I read with interest the double page spread on teachers’ salaries innbsp;the TES. Having worked in a large secondary school for over 14 years I have every sympathy with teachers, and know that most deserve every penny.

However, some thought should also be given to people like me: the army of non-teaching professionals working in schools. I am a chartered librarian, with a degree in addition to my professional qualification and over 30 years’ experience in public, special, college and school libraries. My job involves supervision of 6th form students all day, every day, promoting reading development and generally supporting teachers in as many ways as I can.

I could go on, and I have not even mentioned the basics of controlling a budget, selecting and maintaining appropriate stock and caring for the fabric of the library building and so on.

Like teachers my day begins early; there is usually a queue outside the library when I arrive just after 8am; and it ends around 5pm, or later if I am involved in out-of-school activities.

For this I receive less than pound;20K a year, which my local authority found, during a general salary review recently, to be rather high. I’d like to retire this year, at 60, but it looks as if I shall be forced to work for several years yet in order to save for anything like a reasonable pension. Please don’t forget that there are other people who deserve a pay rise, but are not on teachers’ salary scales.
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