Supply agencies

[Bea]

Hello all you hard working supply teachers!

I've been in the supply game for donkeys' years ie. since well before the existence of supply agencies. I've always worked by contacting the local authorities here in S. Wales directly and then making contact with schools myself. I try to do as much work as possible though I sometimes turn down long stints in difficult schools and I'd say I usually work about 100 days a year (approx 1/2), though this is dropping. I have been alarmed at the recent huge growth in supply agencies, several of whom have tried to recruit me. I am worried for several reasons:

Thse agencies take an enormous slice of your daily pay if you are very experienced. In South Wales supplies working through agencies get about £80-90 for day to day supply depending on experience, slightly more for a long term stint. (At least that's what I've been offered). But an independant supply teacher can earn as much as £160 daily before tax etc with the threshold allowance, ie the equivalent of what you would be earning pro rata for working full time. Daily supply rates with authorities are calculated as 1/195 of your full time salary (as there are 195 working days in the academic year), taking into account your experience, threshold etc. So if you are at the top of the scale and you can find the work it really is not worth going through an agency as they cannot approach this kind of salary. I'm very disappointed that agencies are helping to erode teachers' salaries and the status of supply teachers. Supply teachers do a very difficult job and should be paid acccordingly.

For NQTs I can see the attraction of working with an agency: the erosion of pay is nowhere near so severe, you get loads of valuable experience in different schools/ departments and you are sometimes guaranteed pay in the holidays. I think you have to make your own pension arrangements (???) though.

Secondly these agencies are becoming ubiquitous. I am finding that it's becoming far more difficult to get work. Partly because of agencies and partly because of the use of classroom assistants to do cover on the cheap. (Now there's another example of low pay where people deserve better..)

I'd be interested to know if any of you have any strong views on these matters....

Bea

[NuttySupplier]

Hi Bea,

I've never worked through an agency, and there don't seem to be many round here yet. I have come across staff from one agency only and there's a good reason why schools round here are using them as a last resort only: they charge the schools more than the daily rate at the moment! Apparently that's where they're making their money, but I'd put good money on it that the teachers working for them aren't getting a full day's wage.

Some agencies are under-cutting the day rate, as in Wales I expect, but there is often a shortage of supply teachers round here, or lack of communication between headteachers about good ones maybe, and the agencies can charge over and above the common pay scale.

[ruby_tuesday]

My views on the matter are fairly strong, I agree with what you have described. I did supply for the first time this year because of relocating and being uncertain whether it would be permanent. The school and the authority I left (Norfolk) didn’t use agencies anywhere near like they are used in the Manchester area where I am now. As my previous Headteacher, preferred to meet and book supply teachers directly, (which I think is preferable, though I understand why schools use agencies) when I started I contacted schools directly too. Only a few replied but two offered me regular work, one authority school paid 1/195 rate, the other was independent so did not pay so much but I was happy with that because sometimes I only taught 12 children, and never more than 20 and occasionally had free lessons.

I have used agencies, but only as a filler for days when I didn’t have work booked. I only found one agency to be any use and even then I occasionally doubted their integrity! The agency knew I was keen to work full time this summer and put my name forward for a position. When I queried whether I would be given a contract or paid supply rates I was told to ask the school. I did, they would be paying daily supply and just said they knew what they had agreed to pay the agency. I wasn’t offered the position, possibly because when asked if I was a firm candidate I said I would need to discuss pay with the agency, or maybe I was just rubbish!

I also applied for an authority summer maternity cover and have been appointed so am getting paid according to the Teachers’ Pay Spine. I guess I was luck, I wasn’t prepared to work in a difficult school in a difficult part of Manchester, write reports and support a student teacher for approx £100 per day worked. Some may not be so lucky and not be able to afford to say no to the agencies. I hope the day doesn’t come when teachers have no other choice but to work through agencies, though from what I have read, in some areas that is pretty much the case already.

Sorry that was so long!

[danfur]

I have to say that my experience of agencies has been completely different and i'm really sorry that everyone else has had dodgy experiences. In fact I discovered completely the opposite when it came to pay. I started out by registering with 4 agencies (based in Newcastle area). All four got me work to start with but with 2 it filtered off so i ended up sticking with just 2 which was much better. I was an NQT at the time and was getting paid about £100/£105 a day for supply which I was pleased with. Also after working for one for 6 months, I got a letter saying my daily rate would be £120 and I still hadn't started my NQT year at that point. I then got a longer term position which involved being registered with the LEA and have found them to be a nightmare. They
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
e numerous mistakes with the application process. They pay less than £100 a day, they
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
e mistakes with my tax which involved being put on basic rate and then when I was changed onto a permanent contract they sent me a P45 for me to send back to them (at my own cost!!) just to change departments. They then missed off some of my hours and put me back on basic rate again after the P45. It has been a nightmare from start to finish. I'm really sorry that other people have had bad experiences with agencies as I have found them to be much more efficient than the LEA.