Is it lazy for supply teachers not to work in the school holidays?

[strwmofthebnak]

If someone is in their early 20's, graduated from uni last year as a qualified primary school teacher, moved back home with parents and is currently looking for a contracted teaching job. So applying and going to interviews but has so far been unsuccessful in securing a job. Therefore since they qualified they have been working for an agency doing supply work. This means they have 12 weeks a year they do not get paid in. Would you expect them to find alternative employment in the school holidays as it's not on to have 3 months of year not working and not being paid?

Yes - I would expect them to get another/any job in between contracts - I would assume they would need to work to pay their way.

No, I don't think it's lazy. For one, they're looking for a permanent contract and school holidays are usually the ideal time to do (often quite lengthy) applications and interview prep - schools usually advertise vacancies in the run up to the end of term as that's when people tend to move on to new roles. For another thing, the holidays are not that long. By the time you find a temp role that you're suitable for, get a start date and get in post, the holidays are more or less over.

If they’re saving from their temp wage to cover holidays I don’t see the issue.

No who thinks they are?

Not many places will give you work for a few weeks, if that at a time.

Supply teachers I know all account for downtime in their pay by saving so that they have a cushion during non-working periods.

What employment would they find that was happy for them to just turn up in school holidays?

Especially if they're looking for a teaching contract. That's a job in itself.

I dont think there is value in just working hours and hours for no reason. If they dont need to work those extra there are far, far better ways to spend your time more valuably, than a dead end temp job.

They should be getting holiday pay.

Depends if they then need financial help when they aren’t working. If they don’t, then good for them.

I'm sure adults looking for a couple of weeks work over Easter or half term have their pick of jobs

Not if they’re supply?

I can definitely see the point to alternative employment, however as it sounds, they're trying to secure a permanent job and putting energy into that plus also doing supply work. To then also be applying for other roles (ones which will be hard to find as "summer jobs" aren't as available as people assume and are often taken by uni students etc) may prove fruitless and time consuming.
If they secure a permanent job before summer it won't matter anyway. Bit of time between now and then! If they haven't, then providing they're organising money enough to spread income out over 12 months then honestly no, I wouldn't expect that.
People who work full time supply get a little extra but the point of that is to spread it across all months.

If they only graduated last summer, they’ve only had a couple of weeks Christmas and Easter so far. The summer holidays hasn’t happened yet. I think they would start to get bored mid way through the summer if they didn’t find something else by then. I know quite a few teachers who supplement income by working on a summer school for a few weeks every summer - some of that work can be very lucrative.
OP, if you’re talking about yourself, then good luck with the applications. You’ll get there! In the meantime, investigate summer school jobs.

Teachers only get the same holiday pay as anyone else. When you work supply you get paid for the day you work. It’s up to you to save some to cover for the holidays.

What job will they get that’ll take them on for just two weeks?

Jobs to start in September will start to be advertised in the coming weeks. The schools in the partnership where I work tend to advertise them just after Easter holidays, interviews by half term, and job offers just after half term with new staff in post for the start of Autumn term.

I don't think it's lazy

When I worked supply I got holiday pay.

When I worked supply I got holiday pay. It was not down to me to save some. The company gave me holiday pay.

Depends completely on their financial situation

If they have budgetted to allow for not working in school holidays then that is ok but if they are expecting someone else to support them financially during the holidays while sitting on their arse eating chocolate then yes I would consider them lazy

The two week ones probably not, the longer summer holiday yes. But I would expect the adult to save from their pay to help pay their way during the down times.

How is this adult (you I assume OP, living with parents again) paying their way at the mo?

After leaving uni, I worked in Vue and as a supply teacher. Vue was flexible so I could set my availability to evenings and weekends and then full availability for half terms. It was great! I sometimes worked a full day in school then headed to the cinema for a late shift 😅 sometimes I'd even be back at school the next day. It didn't feel like too much though. I enjoyed having the money and my job at Vue meant I had a good social life! I'd be out with them most weekends. I'd definitely say a flexible job is needed. There's no way I would have just depended on supply. It can be hit and miss. How do they expect to pay their bills over the summer?

Teachers don't get paid for the holidays. I work in school (learning support). I get paid for 39wks of term (195 days) plus 5 days training plus five weeks annual leave (which I don't actually take). This total gets divided by 12 so I get the same salary each month, including during the school holidays, but I'm not actually getting paid for the holidays.

If I was early 20's with 6 weeks in the summer I'd go interrailing not helpful