ABSTRACT
At present, most teachers are employees. As such, they have both rights and responsibilities. This is why membership of a professional association is important, since governments often make changes to the law that will affect teachers and their careers. It is not just the current changes to the age at which a teacher can draw their full pension that you need to consider; there are frequent changes to many aspects of a teacher’s pay and conditions. Some of these, such as changes in maternity or paternity leave, result from alterations in general employment legislation, whereas others, such as the determination of which posts are covered by the directed time agreement, are specific to teachers and are contained in the annual Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document issued by the DfES (www.teachernet.gov.uk). This is supplemented by local agreements that cover additional matters such as time off for compassionate reasons or for graduations or moving house.
