Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.

Unfortunately, complaints have become a common feature of the daily working lives of professionals to include teachers in the regulatory environment. Generally complaints can be divided into three categories:

• Grievances
• Disciplinary matters
• Professional Misconduct- Fitness to Practice Complaints

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between grievances and disciplinary/professional misconduct matters however, the consequences are completely different. In the case of grievances, generally there is no sanction or threat to your career while disciplinary or fitness to teach matters can result in your removal as teacher from the Register. Most complaints should be dealt with under the grievance procedure. This process is less stressful for the teacher concerned with less serious consequences.

Good legal advice at the very start should ensure that a grievance matter does not end up as a disciplinary matter or worse, a fitness to teach complaint.