My last column about teacher tiredness sparked a reaction. Teachers called me names, swore at me and made statements about my work ethic and assumptions about my personal life.

The most irritating were those who told me that I don’t get tired because…I work in FE.

Go after me and I will challenge you. But go after my sector and I will slowly reach for my Walter White Heisenberg hat and calmly suggest that you “tread lightly”.

For those who don’t know what FE is, here’s a quick cheat-sheet to shove up your knowledge base:

• We teach 16- to 18-year-olds at all levels. Those with a grade 3 in GCSE English and maths have to resit - multiple times;
• We teach in prisons, in family learning, in workplaces, in every community venue imaginable;
• I teach English to people who Jobcentre Plus compels to attend classes with the threat of removing benefits;
• I also teach adults with learning difficulties and disabilities in a community setting and in residential care;
• If it’s not in school, if it’s not HE level, then it is FE.

The FE teaching day ends at 5pm, with some having additional sessions in the evening. The majority have fewer holidays than school teachers and there’s an average £7,000 pay gap between school and college teachers.

We’re the most underfunded area of education. Schools suffer from cuts, but FE suffers more. I’m not getting my violin out, I’m stating a fact.

Sarah Simons works in colleges and adult community education in the East Midlands and is the director of UKFEchat