It would be an understatement to say that mature student teachers were dismayed when TES Scotland broke the news on October 12 that they would lose up to pound;10,000 from their first year’s salaries under new post-McCrone report proposals. The newspaper was inundated with correspondence and telephone calls from confused, irate and disappointed students. It argued in a leader that the proposals should be reconsidered, given that the goalposts had been moved for mature students who had committed to teaching under the previous salary scales.

The Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers is now preparing an amendment which will consider weighting in favour of mature students’ experience (as yet to be clarified) and previous qualifications, but not age. This will be discussed at a meeting on Wednesday.

In a letter dated November 1 to Ian Jenkins MSP, a copy of which was given to TES Scotland, Ronnie Smith, the general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland, describes “the current arrangement, whereby two student teachers can go through a course together but one enters teaching at the top of the scale while the other starts near the bottom, simply because the former has enjoyed a larger number of birthdays” as a “discredited arrangement”. He states: “In the negotiations to come, we are likely to argue for a scheme of enhanced scale placement which will take account of relevantrelated experience, rather than crude age alone.”

Mr Smith also writes: “I can understand the feelings of more mature students who embarked on (a four to five-year course) prior to January 2001 when the new agreement was struck I such students may reasonably have believed that they would have been placed at the upper end of the scale (depending on age), in accordance with the scheme rules applicable at the time they began their course. However, those who embarked on a course leading to a teaching qualification this autumn I have less of a case for special transitional arrangements, given that it has been known since January 2001 what a trainee salary would be.”

That the decision taken in January was “known” is something the mature students deny vehemently. Mr Smith’s letter also implies that any amendments set before the SNCT meeting will only consider “transitional arrangements” for student teachers who began their courses before January 2001. This is likely to provoke further controversy.

Paula Dennis, third year BEd (primary) student at Moray House, Edinburgh University. Formerly in sales, aged 38, married with two children, aged 11 and 13

‘I feel extremely let down. Like my colleagues I was devastated when I read about it in TES Scotland. We couldn’t believe no one had told us about it. Not the college. Not the EIS, even though we’re student members.

“If I’d stayed as a customer service adviser with BT I’d now be earning pound;20,000. Instead of the promised pound;24,000, I’ll start teaching in 2003 on pound;18,000 after five years (including a one-year access course) as a student.

“Younger students may feel it’s not fair that mature students were to enter at a higher grade but that was the system when I started to train. The authorities have reneged and some transitional arrangement must be sought.

“There is talk about us being given some increments for other qualifications. I’ve got 20 years’ experience in sales, working for banks, building societies and newspapers, life skills that won’t be recognised. And how do you recognise the parenting experience of a mother or father, surely of value to a teacher?

“One student I know will be on family credit when she starts teaching at pound;16,000 a year. A single parent with two children, she’d be as well off working at McDonald’s, she says, because she’d get more family credit. You do a BEd for four years to go on family credit? Is it worth it? Does it demotivate? What do you think?

The EIS tells us we’ll be better off under McCrone. The figures they gave us (at a meeting with Ken Wimbor, joint secretary of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, at Moray House) suggest that after nine years’ teaching under the old system our total earnings would be pound;210,000 whereas now they’ll be pound;224,000. But the first figure is wrong because it does not include annual increments, another pound;30,000 under the old system. pound;30,000 is a lot of money to lose, especially when you’ve built up debts to train and qualify. That money has been stolen from us.

“Add to that the time spent training, the loss of earnings and the stress on the family, on relationships and on motivation.

“It’s one thing to be denied an increase but our salaries have actually gone down.

“The EIS has tried to fob us off with the chartered status possibility. I’ll be 40 when I start teaching. You can’t apply for CT status for the first six years of teaching and it takes six years to complete. So I’ll be 52 before I could become a chartered teacher.

“Maybe things did need changing but not midstream. You can’t start people off saying this is what you’ll get. Come on, we need mature students. And then say sorry, we’ve changed our minds.

“You know, this year’s EIS diary gives the old salary scales. Didn’t the EIS read the McCrone report?”

* Pauline Ward, PGCE (secondary) student at Northern College, Aberdeen. Formerly a nurse and managing director with two degrees, aged 43, married with four children

‘I was in general and psychiatric nursing for 13 years. I then moved into research in academic psychiatry where I have worked for the past 10 years. For three years I’ve been a managing director of a biotech company.

“I have two degrees, both from the Open University, one in maths and one in physiology and statistics. My decision to enter teaching (maths) was fostered by the prospect of my own children possibly having no maths teacher in the future as there is an apparent shortage and because of my own interest in child development.

“Investigating the possibility of teaching at the end of last year, I was told things were bright given that McCrone was being implemented and, given my age, I would start at the top of the salary scale. That was important to me as I am the sole earner in the household.

“We worked out a budget and decided we could just manage, going in at the top end of the scale.

“I was interviewed in March. At no time since then did anyone inform me that the salary conditions had changed. It is only since starting the course that information has begun to trickle out.

“I will have to think very carefully about completing the probationary year, given my financial commitments.” * Linda Runciman, second year BEd (primary) student at Moray House, Edinburgh University. A partner in a farm, aged 38, married with three children, one aged 11 and nine-year-old twins

‘I’m exceedingly angry and disappointed. I was expecting pound;23,000-pound;24,000 a year but will start between pound;16,000 and pound;18,000 and it will take six years to reach the top level of pound;28,000, though the rate of progression to the top level is still unclear.

