Hello

I need some help unravelling the contracts that we provide to our 'peripatetic' music teachers.  The HR Manager and Head who set them up have left, and the Director of Music is still here, but she doesn't understand them!

These music teachers are employed by the school and provided with employment contracts as they are paid through our school's payroll and not directly by parents.  Music lessons are arranged by parents with the Finance dept.  Their contracts say that they are paid a rate of pay for each 30-minute lesson according to the timetable of required lessons.  They provide lessons for specific instruments eg. piano, brass, violin etc. and can work at other schools too.  Their hourly pay rate has been determined by the Musician's Union and not our teacher pay scale.  They are provided with teacher contracts and not support ones.

HR issues these contracts, but the Director of Music then arranges with the peri teacher their weekly teaching commitment independently and our Finance department work out a salary based on this and pay them monthly.  As an independent school, our working weeks for the academic year are 36 and the peri teachers are expected to deliver their required lesson allocations over 30 weeks.  If they are off sick or take time out for music gigs, they are expected to make up the lessons over the remaining 6 weeks.  At the end of the academic year the finance department makes deductions for non-worked lessons.   I believe that when they are off sick they are not paid, but asked to make up the lessons in this 6 week mopping up period. The Finance dept don't know why we do it like this either.

I find it odd that HR is issuing what essentially reads as a casual hours contract and that the Director of Music is instructing payroll on how to pay the teachers, that the teachers are not given sick pay and that their holiday pay/allowance has probably not been considered.

There needs to be flexibility with the peri timetables because sometimes students give up their lessons.  I can only assume this is discussed with the peri teacher and their pay is adjusted through the Finance department.  

I want to make sure we are following best practice in this respect.  Does anyone else employ their peri music teachers and how do you deal with a timetable that can change while ensuring contractual obligations are met?

Thank you.