salary advice & a general rant!

Re: salary advice & a general rant!

Mark Hedberg — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 22:10:45 GMT

[quote user="nursenat"]

Hi Mark,

Thank you. This is what i needed clarifying. Maybe i may not have made myself clear initially...sometimes i do go round the houses!

I'm enrolled onto the day release not the apprenticeship but am still earning below the NMW whereas i assumed i would be at least on the minimum of £6.13...i was informed that this may be because my employer is funding the course, and although it's not the advanced apprenticeship, the day release is still under the apprenticeship scheme as it's paid for by my employer?, hence my low pay...this i thought to be a bit odd, and the reason why i wanted advice on whether i'm classed as an apprentice or not!

All i want to be is paid fairly and needed some guidance on whether i'm right in my thinking

[/quote]

Hi Nursenat!

At this stage I would recommend contacting the Admin team at CAW to confirm exactly what your student status is; while I don't think they can offer advice on what you should be paid, they can absolutely confirm to you if you are considered an apprentice or not.

Once that's sorted out you'll have a better idea of where you stand.

Kind regards,
Mark

Re: salary advice & a general rant!

nursenat — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 21:09:09 GMT

Sorry Sal,

Wasn't meant to come across negative! I guess when feeling a little down one can get a bit defensive...and i know i should feel privileged with my current situation of having a placement...but i've worked so hard to get it! (studying the VCA, re taking my maths GCSE), relocating..at 33!! that all i want at the very least is what i'm legally entitled to.

I have my list! I'm terrible in confrontational situations! But hopefully i can get things sorted out tomorrow. Thank you for the advice

Re: salary advice & a general rant!

Sal the 1st — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 20:54:35 GMT

[quote user="nursenat"]

I would think that after working in this sector for 8 happy years i would know by now if this is the job for me & i would not have given up my home and friends to move to another county in pursuit of my career if i had any doubts!

[/quote]

hey! that wasn't what was meant at all - after 8 years I wouldn't doubt you have the staying power. What I meant is the job you have with your current employer the right job for you?

Pleased you have a meeting with HN - take in a list of everything that bothers you just in case you forget to mention something.

Re: salary advice & a general rant!

nursenat — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 20:45:04 GMT

Hi Mark,

Thank you. This is what i needed clarifying. Maybe i may not have made myself clear initially...sometimes i do go round the houses!

All i want to be is paid fairly and needed some guidance on whether i'm right in my thinking

Re: salary advice & a general rant!

Mark Hedberg — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 20:01:35 GMT

Hi Nursenat!

Just to clarify, from the academic point of view, both the Day Release and Full Time diploma are identical. The learning material and the practical requirements are not different. The only difference is that a full time student is unemployed, and the Day Release students are employed by their practice.

Academically, the Apprenticeship also teaches the same standards. You receive the same lecturer and administration support from CAW that every nursing student gets, and you are still required to attend college on a weekly basis. (For the exact similarities and differences, please contact CAW Admin Team.) This may be what is causing the confusion.

http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/partners/policy/nationalminimumwage.aspx (this is the official apprenticeship website)

https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates (more details on apprentice pay.)

If you have any academic or education questions regarding your course, by all means please get in touch with CAW's admin team. Unfortunately I am not able to answer specific employment questions here.

However if you have not applied for the apprenticeship you are not taking the apprenticeship, and you are NOT an apprentice. We can't put you on the apprenticeship without your knowledge. Please contact CAW's admin team if you'd like to find out more specific details.

As far as I'm aware, apprentices over 19 are entitled to national minimum wage.

With kind regards,
Mark

Re: salary advice & a general rant!

nursenat — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 19:49:32 GMT

Hi Sal,

thank you for the reply.

I have arranged to speak with the HN tomorrow in regards to my concerns, hence why i wanted some advice on this subject from anyone who may have been in my situation.

I am still doing the same course planned but obviously the day release version for employed students...there is also an advanced apprenticeship which is a separate course which i am not enrolled on....my query was am i still classed as an 'apprentice' thus only entitled to an apprentice NMW even if i'm not doing the apprenticeship but the day release diploma?

Yes i would have funded the course myself and been in an unpaid placement but have always been happy to fund my own course even now. And as stated in my earlier post i am extremely grateful for the opportunity, but....

I'm still in the 6 months probationary period but am being paid below the NMW. My concern was that if i'm employed as an auxiliary during this period should i not be receiving the NMW until i started being a 'student' in september?

In regards to the workload, i fail to understand why it would be ok for a 'student' to shadow another 'student', and why put so much pressure on that student just because they came on board with x amount of knowledge when that student is there to get on with her own learning? Honestly i feel this is unfair & exploitative? just because the practice does not have sufficient qualified nurses...i'm a very open and helpful person and always share tips & ideas but also have my own pressures to learn on the job...

Basically i wanted to clarify if i'm classed as an apprentice, even in my probationary period and based on the course i'm enrolled on.

Whether i'm happy with the situation is something i have to figure out myself

Re: salary advice & a general rant!

Sal the 1st — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 17:56:29 GMT

ok so out of all this which one is your primary concern?

is it that you will not be doing the course you had originally hoped to do? ( am I right in thinking if you were doing the course you had originally planned you would be self funding?)

that you dont think you are being paid enough? (would you have been working for free had you followed your original plan?)

that you feel you have been given an unfair workload? - might that be the case at the moment because you do have the extra skills but if you pass on your knowledge then in future other people will also have those skills and be sharing the workload equally?

Do you have a written terms of employment (contract)?

How long have you been employed by the practice?

I think you need to decide exactly what you do and dont want from this job and after talking to your HN instead of just taking as gospel what you may have been told by a senior nurse decide if it is the job for you.

You can get free advice on this from the CAB - my advice would be as a first step speak to your HN they may be able to shed more light on this