Is SCRISM just creating a two-tier system for workload and perks? Feels like we're throwing NQTs under the bus again.
Hey everyone,
With the SCRISM agreement being debated, again, I can't shake this feeling that we're watching history repeat itself, even if it's dressed up a bit differently this time.
We all remember the absolute disaster of the post-2011 two-tier pay scale, where established terms were protected at the direct expense of new entrants. While SCRISM isn’t a literal pay cut, to me, it feels exactly like a two-tier system of *workload alleviation*.
The big "win" being touted in this agreement is the creation of the new AP1 and AP2 posts for Senior Cycle Co-ordinators. Crucially, these come with the holy grail: timetable reduction. But let's be realistic—NQTs and younger teachers aren't getting those posts. You need years of whole-school experience and a massive STAR-method portfolio to even be competitive in those interviews. So, the most lucrative, supportive parts of this agreement are completely walled off from newer staff.
Meanwhile, who is actually standing at the chalkface delivering these new, untested Senior Cycle specs for the rest of their careers, NQTs. They are the ones who are going to be drowning in the new coursework, the shifting assessment structures, and the general ground-level friction of the rollout—and they have to do it all on a full 22-hour timetable.
I totally get that we need experienced people coordinating a massive national rollout. But it feels incredibly unjust that the tangible time supports flow almost exclusively upwards, while the youngest teachers in the staffroom are just expected to absorb the stress of frontline delivery as standard duty.
Are we really surprised there's a retention crisis when every major agreement seems to expect new grads to just put their heads down and wait a decade before they get any basic workload alleviation? I know in my own school there's a flood of teachers taking their pensions and running before their tranche hits, an option that won't be open to anyone on the latest pension.
Am I way off base here, or is anyone else feeling this way? Would love to hear what people think.