How much do you tip?

I'm not sure I follow your last sentence. Are you saying that around £4 per child per year is a huge amount?

Each to their own, of course, but many parents like to show gratitude to their children's teachers or support assistants at the end of the school year and/or at Christmas. Noone's forced to do it. I have always given a token (biscuits or chocolates) to staff after hospital stays as well.

No Maggiemaybe I m saying £120 a year per teacher is too much how ever many kids give presents in my opinion Why set it at £120 why not have no gifts

I just don't agree with children taking in bottles of wine, flowers and other gifts to a teacher... It becomes a 'my gift is better than yours' even if the words are not said it's pressure on the parents and definitely pressure on the children It is horribly public for the children whose parents cannot afford a present ....a thank you doesn't need to be a present It has only become a 'need' recently There were no teacher gifts when I was at school and no teacher gifts when my children were at school We shook the teachers hand told them how happy ( hopefully) our child had been and thanked them with our words ... I think it is added pressure and added expense and not the best of lessons
A thank you should be genuine words not a competitive gift imo

Money pressure on kids is huge nowadays I told this story on another thread a while ago my grandaughter talking to some friends before going to a birthday party about their presents felt her carefully chosen ( and paid for herself) present was not as expensive as her friends She was in tears that evening and although told by her Mum her gift was perfect insisted on going out the next day and spending more money on a second gift (again with her own pocket money) obviously she was so uncomfortable to feel she was giving less How awful is that

Shouldn't we be teaching our children to say thank you from their hearts not their parents purses

I never gave any kind of presents to teachers - when the children were little they drew a picture and presented it to her. I did always make a point of speaking to her personally and thanking her in general and for any particular help she had given my children during the year.

I totally disagree with parents giving their child's teacher elaborate gifts - it has got totally out of hand.

My hairdresser gets £10 at my Christmas appointment but that is all. I don't consider it a "tip" but a friendly gesture as I like her.

I don't tip taxi drivers either unless they help me with luggage etc. Maybe I'm just stingy but we all work for a living and probably hundreds of people I interact with are on a low wage - I cannot tip them all so why any of them?

Why not have no gifts? Because I think most of us like to give them, don't we? And in my experience it's the poorest children who get the most joy from being able to hand over that box of Maltesers on the last day of term.

Yes Maggiemaybe but unfortunately it doesn't stop with a simple box of chocs, parents are always into one upmanship. What about less popular teachers ? What about the cleaners and dinner ladies?
Nobody working in education or NHS should accept gifts.

How can parents be into oneupmanship with a limit of £4 per child per year though? I honestly think most children want to give their little present. As for other staff in school who don't get them - well I was one of those and couldn't have cared less. I'm an adult!

It does normally depend on the service I've received and varies considerably abroad. We all know that it is obligatory in the US but in Hongkong it is frowned on. I remember the look on the chambermaid's face when I tipped her. It broke into a beaming smile while she put her finger to her lips to indicate it was to be a secret. In Tunisia the maid came into my room early one morning saying "fete, fete". It took me a few minutes to realise it was the Eid festival and she was hopimg I'd give her a tip early to help her buy presents for her children. ?

I wonder how many teachers would prefer NOT to be given gifts, either token or more, as it's amazing how many of these end up on the shelves in charity shops at the end of term.

Christinefrance I wouldn't want to be the one to tell either the parent or the child that I couldn't accept a present from them. I can imagine some parents who would become very aggressive- "Not good enough for you isn't it!" and some children who would simply burst into tears. Ether way the teacher would be at fault. And I have left chocolates for the nurses after my mum had been in hospital.

My friend used to share them out with her assistants, school secretary etc and still ended up with a drawerful of gifts, some very generous. Some she kept and used, others she gave to our women's group to sell at meetings, the proceeds of which went to charity. However, she had to be careful that none of her 'school mums' were at the meetings!

Christinefrance I do so agree with you
it shouldn't be necessary to tell anyone trisher it should just be a rule no end of term presents bar maybe a card There is huge oneupmanship which spoils everything
The same happens with the world book day it was a brilliant idea to have a fun day for kids to dress up but then some parents spoilt it by buying ready made outfits off eBay etc now they will hire them from costume companies and some little kids still turn up in a tea towel and feel pants I ve known kids go in their school uniform for the day because their costume wasn't as good as their friends

What's wrong with saying thank you and meaning it at the end of term as we ve just seen by the above posts a lot of the stuff gets put in charity shops or given away, .....is that the true meaning of giving its all got mercernary and out of hand

Even if it was a rule BlueBellesome parents would find ways around it, they always do. If the gift is presented outside the school gates would that be in the rule- sent to the teacher's house ? Believe me parents can be the most devious of beings when they choose.
Having children and parents who just say "Thank you" is great and entirely enough, but you can't tell the parents that. Believe me most of us have tried.

I agree Bluebelle
A home-made thank you card would be much appreciated by teachers.

My best present was a drawing by a child which his mum had put into a second hand frame. Meant a lot to me and decorated my wall for along time.

