Coronavirus

Ok I will try and give an unbias write up;

50,000 searches is a bit grey in itself. I searched job sites, from all parts of the country, from Southern England up to Scotland. The reason I did that was because I wanted to see what was on offer, how much they were paying, and where the jobs were, what I found was;

1. There were plenty of fruit picking jobs
2. It was varied on farms from England to Scotland
3. The pay varied off the top of my head from £7.50 - £10 per hour.

Thoughts, the pay is good, you only used to get paid by the bin, the jobs I found on offer were by the hour. Some farms you would need a car, so if you don't drive, you can't really do the job, unless you either get a taxi or car share, unlikely to be public transport, and that was acknowledged in the job adverts. Farmers used to put on mini buses, but I never saw that being offered (of course if you are fit and a cyclist, maybe?).

I did raise some of these points on here, and I didn't hear anyone say they would do it, in that I include furlough employee's. What would I do and not do from past experiences. Apples and pears fine, strawberries fook that.

A few days ago the government did hint they would be looking at someway of offering this out to people furloughed. Not sure how that will work. I also hasten to add, many of the jobs are not available yet, the adverts are out there to test the response. Obviously don't forget fruit such as apples etc, will not need picking until August/September, the immediate concern I imagine will be soft fruits. Think Wimbledon normally in June, and what do they have, strawberries (albeit it, they won't be needing them this year!).

If you want a job, could you get one, from what I saw yes. Do you need an interview, what for to pick a piece of fruit!

 

I find it interesting that according the the poll on the BBC:



only 30 odd percent of people would be happy to go to a restaurant (where tables can be set apart from each other and you sit with people you otherwise live with) but almost 60 percent are happy to send their kids to school (where there will be much more close contact with far more people). I think that says less about coronavirus or education and more about people being sick of being stuck in with their kids all day because I'm failing to see the logic behind it...

 

ps. As a teacher myself I'm looking forward to going back as currently I'm solo-parenting 3 young kids in the day and then doing 2-3 hours every night for school. It would be better to be back in the normal routine and it's a touch frustrating that some parents and colleagues seem bemused by me not taking phonecalls and answering emails during the day as if I'm just sat around doing nothing (I had a colleague basically try and shame me for now streaming lessons to my pupils - I'm not going to just sit my children in front of a tv all day so i can educate other peoples children thanks)

 

How’re your plums?

 

My Mrs is a teacher who is also finding it very frustrating now. She would rather be at work, but is cautious as to how it'll all work.

Kids won't maintain social distancing so the R number needs to be less than 0.5 (in my opinion, which I don't pretend to be fact) and the virus needs to be tracked more.

People should buy into the app, **** big brother theories.

Three kids by way.

I come home from work some days and it's as if I've been out paying golf, the reception I get!

Not always, most of the time it's harmonious.

 

https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/01/pier...-12638334/?ito=article.amp.share.top.facebook

Piers love in for Boris is well and truly over.

 

Yeah I'm finding it hard to be honest. We've got 3 kids (3, 6 and 8) and my wife is a doctor, she's working 5 of the next 6 weekends and is only off for 4 days in May. The days she's off she doesn't really want to do anything so I've got the three little angels all by myself every day (she leaves before they get up and usually isn't home until after they go to bed).

Had BTEC coursework in, 15 pupils and 20 side of A4 each. Setting maths work each week then getting it in to mark for my 120 KS3 and 4 pupils then on Monday I was told I had to contact the parents of every child in my form class and those who haven't emailed back I need to ring. Well that'll be happening after 8:30 each evening as that's when i have, so I hope they don't mind calls as late as 9:30-10:00 to ask how they're doing...

I'm hating it to be honest. Not least because I know that the moment schools are opened there'll be a hankering in some quarters for teachers to work through the Summer due to the "holiday" we've just had. Anyway, enough hiding on here we're off to plant some stuff.

 

You talking about the tracking app dude?

 

Yep, saw that in the Telegraph. My sister is a retired Ed inspector who has a zero-hours contract to do what she used to do. They furloughed her on 80% pay, but she has done 140% of the work she was scheduled for the last month. They said thanks very much, but you're just getting 80% pay. Now she's learned that people like her on zero hours will still be expected to be furloughed during the summer while they catch up, and normally the summer holidays is the busiest time for her job (you'd understand that, I expect). The irony? When furloughing first started they said she didn't qualify for furlough pay as she was zero-hours - until they realised how much work she had already done.

She's got a job with the NHS being a full-time administrator now. **** them. What is happening with supply teachers? Do they have such a thing as agency teachers, like the NHS has doctors and nurses?

 

I am, yes.

Not the government one (not out yet I don't think?), I've gone on Covid Symptom Tracker. King's College London.

 

They do have supply teachers but my understanding is that just get paid for the hours they teach. Currently I suspect they aren't getting anything but I don't know any well enough to ask.

 

I love Victoria plums, be no good me picking them, I'd be having the shhites from the amount i'd eat. In my old gaff I'd planted one, I still remember it's first season, never seen so much fruit on one tree! I think it was a hot summer, it was so loaded the branches were just going over. After that, every year after it was trying to keep the fooking starlings off it, so had to net the thing. I don't mind losing a few to blackbirds, but starlings just wipe out a crop.

 

Ta for the info but I'm ok without it ta...... Viruses come viruses go..... The wonders of life init

 

True enough, but if this one helps collate the information to help us get back on with some normality, I'm all for it.

It asks if you'd had the test and then if you feel normal or not normal, every day. I've got no problem supplying that, pretty sure I can/am being tracked via my phone and other apps anyway!

https://covid.joinzoe.com/

FWIW.

 

We probably are well in fact we definitely are being tracked already but you should never agree to it out of fear and it definitely shouldn't start to be seen as normal for the younger generations.......... Covid 19 84

 

I picked peaches and cherries in France. After a few days in the orchards eating peaches all day, I was ****ting through the eye of a needle.

On one occasion I had to run to the corner of a field and take a **** while I was at work. I found out later that the farmer’s grandad trod in it when he was out irrigating the fields.