To ask how much supply teachers get paid

[Username781]

I'm considering doing supply. Just wondering if there are any supply teachers who would mind sharing how much they get paid a day. I'm not sure if what I've been offered seems a bit on the side thanks

@Thingsthatgo

Wowser. I used to do supply 20 years ago for £120 a day through an agency.

I was thinking that - I got £95 per day as an NQT back in the early 00s!

I did 1 day of supply (luckily have now secured a role starting after half term). I was paid £135 (fringe area, not sure if that makes a difference on supply or not).
It was horrific and I will not be doing it again. I’m a previous head of department but doing a days supply where you don’t know the behaviour management policy, no pupils names, can’t move from the front of the classroom, the work set is not suitable or finished in 5 mins flat, and there are no consequences for not doing the work or poor behaviour was horrific! Never again.
I know as a teacher I’ve rarely even looked at the work pupils do with supply but never experienced it from the other side of the fence as it were.
It’s made me see supply teachers in a whole new light!

@C4tintherug

I did 1 day of supply (luckily have now secured a role starting after half term). I was paid £135 (fringe area, not sure if that makes a difference on supply or not). It was horrific and I will not be doing it again. I’m a previous head of department but doing a days supply where you don’t know the behaviour management policy, no pupils names, can’t move from the front of the classroom, the work set is not suitable or finished in 5 mins flat, and there are no consequences for not doing the work or poor behaviour was horrific! Never again. I know as a teacher I’ve rarely even looked at the work pupils do with supply but never experienced it from the other side of the fence as it were. It’s made me see supply teachers in a whole new light!

That sounds pretty much every day I've had on supply since September!! It's really NOT fun!

In the early 00s though you had to have a qualifed teacher on front of the class.

When they removed that requirement it was a race to the bottom what they would pay supply teachers as any person can be a "cover supervisor."

Supply is hell on earth on terrible pay. You'd be better off getting a supermarket job.

Wow that’s crazy! I did supply as an NQT and was paid £105 per day, that was over 12 years ago!!

@Username781

Agency. £100

Are you sure? My late husband was doing supply in the 90s and he would be on about £120 a day.

Hi
2020 - I get 115/day as a general short-term supply and 135/day if I were to do long-term assignments (then after 12 weeks I would get whatever official pay grade was).
2000 - I got 85/day when I first started which went up to 115/day as I realised what the going rate was, 135/day for a longer commute, school in unsatisfactory measures or school being OFSTEDed.

The rates have not gone up because of TAs and Cover Supervisors being used everywhere from around 2005.
A cover supervisor salary of around 18K pro rata-ed was the going rate around that time. Their salaries - in fact all admin salaries - have not improved in the last two decades.
That said, even if on better supply rates, because of the lulls you aren't usually on that much more.

Agencies will also lower your rates for admin positions 70/day or for good schools, cover supervisor rates.

Pre-lockdown, in the week before, I could have been booked 5x over. Now there hasn't been that much despite reports of teacher absence - there are graduates who are cheaper, more TA and CS roles around, the Teach First ambassador Covid gap-fill program...all of these will have an impact on number of teacher days available.

Supply was tenable if you were able to be flexible, do many different LEAs and didn't mind the wear and tear on your car or petrol costs. It was also good if you were on more than one agency's lists (but then tax can become tricky).

It provides variety, flexibility and a foot in the door.
It can, however, be hugely stressful with zero job security and you can be left in vulnerable positions financially and practically. It's like doing stand-up and is often a young person's game unless you are recently retired from the school you do supply for.

I think Cover Supervisor is a compromise for those wanting to teach without the planning and prep involved but who want to be seen as a member of staff rather than a commodity.

...and it does sometimes feel like that - you are a commodity, a body in the classroom, cannon fodder, blood sport in the very worst scenario where you'd be supply #double figures. You're the ho and the agencies are the pimps. The agents will tell the school and the supply whatever they want to hear to get the teacher day/position filled/school on their books. It's a sales pitch - many schools are getting at least four different agencies cold-calling the several times a week to try to get their leg in the door.
I have been a teacher, a cover supervisor, a teaching assistant, a receptionist, an administrator, a nursery nurse and a supply agency agent so I have seen behind the curtain where it used to be shave a tramp as long as they are DBS cleared - a warm body in the classroom - any body - get as many teacher days as you can with the biggest profit margin you can. That was way back when - now the sales pitch is on quality, trusts' preferred agent of choice, best safeguarding practice et cetera...but make no mistake, the agency will still be looking to turn 60 pounds minimum profit per day per employee.
All SLT members and OFSTED inspectors ought to be made to do a fortnight's random supply with a Supply Teacher identifying lanyard each year - a bit like jury duty - so that they realise that it is so much harder than it looks.

