Peri contract Options

[Czerny]

Talk to MU/ISM - whichever you are a member of - and your accountant not only about the legal/contract side but also the tax implications as having a contract with a school can open up a bit of a self-employment can of worms if not set up properly from the start.

My understanding is that if you're paid through PAYE you count as employed for tax purposes, otherwise you're self-employed and obviously have to make your own arrangements to pay tax through self-assessment. Is that inaccurate? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

Personally I don't understand why peris need an accountant unless their tax affairs are unusually complicated - it's so easy to fill in the Self Assessment form, especially on-line when it does all the calculations for you, and you need exactly the same information that otherwise you'd give to an accountant. Is there something I'm unaware of here? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif) (again)

[lorraineliyanage]

Yes that is accurate. Self-employment is quite simple as long as you don't just work for the same one establishment, then you should be on PAYE. I use an accountant as I have two jobs (both self-employed) plus I hate financial stuff, so it's ?100 well spent to get the accountant to sort it out!

I have all the info for the peri contract, pretty much based on the ISM contract so will see what the school say to it.

[Czerny]

Yes that is accurate. Self-employment is quite simple as long as you don't just work for the same one establishment, then you should be on PAYE.

Not necessarily - I used to work solely for a music service whose teachers were all freelancers and therefore self-employed.

[lorraineliyanage]

Yes that is accurate. Self-employment is quite simple as long as you don't just work for the same one establishment, then you should be on PAYE.

Not necessarily - I used to work solely for a music service whose teachers were all freelancers and therefore self-employed.

If the majority of your work is in one place, then technically you are an employee of that service. Here's the Government blurb. I am definitely self-employed according to this, but if I worked just for a music service, I would be towing the line and doing what they told me, which feels more like the big, bad world of employment!

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/moneytaxandben...gtax/dg_4015975

[Czerny]

Yes that is accurate. Self-employment is quite simple as long as you don't just work for the same one establishment, then you should be on PAYE.

Not necessarily - I used to work solely for a music service whose teachers were all freelancers and therefore self-employed.

If the majority of your work is in one place, then technically you are an employee of that service. Here's the Government blurb. I am definitely self-employed according to this, but if I worked just for a music service, I would be towing the line and doing what they told me, which feels more like the big, bad world of employment!

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/moneytaxandben...gtax/dg_4015975

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) Very interesting!

[lorraineliyanage]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) Very interesting!

My partner is self-employed. For two years he just worked for one company so that was his sole source of income. Technically he was an employee, but he didn't get any perks of employment (sick pay, holiday etc). The tax man would definitely have considered him an employee for this period of time. I am not sure how that effects your tax return though...

[Minstrel]

I only mention it because a peri collegue had a tax investigation a few years back and , although the peri had thought he had been doing everything correctly and in good faith, found he owed back tax and NI for peri jobs at schools where his contract was with the schools (about a day and a half of his work - two schools), where he was deemed to be 'employed' for tax purposes , but not for the 2 1/2 days he was peri-ing at schools where his contract was directly with the parents (three schools) and he was treated by the tax man as self-employed.
Very stressful all round and worth avoiding if possible.

[owainsutton]

My understanding is that if you're paid through PAYE you count as employed for tax purposes, otherwise you're self-employed and obviously have to make your own arrangements to pay tax through self-assessment. Is that inaccurate? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

It depends on a lot of factors: whether your contract (written or verbal) is with a school or with parents, who decides what hours you work, what the arrangements are for when you are ill, what notice is required by either party to terminate the agreement, whether you have sole discretion over what and how you teach, and so on. Plenty of schools and music services operate questionable 'self-employed' setups.

[lorraineliyanage]

Very stressful all round and worth avoiding if possible.

Part of me thinks it might be best avoided (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[barry-clari]

Very stressful all round and worth avoiding if possible.

Part of me thinks it might be best avoided (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Working in schools I think is very enjoyable : just make sure you keep tabs on everything! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[sbhoa]

Very stressful all round and worth avoiding if possible.

Part of me thinks it might be best avoided (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Working in schools I think is very enjoyable : just make sure you keep tabs on everything! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

When I first started teaching one of my teachers advised 'Don't work in schools unless you have to'.

[violincjj]

Very stressful all round and worth avoiding if possible.

Part of me thinks it might be best avoided (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Working in schools I think is very enjoyable : just make sure you keep tabs on everything! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

When I first started teaching one of my teachers advised 'Don't work in schools unless you have to'.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) If everyone took that approach there would be a lot of children who would not get the opportunity to learn music

[owainsutton]

Working in schools I think is very enjoyable : just make sure you keep tabs on everything! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

When I first started teaching one of my teachers advised 'Don't work in schools unless you have to'.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) If everyone took that approach there would be a lot of children who would not get the opportunity to learn music

Absolutely. Working in schools can be really hard work, but it's also got great benefits: when setting out as an inexperienced teacher, it was tremendously useful to see other peris and other music teachers in action on a regular basis, and to have opportunities to discuss things. It also can be much easier to get pupils involved in ensemble activites, and to cultivate a 'community' feel to lessons.

[moondad]

I only mention it because a peri collegue had a tax investigation a few years back and , although the peri had thought he had been doing everything correctly and in good faith, found he owed back tax and NI for peri jobs at schools where his contract was with the schools (about a day and a half of his work - two schools), where he was deemed to be 'employed' for tax purposes , but not for the 2 1/2 days he was peri-ing at schools where his contract was directly with the parents (three schools) and he was treated by the tax man as self-employed.
Very stressful all round and worth avoiding if possible.

That's pretty strange. As I understand it, the "employer" in this case would be the one liable for the NI contributions. Also, if he had been paying income tax on all his earnings as self-employed throughout that time, he should not have been liable for that, either. I suspect we are missing some important details here.

[sbhoa]

Working in schools I think is very enjoyable : just make sure you keep tabs on everything! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

When I first started teaching one of my teachers advised 'Don't work in schools unless you have to'.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) If everyone took that approach there would be a lot of children who would not get the opportunity to learn music

Absolutely. Working in schools can be really hard work, but it's also got great benefits: when setting out as an inexperienced teacher, it was tremendously useful to see other peris and other music teachers in action on a regular basis, and to have opportunities to discuss things. It also can be much easier to get pupils involved in ensemble activites, and to cultivate a 'community' feel to lessons.

The situation is not quite the same with piano which is what I started out teaching.
I think the downsides mentioned were lack of continuity because of all the school holidays and the loss of ground in holidays where it's seen as an in school activity only and lack of contact with parents and the potential associated problems (not buying music, hard to pass on advice about practice, and general idea that it's something that happens in school so more chance of no practice). Also what seem to be common problem with suitable teaching space.
I can see how the teaching space could be a pain... I'm a Volunteer Reading Helper and sometimes find it hard to fine space in an open area, let alone a room where the sound won't bother others.