I'm a supply teacher who's part of a social media group where various teachers post and ask for advice, offer tips etc.
I do both short and long term placements and I am registered to a couple of agencies.
I recently started a long term role but due to strikes, bank holidays etc. I only ever got to do 2 days.
I really did struggle with behaviour on the 2 days but I had expected it, kids are usually very difficult for supply teachers at the start. When the recruiter asked how it had gone I told her about the behaviour and she assured me it'd improve once the kids got to know me.
I also posted on this supply group, not identifying anything whatsoever about the school or area but a generic post explaining I was on a long term post struggling with behaviour and felt a bit demotivated. There are many posts like this daily.
I also asked about facilities other schools had as I felt one I'd been in that day didn't have xyz, and again many posters replied saying they'd had the same issues.
Anyway yesterday I had a call from this supply agency recruiter who works with me, out of the blue. She asked me how my second day had been and I explained again about the behaviour. I didn't explain about the staff area because that's just how it is, they aren't going to magic up a staff room for me.
Anyway she started to say 'Did you know, I'm a member of X group, and I know that you've posted about my partner school.'
I tried to explain that I posted a very generic post without any identifying info that could've been about any school. She said, 'I KNOW you've posted about my school because they don't have a staffroom.'
Well many schools don't have staffrooms these days, they have department basis.
Anyway she then went on to essentially berate me down the phone saying how unprofessional I am for posting something like that. She went on and on and I just held the phone from my ear.
She said, 'What you don't know is that Sarah, John and Ian (other recruiters) are also on this group and can see what you are posting.'
I found that quite intimidating, this is a group for supply teachers to share info and advice, why do they need to be on it?
She then finished by saying 'The school could tell you found behaviour hard and it won't work out so they don't want you back.'
I didn't really say anything to her, just ok thanks and hung up.
I will not be using that group again. I should never have posted anything. However I posted a very generic post which was basically 'I have struggled a bit with behaviour today such as low level disruption, out of seats, answering back and so on, and like other schools there aren't many facilities such as a staffroom so unsure where to eat lunch.'
This could have been any school really. Anyway I've quit the group, found this recruiter on social media and blocked her.
I've lost the placement and the money, luckily it was only once per week.
I've learned to be very careful what you say, even if you think you're not doing anything wrong, and these recruiters are not your friends. However I still think she was wrong to police what I write on a private group and I found her quite intimidating.