CBE to trim 200-250 jobs

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Encana is not an exception in the O&G industry. You keep think your experience is the average, and it is not. if anything many of the smaller players have to have great perks because they can't pay people the salaries that the big boys do.

Most teachers appreciate it, fer crying out loud. On the other hand they have to deal with immature crotchfruit so I'd say it's a wash at best. You're taking your anecdotal evidence and extending it to all teachers. And you also take union negotiations at face value, which really you should stop doing.

You're the one talking about O&G benefits. I'm talking about benefits in non-teaching jobs in general. I think averaging in O&G gas benefits is fair, but it's also fair to average in the two-weeks off per year guys as well.

I agree many teachers appreciate it. Rubicant is the perfect example of that.

[crazy_eoj]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Encana is not an exception in the O&G industry. You keep think your experience is the average, and it is not. if anything many of the smaller players have to have great perks because they can't pay people the salaries that the big boys do.

EnCana absolutely IS an exception in the O&G industry. Their entire vacation and time off policy was designed to attract workers because so many were leaving and they had lots of pending retirements. They are an industry leader in this area by design.

When you are talking about EnCana you are talking about the very best in terms of vacation and time off benefits in O&G.

Smaller companies have great perks.... called options. But that's about it. They can't afford to have people working few hours.

[mykalberta]

I can only comment from the 2 teachers I know and since I know one much better than the other (my brother) I will comment on his situation.

He has a degree in Mathematics and Physicis minor with a B.Ed. from UofA. To say he is a math genious is pushing it but he studied for his Math 31 and Physics 30 diploma while watching NFL and he got 97 and 95 respectively so Math comes very easy to him.

He did this student teaching at some "special school" in Edmonton. Before that he was was very enthused about graduating and making money, after that the "I hate teaching" phrase came out. I figured he didnt want to teach spoil Canadian brats since he accepted a teaching position at a private school in Monterray Mexico. They pay wasnt great but it is so dirt cheap to live down there that he came home for Christmas after one semester with $12K cash equivilency in a combination of Pesos and USD.

Being very apathetic about getting a job in Canada he didnt really search for one other than from what I can tell amounted to a blog post resume on some Teaching site. From that he got 5 offers for 1 year full time employment (3 to cover sebaticals 2 to cover maternity leavs, 1 in Calgary, 1 in Red Deer, 1 in Edmonton, 2 rural). He had never taught a day in his life in Canada yet he was getting full time job offers (to compare I have a degree and applied directly at 20 companies, had 8 interviews and 6 offers before I accepted my first job).

This year, same sort of deal, very apathetic about finding a job, mused about going to teach in Australia - put his resume on this mysterious teacher board and again had 4 job offers along with the regional school board for the school he worked with previously offered him a full time position at a different rural school - again he accepted a 1 year position at a different rural type school.

I have plainly asked him how much extra he works, while he is at school its almost non stop work from what he tells me and it averages out to be 2 hours a weeknight in extra marking etc. I wont claim to know how the job gets more efficient with time but I would think its like any job, the first few years can be hellish, but once you get through them you get in a routine and it gets easier. At least once a month durring the school year he comes down for the weekend to visit, golf, ski, etc and he does no work at all when he comes down.

Vis a Vi salary - I wont comment on 4 year B Ed degrees majoring in Social Studies but his salary (he has 7 years of schooling) is on par with mine, his benefits (dental, medical, pension) dwarf mine and in 5 years guaranteed he will be making more than me and I will have been working full time private industry for what would be 12 years.

I wont say I dont have my own perks that make my job workable, I am able to surf CP at work, I rarely work evenings (I am on call but its very rare someone calls me), I rarely work weekends, when I do I dont get paid OT as I am on Salary and but I get double Time off in Lieu - of the 7 years I have worked for the OG related company I have received bonuses 5 of the years, they have averaged about 19% of salary.

I also have 3 weeks of vacation a year (going to 4 after the 10th year) with no flex days, we do have sick days but as I am single and in fairly descent shape I have only taken 1 sick day in 7 years of full time employment.

While I would consider his job to be very good (I am sure it takes a special type of person to put up with kids day in day out, thats why I am not a teacher even though my parents HEAVILY suggest I would have the attitude for it). He is considering going back to school to get his Actuary Degree (some high end math stuff insurance companies use).

