it makes sense.
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AlpineAddict, help me understand why I am different to a teacher. 2 kids in school and we all like skiing so how does that mean I can ski outside of school holidays?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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alti - dude, I don't think I implied I am in any way hard done by. Simply pointed out that i don't get 3 weeks at Christmas nor 4 weeks at Easter. I do applaud your stand on not taking your kids out of school. Many parents do so just to get a cheap deal irrespective of what it might mean in terms of education. It's not unknown for them to go on holiday despite being told well in advance that GCSE exams or coursework will be taking place. Sorry I said I'd start to rant
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Poster: A snowHead
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alti - dude, it's your choice to not take kids out of school, teachers are bound by contract to not go outside of set holidays.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Quote: |
. . . Ricay, any jobs going?
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You'll be lucky....redundancies are looming methinks
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Anniepen, this was ringing bells with me - see this similar thread from last year
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2070462&highlight=teachers#2070462
My daughter and son in law are both teachers (she only works half time as they have two very small kids). They can only afford to go skiing if they come and stay with me and I do transfers, food and child-minding. Before kids they did UCPA.
Might be worth finding out how Wayne's idea went.
You would presumably exclude kids? That was the implication of the "ankle-biters" comment.
The idea isn't relevant to me anyway, but I think if I were a teacher wanting to take a holiday in half term(which is always French holidays too) I'd be off to somewhere moderately obscure, not a big French resort.
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Interestingly I think there would be some demand for this. The last two Easters skiing where we stayed in hotels both had groups of teachers/school workers who had organised to go away together.
The OH is a teacher and it's something we'd be interested in once we don't have Jnr in tow (which would be quite a few years yet).
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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OP is this to save money or to avoid non intellectual riff raff?
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alti - dude wrote: |
Ridiculous idea - teachers have more choice over dates than anybody. Half term is also a peak weak for those of us that have 2 kids (school holiday restricted) and have 23 days holiday a year. Teachers have a choice of upto 3 weeks at Xmas and 4 weeks at easter, a luxury I dont have. |
They certainly don't have more choice over dates than you, as your children will be off the same time as the teacher, so how is your choice more restricted than theirs?
If you are suggesting that teachers could go for that total time - all in the most expensive weeks of the year, I'd seriously wonder how they could afford it. However, even if they could afford it, the only other people that could do that timing would also be teachers, so a teachers only holiday is not a ridiculous idea at all!
alti - dude wrote: |
I can't go when I want a I have 2 kids in school so im bound by school holidays just like teachers. |
You are not bound to school holidays like teachers are, you can go any time you want. There is nothing to stop you (and your wife) going by yourselves whenever you can find a childminder. If you want to go with your kids, you may have chosen to not take your kids outside of holiday time but you are still not bound by school holidays.
alti - dude wrote: |
AlpineAddict, help me understand why I am different to a teacher. |
You seem to forget that there is a life beyond when your kids are no longer children. Speaking from the position of someone married to a teacher... we will always be restricted to school holidays, even when our children are grown up and we go alone. However, there will be time when you are not restricted to going during school holidays.
Because Mrs Z has taught in a different county to where we live, we have also (quite often) had the situation where she has had different holiday dates to the kids. I don't expect that you have been in the position where you have a fixed holiday period that does not coincide with your children.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Having said the above, I am sure that Mrs Z wouldn't want to go on a teachers (and partners) only trip.
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Mrs S works in education (x-teacher, now peripatetic audiologist) and when we go away she can spot a teacher a mile off. Needless to say we don't rush over to start a conversation as talking about teaching, which is what many of them do, would drive her crazy.
Regarding the extra cost, every so often she says "but skiing would be so much cheaper if I gave up work and we could go when we want" wherupon I then have to explain the fundamental economic flaw in her argument...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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fatbob, flangesax, haha... Good job she doesn't use this site
alti - dude, All I am saying mate is exactly what others have on here... Unless your kids go to private school, you are way off the mark with the amount of time teachers get at Xmas and Easter... To get the best shot of conditions, teachers have realistically 3 weeks all season (NY, Feb and 1st Easter week).. That's it... All of which are so stupidly priced it means that you can usually only get one trip out a year...
As has been pointed out earlier, teachers are simply not allowed to take time off (although my GF's headteacher very kindly allowed her time off on Friday so we could beat the stupid half term easyjet prices)... It is your choice not to take your kids out of school, which is very commendable but still, your choice...
I am not trying to be obnoxious here but your opening statement of 'Ridiculous idea - teachers have more choice over dates than anybody' could not have been further from the truth if it tried!!!!!
Anniepen, Getting back to your OP, IMO I am not convinced for the reason that I know teachers tend not to want to spend holiday time, or anytime away from school, with a whole bunch of other teachers Esp ones they don't know
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Quote: |
You seem to forget that there is a life beyond when your kids are no longer children.
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and when they are small. My daughter's two children are 10 months old and just turned 3 - they'd be able to go on holiday in mid January, or any other time, if they weren't teachers. At least they're both teachers, so that they can't resent each other!
Whoever made the "intellectual" comment might not have met that many teachers!
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Surely teachers have the best deal of all? A free holiday in Feb half term in the form of a school ski trip. Or they coudl go to an obscure resort or go at Easter.
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You know it makes sense.
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kat.ryb, at some schools there's fierce competition to get a place as a teacher on the school ski trip. I know places were heavily guarded by the PE dept at the OHs previous school, no one else got a look in.
That said for some teachers it's not so easy to do, if they have kids they may have to stay at home to look after them. If the OH wanted to go on a trip I'd have to take a week off work to look after Jnr, in which case we'd be going skiing too!
We tend to go for a week at Christmas/New Year and the first week of the Easter school hols.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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kat.ryb, Having been on many school trips (When I was a teacher), they are far from easy... A lot of teachers need teh break at half term... Not up teh stress levels, esp with todays ridiculous laws...
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Poster: A snowHead
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As a teacher I would rather not spend my skiing time with only teachers. It would remind me of my job - something I like to forget about for a few weeks a year. I like to mix with a broad spectrum of different people whilst skiing. Very rarely are they English, let alone teachers!
I will never complain about skiing four weeks a year, for the last decade!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Anniepen, My point about more obscure areas was that they wouldn't be in France - not that they wouldn't attract families. Personally my choice would be Italy.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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AlpineAddict, I know they aren't easy, it is a week of work for sure. But you are renumerated with approx £1k worth of holiday so a luctative week I would say. Def worth it for the young and single anyway, maybe not so much for those with partners and def not if you have children.
Although I don't think it was particually hard work on the 6th form only trips to Val D, no supervision apart from 'checking in' at breakfast and dinner and the NQTs were out clubbing with everyone
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Surely from 0P this would mean paying your own bar bills?
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If you don't take any kids you will have to pay for yourself and your own bar bill!!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Not sure you'd get many couples on it, but as I said above, a group of teachers who are mates might appreciate somewhere like this to go to.
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I have to comment that if any teachers without kids are not getting a good few weeks skiing a year they are not committed enough. You get 6 WEEKS in the heart of the southern hemisphere ski season, and no ankle biters to hold you down or bleed your cash. Fair enough, and it is not a job I would want, especially now your are not aloud to beat them, but complaining about the holidays is a bit un-called for.
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