Twitching & Birdwatching1 min ago
Should We Run Our Country This Way ?
One thing I've noticed about this lot of politicians ,very few if any have had a real job outside politics.
I fear that is also true in teaching , it's a case of school -university - back to school.
Should you , can you , run a country or teach others about it ,from such a narrow backgrounds.?
For many jobs it probably doesn't matter specialising so early in life but for those two professions the wider ones experience of life the better.
I fear that is also true in teaching , it's a case of school -university - back to school.
Should you , can you , run a country or teach others about it ,from such a narrow backgrounds.?
For many jobs it probably doesn't matter specialising so early in life but for those two professions the wider ones experience of life the better.
Answers
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by modeller. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
Both professions (indeed any job in the Public Sector) can be hampered by a lack of awareness of wealth creation and commercial realities.
It is a 'I have a budget to spend' mentality.
Hardly surprising that people charged only with the spending of budgets can lack appreciation of the commercial activity that generates them.
It is a 'I have a budget to spend' mentality.
Hardly surprising that people charged only with the spending of budgets can lack appreciation of the commercial activity that generates them.
-- answer removed --
-- answer removed --
I was a teacher for 20 years and I found young teachers especially in the secondary sector almost invariably had discipline problems .
Similarly when dealing with social and work related issues either in the present or in history it can be difficult to put it over if you are only a few years older than your pupils.
There can also be problems with parents who not unnaturally resent being told adverse remarks about their children, from a young single teacher.
'' What do they know about about bringing up kids ? " Is a comment I have heard many times. And of course in that respect they are right . !
I don't know the answer to these problems . There have always been problems retaining young teachers especially in difficult areas.
One solution would be to only accept teachers over a certain age but that would result in a great shortage .
Similarly when dealing with social and work related issues either in the present or in history it can be difficult to put it over if you are only a few years older than your pupils.
There can also be problems with parents who not unnaturally resent being told adverse remarks about their children, from a young single teacher.
'' What do they know about about bringing up kids ? " Is a comment I have heard many times. And of course in that respect they are right . !
I don't know the answer to these problems . There have always been problems retaining young teachers especially in difficult areas.
One solution would be to only accept teachers over a certain age but that would result in a great shortage .
I had a private education and many of the teachers had had jobs before hand, many from the services but alos from business, for instance tach drawing teacher had worked for BAC for years. The teachers with some sort of background certainly commanded more respect, they also were trusted more by pupils for more personal matters as they had real life experience. They also got some excellent grades as they were able to teach 'tricks of the trade'
But in the real world, how can we expect all teachers or politicians to have spent 20 years at work first?
But in the real world, how can we expect all teachers or politicians to have spent 20 years at work first?
This very much depends on what you define as a real job. To some extent I agree with your contention, Modeller, in that I feel we would all benefit were our MPs less Westminster orientated and have more experience in the real world; I have thought for instance, that we should consider a minimum age restriction on MPs so we at least get MPs who might have some life experience like raising a family and so on.
But I do not think this "very few if any" comment of yours is quite right. A recent study looked at the backgrounds of the 650 MPs and concluded that only 90 had no discernible work experience outside of politics.
And age does not automatically confer respect. As a kid, I still remember taking the mickey out of some of our older teachers far more than the younger ones. What garners respect is the ability to communicate an enthusiasm for the subject being taught, and that is a quality irrespective of age.
But I do not think this "very few if any" comment of yours is quite right. A recent study looked at the backgrounds of the 650 MPs and concluded that only 90 had no discernible work experience outside of politics.
And age does not automatically confer respect. As a kid, I still remember taking the mickey out of some of our older teachers far more than the younger ones. What garners respect is the ability to communicate an enthusiasm for the subject being taught, and that is a quality irrespective of age.
I remember having a conversation with the ofsted inspector wife of a work colleague and having a little moan about the difficuly of managing our companies resources. Her tart reply was that it isn't difficult to manage a budget. I realized then that there is a huge disconnect between people who are given a pot of money to spend and those who have to risk their resources to earn money (if they can)before they even have a pot of money to spend.
Some time spent in the real world might sharpen up the thinking of some politicos and academics. They might understand where money comes from..
Some time spent in the real world might sharpen up the thinking of some politicos and academics. They might understand where money comes from..
LG It is of course difficult to define a real job and of course some MPs have
so called ' outside interests' . There is also the problem of all those inappropriate Micky Mouse degrees churned out by our Universities which are no good in industry but look good on paper when going into politics.
Could you give me the link for //only 90 had no discernible work experience outside of politics. // Looking at the ages of so many of them that doesn't seem likely.
My ( maybe biased ) impression is that many MPs are only in politics because they lack the ability to get a 'proper job '.
I would hate being a MP and having to toe the party line but for 'some /many ' as long as they get their pay cheque ( and the social connections it makes ) maybe that's enough. It was certainly the case for certain members of my family , in local politics.
so called ' outside interests' . There is also the problem of all those inappropriate Micky Mouse degrees churned out by our Universities which are no good in industry but look good on paper when going into politics.
Could you give me the link for //only 90 had no discernible work experience outside of politics. // Looking at the ages of so many of them that doesn't seem likely.
My ( maybe biased ) impression is that many MPs are only in politics because they lack the ability to get a 'proper job '.
I would hate being a MP and having to toe the party line but for 'some /many ' as long as they get their pay cheque ( and the social connections it makes ) maybe that's enough. It was certainly the case for certain members of my family , in local politics.
