New term, new challenge, same old rubbish?

So we start again. I suppose it's testament to how busy we are that it has took me nearly 2 months to record my thoughts here.

There seems to be a sizeable shift here with the students in terms of attitude. Unfortunately it's not a positive shift (arguably nor is it negative) but it is a shift in perhaps mental age of the students. I always seem to end up with the full time group, which doesn't really bother me, but this year the group is a nightmare. If someone was to just record the group, sound only, no video, then you would think you was in a room with 10-11 year old kids. Teaching them reminds me of the last time I saw my nephews who are 9 and 10 years old.

Then there is the level 3 group I am teaching too. It's incredible that these people are in the final throws of qualifying as electricians, I wouldn't trust them with bonding clamps yet alone full installations. In fairness, there are a lot of good students in the class, just a lot of very immature ones too.

Don't know where I am going with all this. It does seem difficult at the moment, even worse with an Ofsted inspection looming in 2 weeks time. Perhaps it will get better, I don't know.

Perhaps it's time for a change.

This is the end...my only friend

Well that's it for another year, and what a year it's been.

Ever since I moved to this college, it's never been right. We have always had some sort of backlog to deal with. On top of that some of the practical tasks that were being used had a date of 1973 on them (coincidentally the year of my birth), some of it was completely irrelevant and I had so called experienced lecturers all around me telling me things I should know.

I think part of my problem was I respected some of these people too much. It turns out I really had no need to, I worried over nothing. Now I know that I can go back to being me and concentrating on the task. Only, the task never ends. Another member of the team is now going, leaving a rather large experienced hole with it. This means another year of helping, supporting and plying new and inexperienced people through. I have no problem with that, I enjoy it to be honest but if we have another year like this (I am 178 hours over my contact hours this year) it will be simply too much.

The general mood at our place is one of intense exhaustion, resignation almost. The looks on peoples faces says it all; it has been one tough year. Now at this point I suspect there are tuts abound from the non-teachers, but I promise you (as someone who is joining us in August straight off the tools after 2 months of teaching said), this is damn site harder than the graft on the tools. It's not the physical side, but the constant mental battle that gets you in the end.

Anyway, one more day to go then 7 in Greece for a beer, a dip and a read of my crap book. Can't wait.

It's been that long/17th edition

Well, I finally got my 17th. Interestingly enough the private training provision I had seemed to think that reading the Regs front to back for 3 days constituted teaching. No wonder lecturing has a bad name with people like this about.

The exam was tougher than I thought it was going to be, certainly a lot tougher than the 16th Edition before it. Most of it was in the questions, a lot are struggling for the plain English award I can tell you. Many of the people in the class were caught out (badly prepared you could say) and a couple just scraped through looking at their results.

To be honest, I went their to learn about the new stuff, the EM stuff, the harmonics, RCD protection etc. and the only thing that I really learned was that a bad tutor can actually have a rather bad effect on everyone. Perhaps a useful lesson?

Could this year get worse?

Back again eh? Well, in reference to the title the answer is generally yes. I am most certainly looking for another job, that's for sure. Anybody want a 35 year old experienced electrical installation tutor? Fully qualified to C certificate, stage 3 teacher training, A1 assessors etc. can teach installation, science, maths and the ilk, rather good at the ILT side of things (see www.electricalexams.co.uk for proof)?

Yes I am now officially moving on, although I have nowhere to move yet. Things have got no better and after having quite a heavy year so far on the teaching/managing/assessing/babysitting/preparing other peoples lessons front, I am tired and want to move on.

The problem is, I care too much. If I say 'no' then I know that it's the students that suffer, not the continually inept management (or their conscience) . So of course when X situation occurs, I say (with a sigh) "yeah ok, I'll do it". Of course, all this does is further compound the issue, we have little time spare as it is, any movement in this spare time pushes it onto evenings and indeed, relationships. Now fortunately, I have a very understanding wife and no kids to speak of (that was a joke) so get away with it but, and this is a big but, many people do have more demanding better halves and 2.4 children. This means potential teachers are further put off once more by the commitment.

Well, "whatever" as the students say. I am preparing for a holiday and when I return with a fresh vigour (facing 32 Level 3 students doing the 302 and 303 assignments), my thoughts may not be entirely on my current position as they say.

Let's see what's out there...

Isit really that bad?

Well, we are now past the half way mark and managment are starting to talk about achievements. Of course, the problem we have been pointing out is that they have still (for the 4th time) failed to recruit. The last guy we interviewed was offered the job but under the new payspine could expect a salary of £19k. In context, a decent level 3 apprentice could make that.

Talking about the payspine...it is yet another example of how vocational courses don't work within an academic requirement. To get the wage I am currently on, some bright spark has said I need a relevant level 6 qualification and have got to get one in 3 years. Well, I'll happily do an electrical engineering degree but I think it'll take me more than 3 years and may well be expensive. Also, when I get it I'll no longer be working in education as I can command twice as much again in industry.

I think that there is a problem with academic management not understanding vocational subjects. It's not just us, there are a lot of vocational courses in the colleges, many of them drawing more funding than the traditional A level courses. It's just that the colleges expect to staff them on bare minimum levels whilst still expecting achievements, it simply cannot be done, something has to give eventually and this is the achievement. Personally I prefer the teaching side of things and (as results are saying anyway) I have that pretty covered. I also prefer the teaching as for some reason they pay assessors less as in some way they have less of an impact on the future qualifications. It's about time they realised that in the system, both have equal importance as they both contribue to the achievement. Doubt they will though.

Quite incredible really

All this talk about, skills, education, training, a workforce to be proud of is written by people who have absolutely no contact with the real world in any way shape or form.

What am I talking about? Well, let's step back a little. The 17th Edition Regs, the 'new NVQ', the C&G2330. What's the common thread? They are all agreed and consulted with industry. What industry should be the question you ask but you don't, you assume "they" have it all in hand. Truth be told, the industry they consult with are the big BIG boys, not a cross section. They ask the "aristocracy" within the industry, they don't even ask the people who install the stuff, see it everyday, they ask the directors, 90 year old men who haven't seen a construction site for 60 years their opinion. I am ranting now...

So my point? all this talk about getting students to stay on etc. well, watch this space, in 5 or 6 years time we will have exactly the same shortage but with a million partly qualified youths in several crap unrelated subjects with exactly the same prospects as before. As electricians, we will be teaching students to put plugs on for 12 months. Fecking ridiculous.

Yet another age passes

I was reminded about this blog yesterday by one of my students. I intended for it to be some sort of foil to get things off my chest but things have been so disgustingly busy lately I haven't even had time to think about writing stuff down.

It's a crazy situation really, we are still very short staffed, we cannot persuade anybody to come and teach, it's a ridiculous situation to be in and there seems to be no immediate end to it all. On top of this they are bringing a new department manager in and introducing a payscale that seems to discriminate against vocational lecturers. Morale is rock bottom which I suppose doesn't help.

I still get lots of interest through my electrical qualifications website which seems to keep me going but it's a fight and a half to remain upbeat. Maybe my next blog will be sooner than the last and slightly more positive.

Now where did I put that beer...