[mykalberta]

As to the title of this thread, I think it was an underhanded move for the province to give teachers a salary raise simply as a way to shut the union up through the election and then cut school board funding.

However from what I can gleen reading the articles in the Herald, its not like the CBE seems to be run by the most financially prudent individuals.

It seems odd that the CBE would long term lease a building in downtown Calgary when a cheaper one could have easily been had along almost every stop along the C Train line.

[DuffMan]

re: teachers working hours. Just want to point out the my kid can email her homeroom teacher a question about homework, after school hours, and usually get an answer within an hour. That's in grade 6.

I honestly think that teachers constantly live under this threat of cutbacks, no pay raises etc. For some reason the govt. always wants to keep them on edge.

My wife is a teachers aid, and getting to know a lot of teachers, I think they are underpaid, but most of them are doing it for the profession they are in. They want to help your kids succeed. Like a nurse, that is their calling in life. Pay is one thing, but living under the threat of having your job cut, and having overcapacity class sizes is something else.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

re: teachers working hours. Just want to point out the my kid can email her homeroom teacher a question about homework, after school hours, and usually get an answer within an hour. That's in grade 6.

I honestly think that teachers constantly live under this threat of cutbacks, no pay raises etc. For some reason the govt. always wants to keep them on edge.

My wife is a teachers aid, and getting to know a lot of teachers, I think they are underpaid, but most of them are doing it for the profession they are in. They want to help your kids succeed. Like a nurse, that is their calling in life. Pay is one thing, but living under the threat of having your job cut, and having overcapacity class sizes is something else.

Dude, they have awesome job security.

[automaton 3]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

Like a nurse, that is their calling in life.

I know a bunch of nurses, most of them say they entered because of the pay and flexible work schedule, not any calling per se. And from what I've seen they are pretty mercendary when it comes to overtime shifts, working on blackout days ect.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by automaton 3

I know a bunch of nurses, most of them say they entered because of the pay and flexible work schedule, not any calling per se. And from what I've seen they are pretty mercendary when it comes to overtime shifts, working on blackout days ect.

The nurses I've come in contact with when I had a broken wrist I thought were great. I don't know how they do their jobs and still seem happy and positive, maybe it's the drugs.
Any other nurses, and I;m talking about maybe 40 years old and older, I've come into contact with have all been very caring.

But, this is about teachers and not nurses, so I digress.

[Flickered Flame]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Dude, they have awesome job security.

Job security comes once a teacher has a continuing contract, which can take years to receive. Most teachers start out with a temporary contract, replacing a teacher or just a 1 year gig. From there, you usually get a probationary contract, again it is a year to year thing. But once a teacher is offered a continuing contract with a SD and they accept it, there job is really, really safe.

That process is why it is usually the younger, inexperienced teachers that lose their jobs in rough times.

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Dude, they have awesome job security.

My brother disagrees. He's one of the many that got laid off

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

My brother disagrees. He's one of the many that got laid off

I'm sorry to hear that. Losing your job must suck. Did his contract run out, or was he in a permanent position that was then terminated?

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I'm sorry to hear that. Losing your job must suck. Did his contract run out, or was he in a permanent position that was then terminated?

I think he is still in his 2nd year so he probably was on probation?

Not 100% sure

[Kybosh]

As a general trend (not just education, but in lots of industries), I've noticed that one or two year contracts are becoming more regular for people starting with new companies. These "trial runs" are really common now and kind of suck for the people stuck in a cycle of contracts.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

I think he is still in his 2nd year so he probably was on probation?

Not 100% sure

Either way, still sucks for him. Looks like in the article it said 100 young teachers would potentially lose their jobs and I guess he was one of them. Hopefully he'll be first in line for a position when the pendulum swings the other way.

[bomber317]

my fiancée has been teaching 3-4 years now with only temp contracts.

Job security is decent once you have your continuous contract.

But getting it for her has been difficult, with cuts the past 2 years. She hasn't even had an evaluation the past 2 school years.

She's been able to get 1/2 temp contracts because of the connections she made when she was an intern, but that's it.

[chid]

the job security is great if you're old and been teaching for a long time.

The young, fresh, new teachers who have great ideas and are still excited about their job are the ones being cut.