Thinking of becoming a supply teacher?

[NuttySupplier]

Some basic 'fors', 'againsts', and ways in etc. are written in lovely plain English here... (See below for link)

Question
I am considering becoming a supply teacher in order to escape the demands I find being
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e of me in school as a permanent member of staff – meetings, schemes of work, writing policies etc.

Can you give me any insight into the role of a supply teacher and what I might need to be aware of as I consider the possibility of such a move?

Answer.
Many teachers have found that supply teaching suits their individual needs. However, it is important to seriously consider all the impli
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ions before giving up the security of a permanent contract.

Your union is always a good point of reference for advice and guidance with regards to the impact of such a move on your status, pension, etc. In the meantime, I hope the following is helpful as some background information.

It has been reported that schools spend £600 million a year on supply staff. It has long been recognised that supply teachers are a natural port of call for schools in crisis - most notably to cover for absent teachers at short notice. In December 2001, Ofsted reported that:

A number of schools gave supply teachers too little information about pupils' backgrounds, policies, procedures, etc and
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e little use of the work produced in their lessons.
That the number of supply teachers in schools increased from 12,200 in 1995 to 20,000 in 2001.
That three times more work permits had been issued to teachers from outside the EU in 2001 compared to 2000.
What is expected of a supply teacher?
To teach in a maintained school in England it is generally necessary to hold Qualified Teaching Status (QTS) and, since June 2001 to be registered with the General Teaching Council for England.

Many supply teachers will find themselves teaching in more than one school - quite possibly within the same week - and needing to become aware of the different way each institution will work.

However, they will still be expected to:

Keep up to date with developments in the National Curriculum in general, and their subject speciality in particular.
Effectively teach and supervise classes according to the guidelines of each school.
Be ready to teach from ready-prepared lessons, or work from their own material.
Mark work according to the school they are in – e.g. primary or secondary - before leaving at the end of the day.
Maintain professional standards of dress and behaviour.
Be prepared to carry out reasonable requests from the headteacher.
Etc., etc.
It is estimated that around 40% of supply teachers are ‘short termers’ in that they move from full time to supply and back to full time.

Why become a supply teacher?
Those who do enter the supply teaching arena do so for a number of reasons:

Greater flexibility.
Experiencing the benefit of being in the classroom without the same responsibility of meetings, paperwork, test/exam grades, Ofsted, etc.
Having a choice in which schools to teach as a supply teacher.
Gaining an insight into those schools they would like to teach in if a permanent position became available.
Furthering professional development from teaching a variety of pupils from different backgrounds within schools having varying management approaches and edu
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ional philosophies.

Are there any di
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vantages?
However there are a number of di
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vantages for supply teachers which can emanate from this almost 'no
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ic' lifestyle. These include:

The uncertainty of work, and being only paid for the teaching they do as there is no sick or holiday pay, although a number of agencies now account for these within the amount they pay.

Missing out on in-service training.
Difficulty in developing relationships with pupils and staff.
Experiencing a lower level of regard from pupils, staff, parents and inspectors.
Needing to carry an ‘office’ around with them.
The inconsistent ways in which they are briefed and given information about what to expect in relation to pupils and the school.
Experiencing discipline problems in class.
Poor access to resources.
Difficulties when ‘cover work’ is not left.
Feeling generally unsupported in schools.
The daily rate can vary significantly between £80 and £150 per day depending on the supply agency the teacher is wor
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for.
Possibility of missing out on pension rights and experiencing difficulty in crossing the threshold.
Variations in the amount that agencies will take from a day’s pay.
The likelihood of any school offering a temporary/permanent contract being charged an ‘introduction’ fee by the supply agency that placed the teacher in the school – and this can amount to a significant sum of money.
Teachers wor
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for supply agencies are not employees of the LEA or school, therefore are not entitled to receive rates of pay in accordance with the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document.

How to enter the 'world' of supply teaching
There are a number of routes for teachers who want to embark on supply work:

A supply agency will find work for the teachers registered with it so the individual can wait for the telephone call. However, as noted above, rates of pay vary considerably. Agencies can be the first call for schools that are loo
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for long term cover.

An LEA, which operates a ‘pool’ of supply teachers, will pay according to the national pay scale. Individuals in this situation also have the advantage of choosing to opt into the teachers’ ‘superannuation’ pension scheme. However, some LEAs have ceased to maintain a supply ‘pool’, with a number considering joining together to form their own supply agencies.

Directly circulating CVs and covering letters to schools within their area. Schools do build up a list of ‘tried and tested’ supply teachers that they will contact first to check availability.

A number of supply teachers, depending on their needs, will use a combination of LEA, agency, and direct school contact.

