Not being paid when at college

Re: Not being paid when at college

Vicky RVN — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 12:16:39 GMT

[quote user="Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA"]

I must have been really Lucky, My practice paid me while I attended college, and paid all my fees.... they even gave me my petrol money for travelling to college

[/quote]

Me too.

I agree with people who say degree nurses don't get paid more, in my experience anyway.

In reply to the question about getting a pay rise when going from L2 to L3, we do at my place.

Re: Not being paid when at college

Stella Skelton RVN — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:30:38 GMT

I don't get paid for the one day a week I'm at college. x

Re: Not being paid when at college

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:31:44 GMT

I dont agree that degree nurses are paid more... in fact a lot are paid less than NVQ nurses, purely because they dont have the hands on experience.

Also just to add, I read in the paper today that as of OCt 2010, that all apprentices will be paid a minimum wage. It wont be the same as the national minimum wage for the 1st yr, it will be less, but after the 1st year they will be entitled to the national minimum wage (age accordingly).

Re: Not being paid when at college

Louise Dick — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:10:25 GMT

Speaking a degree nurse I have to say that I have not taken anything from the state, paid all my own fees, expenses etc, and diddn't get a grant, bursary or any other kind of financial assistance.

Louise

Re: Not being paid when at college

lskm 23 — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:27:08 GMT

Degree nurses are not paid more in my experience either, Im certainly not and nor is the other degree nurse at this practice.

Re: Not being paid when at college

Sally Howe — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:51:00 GMT

I went to college as a block release many many many moons ago.

I didn't get paid while at college and I had to fund my training too.

Re: Not being paid when at college

ginny — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:28:28 GMT

In my experience degree nurses aren't paid any more, certainly not in places i've worked in. DipAVN nurses usually are.

Re: Not being paid when at college

Sophie Bedford RVN CertVNECC — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:58:42 GMT

[quote user="Gilfly"]

Training is financially difficult which way you do it....at least we know we will earn a good wage at the end of it all.... ah em!

[/quote]

Yes, you will earn a good wage (ish) but don't forget that degree nurses automatically get another 3-4K per year just for being degree nurses - therefore making up for the fact that they have the loans and didn't do it as employment.

I feel this is very wrong, the nurses that have actually gone out and got a job and not taken help from the state (sorry if that sounds unfair) should be paid more because not only do they have the qualification but they also have 2-3 yrs full time experience in practice!

It really annoys me that just because someone has gone to uni they should automatically get more when sometimes their practical skills are little better than a newbie

Re: Not being paid when at college

Phrin Vernon RVN — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:29:30 GMT

[quote user="GremlinNurse"]

[quote user="Phrin SVN"]

parking is £7.50 for the one day at college!!), but I know some girls in my class do.

[/quote]

Wow...is the college in a city centre? That seems dear to me

[/quote]

Stockport town centre - pretty near to Manchester - dread to think what the parking would be like in Manchester city centre!!!

College is worth it though! Our tutor is fab, and will put in extra hours with one to ones if you ask

Re: Not being paid when at college

GremlinNurse — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:10:53 GMT

[quote user="Phrin SVN"]

parking is £7.50 for the one day at college!!), but I know some girls in my class do.

[/quote]

Wow...is the college in a city centre? That seems dear to me

Re: Not being paid when at college

Phrin Vernon RVN — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:46:56 GMT

When I first started out I got £50 a week for 8.30-5pm mon-fri, one weekend in 4 on sat-sun 8.30-5pm, and one half day per week at college. I also got help with travel expenses as I was an apprentice, but I think that may have been due to the college I was with....?

At that point I was a vet nursing assistant, although the actual ANA and VCA didn't exist then - I did animal care NVQ at college.

I am quite lucky where I am now - at 30yo with >10yrs exp, SVN L3, I get *just* over minimum wage, paid while at college, and college & exam fees paid. I don't get petrol or parking money for college though (parking is £7.50 for the one day at college!!), but I know some girls in my class do.

Re: Not being paid when at college

GremlinNurse — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:40:32 GMT

That;s what my practice do BUT normally we have 2 half days per week but when you go to college that is classed as your half day so only get one per week...not a bad price to pay tho

Technically, I guess, if you are a SVN your job surely is to be in practice but also to be a student so tis a bit stingy if they don't pay you while at college...I reckon it is anyway!

Re: Not being paid when at college

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:42:23 GMT

I must have been really Lucky, My practice paid me while I attended college, and paid all my fees.... they even gave me my petrol money for travelling to college

Re: Not being paid when at college

Katie B — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:29:02 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

Wow - I pay too much...

My nurses are on more than that and I pay all fees related to training AND I pay them for their time spent at college.

You aren't 'entitled' to anything though - as long as you are paid above minimum wage for your time actually at work, all costs and wages paid towards training are up to your employer.

[/quote]

God I want to work for you lol.

Re: Not being paid when at college

Fuzzyduck — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:23:17 GMT

Yep if your on the apprenticeship they dont have to pay you minimum wage, i got paid £40 a week while i was training.

In fact i know a few practices who pay nothing at all to trainee nurses, not the ones on the degree route either. Not sure if this is legal but there are people so desperate to get in to nursing they are willing to work for nothing!

Re: Not being paid when at college

Kim Buckley — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 12:26:13 GMT

Yeah I always thought they could pay you what ever they want due to it being classed as an apprenticeship.