Bluebelle
We're not very well off, certainly not in comparison to some posters on here!
However, I believe that money should be spread around, and that's one of the reasons why I tip and give out 'Xmas boxes'!
The waiter who was so ill mannered and surly was in at least his late thirties, old enough to be far more professional in his dealings with customers!
You may think I was mean leaving the note for him, but he spoiled what should have been a wonderful meal, so personally I think he got away lightly! I left the note on the table for him, I could have complained to the manager, which would have been a lot worse for him!
The meal in question was to celebrate our 30th Anniversary, and his attitude put a dampener on the whole evening.
His tip would have been £9-00 because the bill was for almost £90-00, so 10%!
We've only spent that sort of cash on a meal twice in our lives, the other occasion being at the Rainbow Rooms at the Rockefeller Centre. The bill there was obscene, and I break into a cold sweat every time I think of it! That was strictly a one-off, the food was wonderful and the view amazing, but I don't think we'll be eating there ever again!

The £80-00 given at Xmas to Postman, Window Cleaner and Binmen is put in a tub in the kitchen in dribs and drabs through the year, then changed into notes just before it's needed.

Whenever any of our family have been in Hospital, we take in cakes/biscuits/chocolates for the ward staff to have at tea breaks. I don't consider that to be a 'tip', it's a Thank You!
In fact my DM's 83rd Birthday party was held in her room on the Haematology ward, where she died 13 days later of Leukaemia. All the staff were invited, from cleaners to consultants, there were sandwiches, pork pies, crisps, cake, lots of soft drinks and even jelly and ice cream. She wasn't in a private room because we paid, the ward has private rooms for their very seriously ill patients, and those rooms have their own fridges with tiny freezer boxes. The fridges are bought with donations from patients and their families, not NHS funds. So my DM had a lovely time on what we all knew would be her last birthday, and the staff got a treat too. The staff on that ward are amazing, I'm not made of the strong stuff that they are!

You commented that binmen seem to get a fairly good wage for doing a horrible job. In this borough, their salary is between £13000 & £22000, I wouldn't call that a good salary for what they do!

You compared the horrible aspect of a bin man's job to that of a Nurse cleaning up a drunk's vomit, or a Police Officer finding a stabbed body. There are awful aspects to all three jobs (my DF was a Police Officer, so I know), but the financial arrangements are very different.
A Registered Nurse's salary is usually between £22000 & £37000, avaraging out at £31000.
Police Officers earn between £21000 & £39000 with an average of £30000.
My DH's closest frind is a newly retired Fireman. Okay, his salary was good, but just how many of us would be prepared to do that job!

I hope this makes it plain why I didn't leave a tip for the surly waiter and why I do 'Xmas boxes'?

'Friend' not 'frind'!

Sorry Juggernaut I still cannot agree with what you say, wages / salaries should not enter the equation, how many shop assistants get a tip for example? A tip should only be given if someone has gone over and above the call of duty but of course that's my opinion and you have yours.

I agree that gifts for teachers can, in some areas, get out of hand. Where my DD works the PTA parent rep. for each has an envelope and who ever wants to give can put in something or nothing. It is then divided between teacher and teaching assistant. It is true that some children give flowers or sweets too but I think many of the additional gifts DD got were from children she had taught before and who were leaving the school.

My SiL is a firefighter..they get loads of food at the station from appreciative 'clients' in the same way that most hospital wards get cakes., biscuits, sweets and I know my nurse friend said they now get pizza & M&S vouchers too!(there is an M&S food shop in the hospital.) I think it is natural to show gratitude particularly at crisis times (hospital/fire & rescue). I think also my DD is a reception teacher so the 'first' teacher in school that the children have. But I do agree we have varying responses to those that provide a 'service'. I did not tip the rat man when he collected the bait boxes today!

Juggernaut thank you for your explanation
I too believe money should be spread around but not necessarily to those already earning a wage
I totally understand your critism about the poor waiting at your special meal but I still find your note the wrong way to complain imo If you didn't want to say something to management why not have a quiet word with the waiter maybe there was a vey good explanation for him not smiling or maybe he was just a miserable bugger who needed a word in his ear to pull him up

I still feel tipping is outdated ( although it seems to have gone to a new level ) and very unfair because of disparages in who to tip and who not to ..........I dont like favouritism so for me it would be all or nothing, tip everyone who serves you or let everyone earn their wage in a normal manner .... it also feels like bribery if I tip you, you ll look after me really well next time or is about oneupmanship ( I see that in the teacher tipping) or is just habit, or is it about appearances not wanting to appear mean

What's wrong with a good old fashioned GENUINE thank you

I think Maggie might have meant £120 collectively (all added up from every child) ? Bluebelle (as in 30 children per class each giving gifts worth £4) apologies if this has already been pointed out.

Oops my ipodpad was stuck on the previous page. It had already been explained. Sorry.

My son is a paper boy who works 6 mornings a week , in all weathers, for £ 11.30 a week . He was so grateful to the customers who tipped him a few quid at Christmas. I did tell him to put thank you cards through the doors of the people he did not see who had left the money at the shop.

Seaside I think that is perfectly acceptable a Christmas bonus for a paper,lad/ girl who isn't earning a wage as such but you wouldn't expect tips every week would you? like someone said they always tip the delivery driver but why?

I ve just had a new fence erected I made the chap tea cakes and biscuits during the day at the end I paid him the £300+ and thanked him telling how happy I was with the job he'd done I didn't feel the need to add another 10% on top of that but the way this thread is sounding a lot of people would have

Gosh, you are all very generous...I live in Australia and we don't tip at all.