Accepted a long term supply role 2 weeks ago, have handover dates booked for next week, starting with them April but want to cancel it all? Is it very evil to tell agency I do not want to work there?

[Sk999]

I accepted this job, its close to me, but I only accepted because I thought i had no other options 2 weeks ago for after Easter? However, I have a few options now in year groups i wanted although further away. I also noticed on the few days I supplied there - its a year 1 class with 1 child who does not listen or respect me at all, 1 sen and few other behavioural issues (mainly boys) and I am mostly left alone for the whole day. I have the TA for 45 mins before lunch last time and that was it, sometimes no TA at all and sometimes 3 different TAs, but mostly no one at all. I cant be everywhere helping 28 kids so most complete with no help. Im scared that I will struggle once i start on long term, because all the planning will be on me, as its one form, there will be marking, updating displays, most of the lessons they teach they prepare presentations themselves except for maths. I prefer the workload of a EYFS class, preparing activities in tuff spots and writing up observations etc. I know i need to come out my comfort zone sometimes but i dont know if its worth it for a supply role.

From what you've described, the new job sounds very normal for a teacher. If that's not for you fair enough, but you'll probably come up against this scenario quite often if you're looking for teaching jobs.

No, YANBU

That's the beauty of supply.

You don't have the security, pay or progression of a permanent member of staff. They don't have the reliability and predictability of a permanent ember of staff.

Some will say its unfair on the children but you are important too.

I did supply for a good few years and always did long term roles. I only ever once cancelled a job part way through because it was affecting my health as the school was a really poor fit for me. The agency was fine about it. They had someome else in there the following day. I took the rest of the week off and was back in a new long term role the following Monday in a great school, which I loved.

I wouldn’t take on that level of responsibility if I wasn’t a permanent member of staff. You’re getting all the crap without the financial stability. Turn it down!

Supply can be brutal. A school can cancel a booking with very little warning and no explanation so I wouldn't worry too much h about whether or not it's evil.

However, you may find that your consultant thinks you're flakey and won't offer you other bookings so quickly.

It's in their interest to have a good relationship with the school so their priority will be to cover the booking rather than find something that you'll like

That is true but they also make money through us, so wouldnt they rather someone keep me working for them than another agency for April?

Supply can be brutal. A school can cancel a booking with very little warning and no explanation so I wouldn't worry too much h about whether or not it's evil.

This.

I can guaranteee that, if the school no longer needed you, they'd just cancel the booking without any consideration for you or how it would affect you.

Can you contact schools you’d like to work in directly? Agencies are a compete financial rip off for the teacher involved.
In NI subs are booked directly by the schools via a website called Nistr. They pay the full daily rate to the teacher cutting out any middle man.

No TA in year 1? That is not legal. Second red flag for me is any long-term post for the summer term as you will be lumbered with writing reports, when you will have only had them for a couple of months. Moreover, you still might not be paid to scale as this legally can only be enforced after 12 weeks.

As for feeling you are letting them down, do not fret. No school has any qualms about letting a supply teacher go when budgets get tight if they can cover internally.

Give them your reasons.

I've heard so many stories of supply teachers just not turning up or going out for lunch and not coming back in the afternoon. You telling them you don't want to work there and giving notice of that is small fry!

Number one rule of subbing- you work where you want to work.
Number two rule- put yourself and your own mental health first. A poor school/ class/ smt can break even the strongest teacher.

Depends on supply and demand.

Lots of jobs - it's worth them keeping you onside so they can make their commission
Lots of teachers - you have lost them a booking and will go to the back of the queue

It doesn't work like that if you have a good working relationship with them.

They want to keep their good supply teachers and will bend of backwards to keep you and give you what you want.

That’s the beauty of supply I guess is that you can pick and choose. You are in control and I wouldn’t worry about looking ‘evil’ because if the school didn’t need you they would have no problem in calling the agency and letting you go, that’s the nature of supply work. I don’t suppose the school will want you back but it doesn’t sound like you want to work there anyway.

You say the job starts after Easter so the agency has several weeks to find a replacement. That’s plenty of notice and a long way from being ‘evil’. The agency will probably take just a few minutes to find someone else for the post.

If i let them know on a wednesday they will have week and a half before half term?

I once did similar. The agency had misled me about the role, but what was also clear is that both the agency and the school wanted as much as they could out of me, for as little as possible. They offered £17500 FTE, 9 years ago.

In short, agencies and schools often want the maximum commitment from supply teachers but will the absolute minimum in return (pay and commitment to them).

Zero guilt about it, and to this day I think it was a good decision not take it.

Teaching is a profession. You need to start behaving like a professional. Once you have accepted the contract verbally, that's it, finished. How would you felt if the employer just changed their mind at the last minute?
This is children's education you are messing with.

I've taught Y1 with no TA! Can you link to where it states that's illegal?

Why do supply if you can’t choose the jobs you like the most?

If a school is in a position where they need long term supply and then they are struggling to find anyone willing to fill the role, they need to look at where they’re going wrong.

That's the point though. Schools can, and do, change their minds at the last minute without any thought for the supply teacher.

The school/leadership team have got a greater commitment to the children than the OP. If the school wanted commitment, they could have recruited/put her on a fixed term contract and secured their teacher that way.

Supply teachers can't pay into the Teacher's Penaion Scheme and don't progress through the pay scale either so don't feel too sorry for the school.

And she might he a teacher but she's not a martyr. It would he unprofessional to just not turn up. It's not unprofessional to cancel a booking. That's literally how it works.

Her employment contract is with the agency not the school. And contracts state that you can cancel but you must let the agency know.

Yes, would i need to give a full on reason to the agency, can i just say that its not the right school/ or role and I can no longer take on the job?

I'd give a reason because otherwise, they won't know what to avoid offering you in future. And they will ask for this reason.

Like I said upthread, it all depends on how much you want to work for them again and how much they need you for other bookings.

I have left a booking saying that I just don't want to work there any more, but I had another job waiting so didn't care what agency thought. They had turned my term's booking into a year without asking me and then lied to the Head about me staying.

Even teachers are calling Easter holidays ‘half term’ now. There is no hope.😭😏

We've completed another half term. It's the break at the end of a half term.

We know Easter isn't half term because it's the end of the full term.

Would you like to share what you do for a living and the language short cuts you use for brevity so we can pick those apart too?