Teacher aides fight for pay
After 13 years in the job teacher aide Noeline Vickers has reached the highest pay grade she can and it’s still less than the $21.15 an hour living wage.
Vickers is a teacher aide at New Plymouth Girls’ High School’s Waimarie Unit, which teaches students with complex needs and disabilities.
‘‘I find it rewarding,’’ she said. But Vickers is among 10,000 school support staff who are in union meetings to negotiate with the Ministry of Education to get significant increases in pay, security of employment, and career development.
She works 20 hours a week, with nine students who are autistic, have intellectual disabilities, lifethreatening seizures or severe anxiety.
‘‘I look at what we do and there is just such a varied range of work we have to do and responsibility that we take for these kids,’’ she said.
She is one of seven teacher aides who work varying hours at the unit, with many only working between six and 13 hours a week.
‘‘So most of them will have other jobs, because it is not enough.’’
According to the New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa, 90 per cent of teacher aides have two jobs to make ends meet as 90 per cent of them are paid lower than the living wage.
Vickers only has the one job, but has reached the top of her pay grade and the only way to advance is to do more training.
‘‘But I’m not interested in going back to uni and getting a degree,’’ she said.
They have a 20-minute paid break each day and are entitled to a lunch break if working more than five hours, but often choose to have their lunch with the students.
It is unsafe to leave them unsupervised, Vickers says, due to choking hazards and seizures.
Vickers has also had to deal with the death of three students, with some of them being brought into the unit to die.
‘‘It was very sad. Some staff really struggled,’’ she said.
‘‘But it’s a privilege in some ways to support the student and the family through that time.’’
Having teacher aiding taken seriously would be an ideal outcome for Vickers, who said they are often overlooked in the education sector.
‘‘It is a career and it should be seen as one,’’ she said.
‘‘And just being recognised and having that pay equity."
‘‘I look at what we do and there is just such a varied range of work we have to do.’’ Teacher aide Noeline Vickers