Fairfax County--in the top 10 worst places for a teacher to work

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has insanely good benefits

Such as?
I'm just curious. I agree the VRS and ERFC retirement systems are pretty good. Just wondering what is considered to be "insanely good".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boo hoo hoo, it sucks to be you.

Why don't you quit if you don't like it?

Oh, it is super tough to get a job with the same pay and benefits.

Was there a complaint by a teacher that I missed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has insanely good benefits

Such as?
I'm just curious. I agree the VRS and ERFC retirement systems are pretty good. Just wondering what is considered to be "insanely good".

I've met several teachers who have gone through fertility treatments all paid for up to 3 times. This is unheard of in the private sector.

[Anonymous]

The report should factor in some sort of retirement timeframe and compare based on lifetime earnings and retirement. Even so, I'm guessing a place like Columbus would come out way ahead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The report should factor in some sort of retirement timeframe and compare based on lifetime earnings and retirement. Even so, I'm guessing a place like Columbus would come out way ahead.

But then you have to live in Columbus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:so that’s the right way to judge the best and worst places for a teacher to work - lifetime earnings? That’s it? Noting else matters?

DC goes to private now, but I thought generally speaking, the teachers in FCPS were quite good, especially the younger ones.

They are. And if they can't afford to live where they work, then they'll move to another district. Alexandria City is paying $10K more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has insanely good benefits and for everyone I know who works there, it's a second salary -- wife works FCPS, husband does something higher-paying but less secure (much like the DC families who have one fed for the stability and one private sector for the cash).

I know one teacher who was on maternity leave three times in 4 years. And not over the summer either. During the school year. Appears to have taken the job for the benefits since her husband had a good job.

You know that there is only 2 weeks of paid maternity leave in FCPS, right? The rest of it is covered by sick leave or LWOP. Not exactly a stellar benefit. And if any of that leave falls on a school holiday or a snow day, you still have to use a sick day to cover it. I took my 6 weeks of maternity leave last year, and only missed 17 days of work thanks to holidays and snow days.

Not saying that I was cheated or anything, just that it's not this amazing paid leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:so that’s the right way to judge the best and worst places for a teacher to work - lifetime earnings? That’s it? Noting else matters?

DC goes to private now, but I thought generally speaking, the teachers in FCPS were quite good, especially the younger ones.

They are. And if they can't afford to live where they work, then they'll move to another district. Alexandria City is paying $10K more.

No teacher wants to tech in that hell hole

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has insanely good benefits

Such as?
I'm just curious. I agree the VRS and ERFC retirement systems are pretty good. Just wondering what is considered to be "insanely good".

I've met several teachers who have gone through fertility treatments all paid for up to 3 times. This is unheard of in the private sector.

There are definitely limits to what each health plan will cover for infertility. None of them that I saw said they covered 100% of costs indefinitely this year. Maybe several years ago it was different?

The health insurance is slightly better than what we could get at my husband's job (saves us about $200/year for the same coverage), but it's not some amazingly wonderful plan better than anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know that there is only 2 weeks of paid maternity leave in FCPS, right? The rest of it is covered by sick leave or LWOP.

You know that the federal government provides 0 weeks of paid maternity leave, right? The rest of it is covered by sick leave or LWOP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has insanely good benefits and for everyone I know who works there, it's a second salary -- wife works FCPS, husband does something higher-paying but less secure (much like the DC families who have one fed for the stability and one private sector for the cash).

I know one teacher who was on maternity leave three times in 4 years. And not over the summer either. During the school year. Appears to have taken the job for the benefits since her husband had a good job.

You know that there is only 2 weeks of paid maternity leave in FCPS, right? The rest of it is covered by sick leave or LWOP. Not exactly a stellar benefit. And if any of that leave falls on a school holiday or a snow day, you still have to use a sick day to cover it. I took my 6 weeks of maternity leave last year, and only missed 17 days of work thanks to holidays and snow days.

Not saying that I was cheated or anything, just that it's not this amazing paid leave.

Two weeks more than most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has insanely good benefits and for everyone I know who works there, it's a second salary -- wife works FCPS, husband does something higher-paying but less secure (much like the DC families who have one fed for the stability and one private sector for the cash).

I know one teacher who was on maternity leave three times in 4 years. And not over the summer either. During the school year. Appears to have taken the job for the benefits since her husband had a good job.

You know that there is only 2 weeks of paid maternity leave in FCPS, right? The rest of it is covered by sick leave or LWOP. Not exactly a stellar benefit. And if any of that leave falls on a school holiday or a snow day, you still have to use a sick day to cover it. I took my 6 weeks of maternity leave last year, and only missed 17 days of work thanks to holidays and snow days.

Not saying that I was cheated or anything, just that it's not this amazing paid leave.

Right, but who else gets to take 3 out of 4 YEARS off (unpaid or not) and still keep their job?

[Anonymous]

I think summers off is a big enough perk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has insanely good benefits and for everyone I know who works there, it's a second salary -- wife works FCPS, husband does something higher-paying but less secure (much like the DC families who have one fed for the stability and one private sector for the cash).

I know one teacher who was on maternity leave three times in 4 years. And not over the summer either. During the school year. Appears to have taken the job for the benefits since her husband had a good job.

You know that there is only 2 weeks of paid maternity leave in FCPS, right? The rest of it is covered by sick leave or LWOP. Not exactly a stellar benefit. And if any of that leave falls on a school holiday or a snow day, you still have to use a sick day to cover it. I took my 6 weeks of maternity leave last year, and only missed 17 days of work thanks to holidays and snow days.

Not saying that I was cheated or anything, just that it's not this amazing paid leave.

Right, but who else gets to take 3 out of 4 YEARS off (unpaid or not) and still keep their job?

The original post didn't say she had taken the full year off 3 times, just that she had taken a maternity leave 3 times. That might mean 6 weeks x 3.

[Anonymous]

I'm one of the PPs who knows a teacher who did, in fact, take 3 YEARS off. She still has her job.