I got paid £180 a day. At school I worked in for 4 years. I handed notice in to retire early. Beginning of new term new teacher did not arrive so was asked to fill in until they could re-advertise again. I ended up doing 2 more terms. I negotiated my own price by saying that I would come in if paid £180 per day. I did this as self- empoyed. Not paid holidays. It suited me.

£186 ish a day . I’m in NI .

I was directly employed by a school last year, the year before, I was paid £100 per day. This included a year long maternity cover (so equivalent of £19500 for a class teacher role) with no access to TPS. The head got a bit arsey about paying me for a snow day...despite ALL other members of staff being paid for it. The school was lovely though.

I have had some lovely regular PPA bookings and regular schools so it can be really enjoyable, you get to teach without the politics and staff meetings.

But, nothing is offered this year, and I don't think there is any support if we have to isolate.... even if it is as a result of working in a school. 😕

Honestly, my advice would be don’t do it. Even if they doubled the pay I’m not sure I would do it again.
The above poster was spot on with the terms “cannon fodder”, “blood sport”..... it really is awful!

*I haven't had any work offered this year

Can you contact schools directly ? Thankfully we have a substitute teacher register here and schools have to book their subs through it .

@caringcarer that's not the kind of supply the op is asking about. Day to day to supply with agencies you're lucky to get 110. Agencies are often trying to get you in on cover supervisor rate at much less than that. I couldn't do day to day so always ended up with long terms on about £180 a day but long terms defeat the point of why I wanted to do supply as you have the same responsibilities as a classroom teacher in terms of planning and marking but less pay, no holiday pay and very little respect from the school or the kids because you're still 'supply' even if you're there 6 months. Supply agencies are ruthless. They often pay you through umbrella companies which take a good chunk. I've also known them to charge schools teacher rate and pay people cover supervisor rate.

I'm currently supply as an NQT and its not great. For the last three weeks I've only got one day teaching and I got 80 quid for the day. The rest has been as a ta. For a full day I get 60 quid and for last week and this I've got a position for mornings only and it's 30.quid technically for 3 hours but I'm there for 4 to 4 and half and still only get 30 quid.

London, negotiated £180+, but doing things people avoid! Like yr 2 summer term or year six spring onwards. SLT experience. £200 in one as a pt senco.
Have done secondary but they wanted cover supervision only I found, and paid less.

It is poorly paid but you can negotiate and if an agency is convinced of your worth, it is not hard to secure top rates. I started doing anything and everything offered - TA, primary, secondary, PRU, SEN, cover supervisor....and got asked back. Once you get a few schools who ask for you by name, you can start to ask for more. Work for more than one agency with a good reputation and you can play them off against each other. Once an agency knows there will be no complaints and you can handle the bottom sets, you can pretty much name your price. I haven’t supplied for 3 years now but still get calls from agents I worked with several times a year offering long term positions - frequently at good schools.

Depends on county.

West Midlands 2 years ago - £140 a day
Leicestershire 2 years ago - £130-135 a day
West Sussex a year ago - £110 a day

Primary school teacher, 10+ years experience

Go straight to the schools and ask to be added to their supply roster. They dont pay agency fees then and you get a higher rate. Your rate sounds low to me: last time I did supply was 2017 and I got 150 a day direct from a school.

I'm surprised how low these are. Primary school in South East paying £180-200 per day. Must be overpaying try going direct to schools rather than agencies.

I have early retired 3 years ago and still get email from agencies asking if I want cover work. I have never even given these agencies my CV. God knows where they got my email from.

I was paid about £110 a day. The catch was that they only wanted to pay me for classroom hours, they expected me to do the marking in my own time for free. So once you factor that in you’re earning more like £75 per day.

Just out of interest, what is a ‘cover supervisor’?