Is there any regulation of supply teaching?
There is little regulation of the supply industry. However:

Generally spea
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, most supply agencies are conscientious in interviewing, and running appropriate checks on teachers applying to register with them.
Earlier this year the government introduced a voluntary scheme operated by the Recruitment and Employment Federation in conjunction with the DfES. This aims to encourage minimum standards for wor
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with school and teachers, recruiting, interviewing, and staff management.
However, there are calls for the supply industry to be more formally regulated which would include on-going professional development opportunities for supply teachers.
Pensions
Also, supply teachers wor
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for a supply agency cannot normally pay superannuation contributions. Supply teaching, like part-time teaching, does not automatically qualify for a pension scheme.

In order to be pensionable, it is necessary for a supply teacher, who is wor
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directly for a school or LEA, to elect for superannuation contributions to be deducted from his/her salary. (See Pensions Guide to Part Time Teaching).

It is also important for supply teachers who do pay superannuation, to keep a comprehensive record of the schools they have worked in, just in case there is any later questioning of there pensionable service.

The pensions department of your union, as well as the Teachers' Pension Agency will be able to provide advice and guidance.

Insurance
Many things can happen in schools, ranging from damage to personal property to injury. Mostly these will be accidental or unintentional, however it is important for a supply teacher to be aware of what insurance cover they have, and who is responsible for providing it - the school, the LEA, the supply agency, etc.

Again your union will be best placed to advise you.

Resources:
All the unions publish advice leaflets for their members. Check out their websites by following the links on the right

General Teaching Council for England -
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General Teaching Council for Wales -
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Teachers’ Pension Agency -
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DfES self-study guides for supply teachers can be ordered by telephone on: 0845 602 2260. They are also published online at:
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.
The Learning and Skills Council have joined forces with Hays Edu
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ion Personnel to offer a pilot training scheme designed to provide an ‘advanced professional certifi
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e in effective supply teaching ’. Initially this will be available to 1000 supply teachers. For more information contact Jane Waller on: 020 7931 9040 or e-mail:
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.
The TES carries advertisements placed by supply agencies outlining what they offer to supply teachers.
There is an extensive list of supply agencies on-line at:
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.
A number of books have been published on the subject of supply teaching. You might find the following particularly useful: ‘Supply Teachers’ Survival Guide’ by Glen Segell Trentham Books ISBN 1 85856 281 3



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Hope this helps!

[kkapikua]

Hi there!!! Very interesting what I've read.
Just a little question:Any hints on Scotland?

Thank you for any reply.....

[NuttySupplier]

Hi!

A few links here:


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Time Edu
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ional Supplement's Scotland pages

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Generaly info about living and wor
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in Scotland

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You need to be registered with these guys, General Teaching Council Scotland before you can teach there

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An interesting report on supply teachers and management of, in Scotland, though two years old.

Hope these help - and good luck!

A question: why are you leaving beautiful France to go to rainy Scotland?!
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(Obviously you don't need to answer... just baffled!)

[kkapikua]

Hi! Thank you for your anwser though...
I am a bit sick of reading so much staff...I impatiently wait every friday morning for the TES to post jobs, and that has last almost 4 months already.
I guess I just need somebody to tell me that everything is going to work out.

jajaja France???Im Spanish myself, that's good weather and not what I have here.
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Anywhere, I registered with the GTC and my experience is not enough so I need to go through 90 days full time teaching to be able to gain, after the reports I need to write and send them the QTS. Obviously as I am Spanish they dont place me as a probationer and I need to go through supplying.... The story gets a loooootttt longer if you add up to the equation an aussi boyfriend that lives in Glasgow... And that even though I am fluent in French and this year I am wor
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as Spanish- English Teacher here, I can not teach French because I do not have 80 SCQF credit points, that I will do when I get to glasgow through the Open University....

That is the history of my live...in a very little resume...

But, everything would be fine, wouldn't it???
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[NuttySupplier]

Oh goodness! Ok, I'll tell you... it's all going to work out fine!
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You probably need to set aside one year to get sorted out with all that, before you can think of getting a 'proper' job I guess. But Glasgow's a lovely, very friendly place, and the Scot's will help you all they can to get there! Scotland is advertising a lot over here, there's a big campaign to get people teaching there. So that's promising.

Also, Modern Languages are having a big push in primary schools, so, for example, I know of an Italian who is extremely busy, wor
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in five schools a week. She works in one school each day, and takes each class in turn for a half hour Italian lesson! Her life must be quite easy, it's all oral work so she has no mar
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to do, and she teaches the same half hour lesson to every class, every day for a week! Maybe you could look into doing something like that, afterall, you could be teaching two languages at least in the same school!

[kkapikua]

Thank you!! That is very kind....

I do not think they are going to let me teach French, cause I do not hold a degree in French, am I right???
I may need to wait until next year to do so, and I need to pass the exams at the Open University...
Glasgow is pretty nice, I have been there few times this year, love Edimburgh though, and Stirling, with their castles...it is quite of a change coming from Madrid, London and Paris.
well, I think I may go to bed, half twelve here,have to get up early
It has been a pleasure tal
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to you....Buenas noches!!!
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