“I worked part-time as a special educational needs auxiliary in the Borders and that gave me the taste for teaching. In school I spent a lot of my time trying to get cover for teachers who were ill or away on courses. I realised just what a huge teacher shortage there was.

“This makes it all the more galling because there was a push for mature students.

“You get here and two years down the line you learn they’ve moved the goal posts.

“Teaching looked attractive at the time. Our farm is gradually going downhill and I’ve got three kids I want to put through university. That will cost.

“I don’t regret coming to Moray House but to be let down professionally this far down the line! Do you give up your dream? Teaching was my dream when my children were old enough and the SEN experience set me on my way. What do you do now?

“They’re not going to attract mature students like this. And that would be a shame for teaching.”

* Berny Kelly, second year BEd (primary) student at Moray House, Edinburgh University. Formerly a nursery nurse, aged 39, a single mother with a 14-year-old daughter

‘My experience as a nursery nurse in Falkirk led me to want to become a teacher. That and the fact that as a nursery nurse I was earning only pound;12,800 a year.

“I was expecting pound;24,000 or pound;25,000 a year. Now it will be pound;18,000 by the time I graduate in 2003.

“I’m angry at the way we’ve been treated. I’ve been paying my own fees because I was at university for two years as a teenager and didn’t complete my degree. It’s a huge commitment, especially when living on pound;6,600 per year for four years with a child to look after.

“As a single parent I get about pound;2,000 a year and my student loan is pound;3,700. After four years I’ll have pound;16,000 to pay back plus bank and family loans, which will make it about pound;20,000. If you take into account the loss of earnings to train, then I’m down some pound;70,000. At the end of training I’ll have to borrow more from my family to pay back the official loans.

“The original agreement should be respected. That’s what we came into teaching under.

“Our position has just not been considered. They won’t get mature students if this is the way they are going to treat them.”

* Chris Sagan, PGCE (secondary) student at Jordanhill campus, University of Strathclyde. Formerly an engineering manager in Southampton, aged 44, married with four children aged six to 22

‘I wanted to come back up to Glasgow, so I phoned Glasgow City Council at the beginning of the year and was told that, given my age and qualifications, I would be on pound;25,000 a year, subject to McCrone going through.

“I phoned back in April and again they said I would start at around pound;25,000. I thought that was fine. I had already left a pound;40,000 job because I wanted to come home.

“So I came up to Glasgow and started the course. Then I heard from other people around the beginning of September that I might not get that. I phoned Glasgow again and they told me again that I would get pound;25,000.

“About four weeks ago someone from East Renfrewshire came to Jordanhill and told everyone that we would start on pound;16,500 and work our way up the grades, nothing would be taken into consideration about age or experience.

“That afternoon I phoned Glasgow again, and East Dunbartonshire, and both of them went into a spreadsheet and said yes, pound;25,000 is right.

“Some of the students from Jordanhill attended a constituency meeting with Jack McConnell, just after the TES Scotland story ran, and he said this was ‘a special case’. He said he understood our concerns and he would discuss it with the SNCT.

“Since then we’ve heard unofficially through the grapevine that things would be done for us.

“I’m feeling slightly optimistic now, waiting for the outcome of the discussions on December 5.”

James Martin, PGCE (secondary) student at Northern College, Aberdeen. Degree in electrical engineering with 26 years’ experience in industry, aged 49, married to a teacher with two children at university

‘With a lifelong commitment to bridging the gap between education and industry, I’ve been involved, among others things, in the Institution of Electrical Engineers’ mentoring programme. I was an industrial tutor for student placements, a member of the Science and Technology Regional Organisation Committee and a member for the past eight years of my local school board (and past chair).

“My decision to enter teaching was carefully thought out and my family has adjusted to life without my salary. We all knew sacrifices would have to be made.

“My understanding was that my maturity and experience would put me on the top of the unpromoted scale (pound;26,670) but Ken Wimbor, joint secretary of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, informed me by letter on October 16 that I will start on pound;16,644.

“Who authorised Mr Wimbor to make such a statement before this Wednesday’s SNCT meeting? What deals have been done? Mr Wimbor should remember who pays his salary. And, how many of the SNCT have tasted blackboard dust?

“I urge them to reach an honourable and sensible decision. We’ve already lost students who’ve found it impossible to continue running up debt with no real prospect of clearing it.

“I’ve decided to finish the course and then give further consideration to teaching. I certainly can’t afford to work for pound;16,644. Nor would I give anyone access to my skills and experience for such a sum.

“We operate in a global market and must prepare our children for its demands. Mature students can offer a fast track into understanding that market and their experience should be valued.

“As mature students we all entered our courses fully committed but now our enthusiasm has been blunted by those who regard education as their private domain.

“There’s a shortage of teachers in technological education, my subject, and 50 per cent of this year’s techie intake in Aberdeen are mature students. Without a satisfactory resolution this shortage will continue.

“I’d invite the SNCT to consider the percentage of mature students currently entering courses and what would happen if they walked away. Anyone in industry would be extremely concerned and probably facing bankruptcy if their customers took their business elsewhere.

“Why am I telling you this? To highlight the empty rhetoric of the Scottish Executive who may not be so committed to the future generations of schoolchildren as they’d have us believe.”