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?

I'm a teacher thank you, I know the contracts. When I worked on supply I got holiday pay.

Are you in a financial arrangement with this person or just making a value judgement about their work ethic

Ah. I didn’t work for a company, I worked for the schools directly. So I got paid by the day. Rather like being self employed it was up to me to keep some aside for the holidays.

I don't think it's lazy. Most teachers with permanent jobs don't do extra paid work in the holidays. It might not be financially sensible though, depending on how much money they need.

Summer camps, holiday play schemes are the kind of thing some people do whose jobs don't require them to be present in the school holidays. Or tutoring - some people will employ them during holiday times for their children, but probably more GCSE / A level related.

How does that work? Just being nosey. I have friends who do supply and they don’t work every week.

If they have worked long enough for one agency, then they do get paid holidays. They might have to request the holiday pay, but you can get paid. I have.

When I was doing my PGCE I had a zero hour contract in retail - it was ideal for me as I could just pick up hours when I needed them. It worked well for the shop too as I was available in their busiest periods. If I hadn’t already had the job beforehand though I’m not sure it would have been so easy.

I would say they only need to get a job if they actually need money and aren’t getting enough supply to put some away to cover the holidays. That said, it’s probably quite difficult. Other than holiday playschemes I can’t think of many other jobs that would let you do school holidays only.

Also, with the way school recruitment is going I shouldn’t think they’ll be without a permanent job for long so unlikely to be a long-term problem!

@Dyslexicwonder I agree!!

I wonder if the poster is fed up with her adult child hanging about the house rather that getting a random job.

I'd spend the holidays doing whatever I wanted with no commitments, no commuting and no daily grind on the grounds that I'd have the next forty years for all of that so might as well enjoy one last year of so-called being "lazy".

It was years ago and at first I didn't get paid but then the law changed and they told me they had to pay me holiday pay. I then got holiday pay based on how much I had worked that term. It was based on a % of what I worked.

Yes, even supply. A portion of the lay is for holidays - at least in Wales. Some agencies will save it for you and pay it in the holiday periods.

Supply teaching is casual employment - they don't get holiday pay.

I used to teach and did a couple of long term supply posts. After a two term one I got a job in a shop for the summer holidays but then got called for another long term supply post in the September. I had to leave the shop job with no notice and they weren't best pleased with me. I felt really bad about that. Ideally I would have had enough money to not work in the holidays but we were newly married and struggling for money for various reasons so I needed to work for those six weeks. I wouldn't think anyone else lazy for not doing so though as I would have much preferred to not have to get a job just to leave it a few weeks later.

They took it out of your daily pay. I make them give it to me at the time. I can save a portion myself thanks, and get the interest on it. But, yes. Supply rates do include a portion for holidays.

Your payment for each day worked should have included a small amount of statutory holiday pay in lieu of annual leave.

What would you expect them to do in those 12 weeks? There aren't many jobs you can just rock up to in the school holidays. Factor in the fact most people get at least 4-5 weeks annual leave and that's only actually 7-8 weeks left that, according to you, they should be working. Short of putting their name down at a temp agency and waiting around for a call for a job being treated like crap in a warehouse, I can't see where you'd get a job for a week here or week there.

They do where I used to work.

Yes, that’s correct. But supply rates include a notional bit that would have been paid in the holidays if they were on a contract. If you work full time supply you earn the same as a teacher (M1 for 12 weeks then your actual scale). At least that’s how it works here in Wales.

It’s was a very long time ago now, to be honest all I looked at was the number at the bottom.

I think it depends on whether you/they have the money to live off in the holidays. When I was at uni I worked all school holidays at school holiday clubs, it obviously fit in perfectly with a term time contract and a teacher would already have the DBS checks and everything so could find these jobs easily.

I agree with the people saying who will take them on?

If you work as a supply teacher, your contract with the agency generally includes holiday pay. How you spend your time when schools are closed is entirely up to you, as is how you manage your money. Some people choose supply teaching because it gives them flexibility and control over their work/life balance. Some like to travel. Some find other employment. What other people think isn’t relevant.

Perhaps not always, but it’s standard.

I worked as a supply teacher when I first qualified. From what I remember, supply pay per day was slightly higher than it would be for a teacher on a contract because it included some holiday pay. I think a day's supply was 1/195 of your equivalent full-time salary. Therefore, a supply teacher should be able to put something aside for the holiday.

Having said that, I did some private tutoring alongside supply work which continued in the holidays. One summer, I also worked on a playschool for children with SEN so did do extra work too.