To not accept this "fantastic opportunity"

[frogspoon]

I recently quit my full time teaching job to do supply teaching, and have registered with a couple of agencies. On registration I stated that my upper travel limit was 15-20 miles or more than 1 hour.

The agency phoned me yesterday evening to offer me a "fantastic opportunity" to do a day's supply in a "lovely private school". I took down the name of the school and checked it out. Yes, it is a lovely school... but it is 35 miles away, and more than an hours travelling time.

This morning I contacted the agency to let them know that unfortunately as the journey was too far, I would not be able to consider this job.

I then received another phone call this evening, asking me again if I could do the job which I had turned down earlier. I reconfirmed that I could not do the job, and that they had received my message. The guy from the agency spent some considerable time trying to bargain with me for this job even though I had made it clear that I could not accept it, and did offer some money towards the cost of petrol.

Whilst I appreciate that he was in a difficult position with nobody to cover this vacancy (apparently another person had accepted then pulled out last minute) he made me feel guilty for not helping him out. He also said that helping him out would help me be "recognised" by the agency, implying that perhaps if I did not help him out, it would be a bit more difficult for him to find me work.

AIBU to not agree to travel almost double the distance I agreed with the agency. I live in London, and there are over 500 secondary schools within 15 miles of my postcode. I do not understand why it is so hard for agencies find me work locally.

racingheart

I would be very happy to be offered a job only one hour away. My agency hasn't offered me work which is only an hour away, if it did I would accept it.

I would also be happy to be phoned at 7:30 in the morning, if the school is near enough to arrive there on time. I don't like arriving late, I think it looks unprofessional and would rather not accept the job than make a commitment to arrive at a school on time when I know it is physically not possible due to traffic at that time of the morning.

I worked in Recruitment and then Headhunting (albeit in Banking & Finance but same principle applies) for many years and for what it's worth I agree with Wilson:

The agency isn't "reluctant to place local workers in local jobs" not do they get higher commissions for miles travelled.

My colleagues on the contracting side always gave their "best" candidates first refusal on the nicer assignments and tended to call what they perceived as "high maintenance" candidates as a last resort.

As someone mentioned up thread, contracting recruiters tend to value reliability and flexibility just as much as core professional skills and since you just registered with them so you are to a certain extent an "unknown quantity".

I also know their thought process is: "if this person is so difficult and inflexible with me, will they have a poor attitude when working for my client too?"

If the partnership isn't working, do change agencies but be aware that you might find yourself in the exact same situation with another company.

It sucks to have to commute OP, but hopefully you'll find something suitable soon.

(sorry if that's a bit garbled but 7m DD kept me up all night and I'm a zombie today!)

I do understand that the nicest jobs will go to the longest serving candidates, but the schools in my area are no nicer than the schools an hour away, so I really don't understand why they cannot offer me local work.

Do you know for sure that they have work to offer in more local schools?

wildfig no, but with more than 500 schools within a 15 mile radius, if they do not have at least a handful on their books there is something very wrong with the agency.

Well my experience was that at first I was a nobody and just got offered the jobs others turned down or ones that were far away. Then over time schools started asking for me by name and my agent knew I was a reliable teacher that the schools liked. So when a school rang in looking for someone my name was one of the first that came to mind. The agent and I got to know each other so after a couple of months I was able to say "No Mike I don't like that school, any other on your list?" and he would offer me something else. He also went to great effort to arrange regular work such as PPA cover for me - he even asked schools to move their PPA days so I could work in two different schools on different days of the week. It worked out really well for me.

You've not worked with this agency long. They, like any other workers, are just looking for an easy life. Why would they think of your name first if in the past you've turned down jobs or complained about being tired? That's just hassle for them. They'll ring Mary or Joan who did all the shit jobs at first and who now can cherry pick what they want because their names are known and their reputations are established. They prefer to know someone and have a bit of "give and take" when it comes to setting up jobs. They are delighted if a school asks for a particular teacher by name as it means they are being associated with good quality supply teachers, which improves their reputation.

You seem to be assuming the agency is against you. They're not. They just have a certain way of working and you need to play the game. You're currently not playing so they're not bothering with you. I'm not sure the supply situation suits you really, you don't seem to have the right mindset for it.

I expect when you told the agency you were tired and had errands to run they thought 'boo fucking hoo, don't we all'

If you didn't want to work those days you should have said you'd had a better offer from another agency.