I did the degree and so had to do placements where I didn't get paid but I got really annoyed when I worked at a practice during my summer holidays and they paid me the same as their L2 students even though I was at L3 stage. When I questioned this I was told I wasn't allowed to have a pay rise as I was only temp staff. I know I should be grateful that they gave me a summer job but felt a bit annoyed that I wasn't paid fairly.

Re: Not being paid when at college

Nicola Russell — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 09:46:29 GMT

re apprenticeships, depending on age, if you are over 19, then for the first 12 months of an apprenticeship they can pay you what ever they want, however, if you are under 19 they can pay whatever they want for the duration of the apprenticeship

Re: Not being paid when at college

littlehays — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 09:30:08 GMT

[quote user="Gilfly"]

[quote user="Nick Shackleton DipAVN(Surgical)VN MBVNA"]

[quote user="littlehays"]

that's a pretty standard wage for a svn

[/quote]

Pretty good as SVN wages go

[/quote]

It can't legally be any lower!

[/quote]

well i might be wrong but i'm sure i read somewhere that as we are training, we're technically apprentices and therefore natonal minimum wage doesn't cover us. employers could pay us as little as £90 a week if they wanted. and i know that if i work out my salary against my hours each week, despite me being on over the salary stated earlier in the thread, i'm still not on nmw, but hey-ho.

Re: Not being paid when at college

Steph Worsley — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 22:51:36 GMT

they get away with it as technically when you are at college you are not "doing your job" as your job is working in the practice.

I never really worked out if i got paid for my college time or not as I was salaried so got the same every month no matter if i had spent time at college or not. I suppose technically I either didnt get paid for those weeks or was on below minimum wage (think it worked out low either way) and again they could get round that because they paid all my college fees etc so could say that that was part of my salary

Re: Not being paid when at college

Gillian Davidson — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 22:08:28 GMT

ok, didn't want the thread to become a rant about poor pay....we are all in the same boat.

Just wanted to check if my bosses were legally allowed to not pay me just for being at college when I'm technically still working for them, working as my job description - trainee nurse.

Re: Not being paid when at college

lskm 23 — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 21:53:39 GMT

I was in a similar situation to Steph, did the degree and on the first placement traveled 80 miles per day for 15 weeks without being paid. I was lucky and managed to get paid work for my year out but many did not.

I understand its hard missing out on pay for the weeks you are at college but it unfortunatly comes down to the employer as to what they pay for. I know of some trianing practices that dont pay any fees and you have to still work your full hours plus go to college.

Good Luck in your exams so then hopefully you will get paid what you deserve for your hard work.

Re: Not being paid when at college

Gillian Davidson — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 20:17:25 GMT

[quote user="StephSVN"]

I completely sympathise with your situation - I think what I'm about to write is going to sound harsh however I try and word it but please don't take it that way as I really don't mean it to be taken that way...

I am a degree nurse - 4 year course with 3rd year being in practice. I have paid all uni fees, RCVS fees etc as well as living costs with no wage. When on my placement year I worked 40hrs minimum with zero pay for a while despite travelling 30 miles to work so when I said I may have to leave as was costing me too much they offered me £100/month towards travel costs. This didn't cover it but made it possible. I subsidised my wage initially by working in a kennels on other 2 days (7 days a week) and then went onto weekend rota which I did get paid for.

All this is only possible due to student loans I have no help from anywhere else. I know that this isn't an option for non-degree nurses, but does mean I have to pay it all back.

It used to really bug me that I worked full time for free (and stayed for longer than a fair few 'permenant' staff) and paid all other fees associated with my qualification while the other student nurse got paid for her time at college, got her petrol paid to get to college and had all of her fees paid for :-(

On the plus side - I now have a job at the practice where I did placement but do not feel tied to them as the otehr nurse does.

[/quote]

Yes, but you made the choice to do the degree route, I could have but made the decision not to as I knew I couldn't afford to. So I found a job and did it that way. I have done the Uni thing too, so no all about fees and travelling expenses.

Doing it the employed way has it's own issues too ... We have a lot of other responsibilties while we are at work rather than just turning up to get some experience and cover portfolio.

I'm not suggesting you didn't work hard on your placement, I'm sure you did.

Training is financially difficult which way you do it....at least we know we will earn a good wage at the end of it all.... ah em!

Re: Not being paid when at college

StephSVN — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 20:04:39 GMT

All this is only possible due to student loans I have no help from anywhere else. I know that this isn't an option for non-degree nurses, but does mean I have to pay it all back.

On the plus side - I now have a job at the practice where I did placement but do not feel tied to them as the otehr nurse does.

Re: Not being paid when at college

Gillian Davidson — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:48:26 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

Wow - I pay too much...

My nurses are on more than that and I pay all fees related to training AND I pay them for their time spent at college.

You aren't 'entitled' to anything though - as long as you are paid above minimum wage for your time actually at work, all costs and wages paid towards training are up to your employer.

[/quote]

Can I come and work for you!!?

So, they don't need to pay me when at college then? Thought they would as they it is part of my job description as a SVN to go to college, rather than me saying "please can I go t college". Don't get me wrong, I want to go but hopefully you get what I mean.

Receptionists and unqualified nurse who has 1yr experience compared to my 3 get paid more.

Re: Not being paid when at college

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:41:44 GMT

Wow - I pay too much...

My nurses are on more than that and I pay all fees related to training AND I pay them for their time spent at college.

You aren't 'entitled' to anything though - as long as you are paid above minimum wage for your time actually at work, all costs and wages paid towards training are up to your employer.