I think this rant will be a bit mollified now I've had a browse of other posts and a bit of time to chill out. But...
I'm a self-employed musician who gigs quite a lot (normally) and teaches one-to-one instrumental lessons in 3 private London schools.
School 1 has been fantastic, I'm actually 'employed' by them so get sick pay if I'm off, although only teach one day a week, 30 weeks a year there.
School 2 has been very supportive - I only started in September with them, had quite a few days off and managed to do a couple of extra lessons to try to re-coup. The head of music has just left and the new head is being as supportive/reasonable/sensitive as the old head was.
School 3....
Well, where to start?
Out of 14 teaching weeks in the Autumn I had 3 non-consecutive weeks off. I had told them as soon as I had a firm diagnosis and they know I was having problems with my hands before that. These 3 days off were apparently utterly disruptive to the children's learning and parents complained. I managed to teach 11 weeks when the minimum is 10!! What more do they want? Blood? They can't have that - the hospital takes it all
I kept in touch and decided to have the first 4 weeks after Christmas off, although they were trying to persuade me to stop in November and didn't seem to understand 'I can't afford to'. I explained that I actually didn't have enough in my bank account (read end of overdraft) to pay whoever covered my lessons and as I'd already received the term's payment from all of my pupils that was that - no more money due until after Christmas. So began 4 weeks off after the most stressful Christmas I'd ever had (my Mum had an accident and badly broke her shoulder) and of course it wasn't nearly enough time so we extended to half-term and then I went back to half of my teaching up to Easter, which was a major challenge. The school made a song and dance about me not being able to use stairs much/at all so the pupils would have to reliably fetch the next one for me. They also at that point - mid-Feb - 'offered me' what they considered reasonable options for going back in the Summer term and September which required me to 'guarantee' I would not have any further days off!!! What?!?!?! I said I couldn't guarantee that but would do my best and after a lot of huffing and puffing they decided I should stay teaching half my hours and September would be re-assessed and a decision made by mid-June.
I found all of this very stressful at the time and it really did make the RA worse.
Well, I thought with the weather being warmer and dryer and taking more steroids things were a bit on the up. But yesterday I had a meeting with the head of music before teaching my first afternoon of the Summer term. It turned into an appraisal really with quite a bit of criticism - some justified - but I couldn't help feeling other things were very much unjustified. I really kept calm, stress is so horrible to me, but when the head said 'we really think we've been very understanding and offered you lots of support' I nearly lost it (on the inside).
Upshot is that the head will decide if I go back in September or not - not me - and it is highly unlikely that I'll get the maternity cover work that I was offered when another teacher announced her pregnancy. (She has done most of my cover and is keen for me to reciprocate as we both gain financially that way, her in advance and me in arrears).
Following yesterday's meeting, today I been unable to walk more than about 5 steps without my stick (I'm 34 for goodness' sake!) and have felt properly ill for the first time in about 3 weeks - I was doing so well! I really thought I'd managed to remain unstressed, calm and objective but my body says otherwise.
I've given this head the NRAS booklet for employers but I think they really have no clue about how stressful it is losing your income literally overnight and not knowing if you'll have an income later in the year. Without the stress I'd probably be a little bit better than I am now.
Is anyone else self-employed? All the guidance seems to be for employers/employees. As it is school 3 could, without repercussions, decide they 'no longer need me' and at the same time engage someone else to do my job and I would have absolutely no grounds for unfair anything. I'm really wondering if (when>) this might happen...
Grrr! Rant over (ahhh that's better) and thank you if you've read it. I really must go to bed now and attempt to sleep.
Vicky x