Make yourself look good, instead of a moaning Minnie. Who wants to phone you to offer you work which you supposedly want because you have signed up to an agency to find you work, only to have to hear your woes.

Cailin summarised it much more articulately than me.

"I do understand that the nicest jobs will go to the longest serving candidates, but the schools in my area are no nicer than the schools an hour away, so I really don't understand why they cannot offer me local work."

Maybe they have a lot of candidates in your area (or less positions). Those jobs would be "nicer" because, like you, local candidates wouldn't want to commute far and since they already have the relationship with the agency they get them first.

Remember too that the agent is under pressure to ensure jobs are filled. He/she doesn't sit there for 20 minutes going through all the different requirements of the supply teachers and working out the distance etc before ringing someone. They just ring whoever is on the list, or whoever comes to mind first. You can't really have specific requirements because you're the one in the weaker position IYSWIM - you are competing for jobs with other people. If you take yourself out of the running by being inflexible then you might as well not bother. It took time for Mike to remember where I lived and only then would he say "I know it's a bit far," or "I have something nice and close to you." Again, it's all about getting to know your agent, so when he/she hears your particular area, your name comes to mind.

I'm surprised in some ways that this agency is being so pushy about it.

We use supply staff from various agencies where I work and one of the biggest problems we have is them coming from out of the area and not getting to us in time in the morning meaning we are out of ratio (Early Years setting).

I don't think you'll get anywhere with this agency to be honest - not saying it's anyone's fault, just the way things go, but I'd suggest registering with a different company tbh.

I'm not sure it does always help to be accommodating. I temped a few years back and despite having 'rules' like the OP about travelling distance etc, I was often persuaded into more unsuitable roles. But temping is a small world and I frequently saw the same people in jobs that would have fit my criteria - and they told me it was because they wouldn't budge when agencies offered them stuff out of area. I would, so I got the shittier deal.

I do think temping is different than supply teaching, because you are filling in a for a particular person and the role you're filling is a very responsible one. That means that schools usually quite quickly latch onto particular supply teachers that they like and that's where your leverage is. You can't gain that leverage without going to plenty of schools first, so in that sense it pays to go everywhere.

they can only find you work where there's a need for supply teaching, there's no point saying you will only go to certain schools unless you know those schools are going to regularly need supply work, and will always use agencies.

IME - many schools have their 'usual' supply teachers, new supply teachers like you would only be called once the others have turned it down. If a school local to you has 5-10 'regulars' you will probably never get a call for that school. Difficult schools particuarly are keen on having faces the pupils know already.

I think 2 agencies aren't enough if one obviously isn't getting a lot of work from the schools close to you, get yourself on the books for another couple.

Don't forget a lot of schools have cover supervisors now for day to day cover so there are far fewer supply jobs going.

If you don't want to do it, you dot want to do it.

But don't be surprised if you're at the bottom of the list to be feted future work to now...

I do think you are a bit unreasonable, tbh.

Supply work is exactly that - a supply to fill a gap.

I worked as a Care Assistant before I qualified as a nurse. I worked for Thornbury Nursing; their rates are higher for a Care Assistant than an NHS nurse earns.

So, I accepted the job in Somerset, 105 miles away, at 11am for a 1pm start, but told them there was no way I'd get there in time. The hospital was just happy that someone was coming. I got my 20p per mile (it was over 10 years ago) plus my hourly rate, which was £14 per hour (at the time, Qualified Nurses would earn around £12 per hour, Care Assistants £6 per hour).

I also accepted a 1 week placement in Leicester, 160 miles away. But again, the amount of hours offered and the rate made it worth my accomodation expenses. I earned over £600 that week, which wasn't bad for a student nurse working as a care assistant.

It really is important to be seen as flexible, because then you're the sort of person that will spring to mind, and they'll start thinking of you when longer jobs turn up.

I have never understood why people use agencies- and this confirms it. I got plenty of work by approaching a school directly. You have much more control- if you don't like a school you don't have to go back.

I never travelled more than 10 miles.

I expect the situation is along the following:-

Two schools - A and B.
Two teachers - X and Y

A is 1 mile from X and 10 miles from Y
B is 25 miles from X and 15 miles from Y

If the agency has no preference over people then it would give A to X and B to Y.

But actually Y is a long term employee who they really like and who really likes school A. So they offer Y school A and X school B.

You are currently X.

Does that make sense?

MummytoKatie that makes much more sense, thanks.

I guess I'm going to have to suck it up and do the crappy jobs for a while, and hopefully soon I'll get something better.