Striking teachers 'working as baristas' at evenings and weekends to top up pay
The seventh day of strike action has seen at least four schools in Worcestershire close today
Last updated 5th Jul 2023
A Worcestershire teacher has said some of her colleagues are getting second jobs in coffee shops to top up their inadequate pay.
Schools across the county have been forced to completely or partially shut today as the National Education Union (NEU) said up to 2,000 teachers had walked out.
Another walkout is planned on Friday, and at a rally in Worcester, teachers told of the situation they’re facing.
Charlotte Keogh, who lives in Bromsgrove and works in Hagley, has walked out on four of the seven strike days since February and said the situation is “ridiculous”.
“Lots of my colleagues have to subsidise their salary with selling things on vintage and eBay,” she said at a rally in Worcester attended by dozens of NEU members.
“They have to do tutoring several hours a week when they should be with their own kids. They have weekend jobs.
“Some people go work as a barista for a few hours at the weekend and these are traditionally middle-class professional occupations where people have to go and work at the evening to make sure that they can pay their mortgage and their council tax bills. That's ridiculous.”
The NEU is calling for better pay for teachers, and doesn’t want any pay rise to be partially paid for out of existing school budgets.
A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: "Any strike action is hugely damaging. We have made a fair and reasonable pay offer to teachers, recognising their incredible work and commitment.
"Thousands of schools received significant additional funding as part of the extra ÂŁ2 billion of investment we are providing both this year and next.
"As a result, school funding will be at its highest level in history next year, as measured by the IFS (Institute for Fiscal Studies)."