I have not managed to get my first teaching job 2 years after qualifying

[theirt5]

I qualified as a primary school teacher in 2023 and still have not managed to get a job in a school yet and therefore have been on supply ever since. Can I ask whether this is a usual occurrence or not?

In my school, depending on circumstance, most supply get something like maternity cover etc which can then lead on to a contract.

It depends on which area you are applying in. Some have an oversupply of primary teachers.
Are you applying and getting interviews? If not ask your former pgce tutors for guidance. If you are getting to interviews and not being appointed ask for feedback from the school.

I thought we were desperate for teachers! Maybe that's only secondary.

I think there is a shortage of teachers in a lot of areas but the ‘naice’ areas have mega competition.
We had 60! apply for one post this year.
Don’t give up. We had some brilliant candidates, it’s no reflection in n them that they didn’t get a place, just that we are in a popular area.

I have applied for about 15 jobs this year so far and only managed to get 1 interview.

Not unusual. I did some hr work for a MAT, massive oversupply of applicants for every role. I wouldn’t take it personally OP. Try interviewing in a more deprived area if you haven’t already.

In Scotland something like only 6% get a job after their probationery year. It's horrendous

Would need way more information to be able to know whether this is normal or not. Are you being very picky about where you want to work? A person who is only interested in working in one little village is obviously going to have more difficulty than someone who is open to to working in any school in London.

Seems to me that you would be better off seeking an answer to that question from online communities that are teacher-orientated - I'm sure there are loads of them.

We also don't know which qualification program you participated in/how well regarded that program is/what grades etc you received/what work experience you got while you were there/what kind of recommendations you received/what your interpersonal skills are/how well you interview/what your co-workers think of you etc etc etc.

What work are you doing at the supply teacher schools you are working at to make you a more appealing candidate? Do you volunteer to help with other programs at the school? Extra reading? Sports stuff? Extra curriculars? Do you volunteer for any other programs that are viewed positively by primary schools? (For example, are you doing any other teacher training courses? Have you taken steps to get any other relevant qualifications - for example ones relating to special educational needs or advanced teaching for STEM??

There are lots of things you can do to make your application for a full time position way more attractive - and that process can help you identify what you actually want to achieve from your teaching career. Luckily there are a TON of extra training options out there, many of which are free, and may open your eyes to aspects of teaching you had not considered yet (counselling and SEN stuff for example). If you do struggle with interpersonal or management skills then now is the perfect time to work on those - take a public speaking/communication skills course. etc etc.

As far as I’m aware primaries never had the shortages that some secondary subjects had. I’m in secondary and we’ve had a massive increase in applicants the last couple of years after years and years of just getting one or two applications for a post. Not sure what has caused the change really. I’m in an affluent area for context.

Some areas in England are quite competitive, in particular within primary education. There’s a facebook group called Supply Teacher Network and there are lots of stories of teachers not having completed their NQT year in a permanent post. Also shockingly of qualified teachers taking a pay cut to do cover supervisor jobs which is basically teaching on the cheap

Do you work in London? There have been constant shortages in primary schools for at least 40 years.

I've worked in several schools that changed about 30% of their staff every year and it was always a scramble to fill posts.

We once had a vacancy we were still trying to fill in July. Two candidates: one had previously worked in the school and was known to be lazy and never pulled her weight. The other called a child "stupid" in her interview lesson.

But we needed a qualified body in front of 30 children so one of them got that job.

We really don't need to know any of that stuff - especially where she trained or how well regarded it is. Much like medicine, where you did your training is largely irrelevant.

The only thing that really matters is where she's trying to find a job.
Scotland is notoriously difficult.. Some of the smaller English cities have a couple of ITT providers and there are loads of recent graduates. Anywhere "naice" will be tricky.

London - fill your boots. Loads of jobs for early career teachers because most do a couple of years and then take their highly mobile qualification off to somewhere where they can afford to live. And of course about 30% have left the profession altogether after 5 years.

my dd was lucky enough to get 2 years supply after her nqt year , had about 10 interviews, got fantastic feedback but kept loosing out to candidates already in the school and has now landed a permanent position, it’s so very competitive, good luck

I hope you manage to find something soon. It's so depressing isn't, seems to be the way with a lot of jobs. I know doctors and nurses are the same, some have no jobs to go to despite qualifying in what were considered safe occupations. When you've studied so hard as well, used to be virtually guaranteed that you'd get a post.

Is your search area too narrow?
NQTs often need to be flexible and willing to travel for their first job.
My boyfriend has a 40 min + drive for his first job. He can now walk to work.

if you are applying for jobs and not getting interviews, it may be because of how you complete the personal statement on the application form. We advertised for a teacher this year and had about 35 application forms, but we could only shortlist about 5 because of how badly
people had filled in the form. We have to match your statement with the person specification and if we can’t then we can’t shortlist. So make sure you have written how you meet each point or we can’t shortlist you.

(Caveat) I am not a teacher and so cannot speak from experience… but my first instinct is to wonder if you’ve maximised your supply schools for getting jobs there..?
Do you need to hang out in the staff room more, charm the headteacher or somesuch?
You surely need to get in with the schools you are already working in. Are they asking you back?
Have you asked for feedback on your previous experiences, to know what your strengths & weaknesses are?

Could a coach help to maximise your CV, make it stand out more?

If you are recently qualified then you will need a whole day a week of PPA and mentoring. You also can't lead a subject area. If a school's capacity is already stretched then this can be difficult. It may be better for the school to employ someone with two or three years of experience as it won't cost them that much more. New teachers are also leaving the profession in quite high numbers, taking on a newly qualified teacher and putting in lots of support only for them to perhaps leave quite soon is a risk. This makes it hard to secure a first job. Making sure you are fully committed and seen in schools that you are doing supply in may help if they have a vacancy.

This. My last role included recruitment. If you can write something for every point on the job spec and person spec and write it in the order that they appear on the school's listing you'll stand out. If you don't have direct experience try to put something useful. Applications in my last LEA had to be scored so we could only interview the highest scoring ones even if gut feeling was for a lower scoring candidate.
I have always done this and I have always got an interview. It honestly helps. Good luck OP.

I would say it's unusual. Has any of the supply been longterm?

My best friend got a job this year after her probationary year (Scotland) there was enormous competition however, one thing like 100 applications. She’s an exception I think.

The areas that are struggling to recruit are coastal areas not too far from London. This is because teachers can earn a few k more up the road due to the london or outer london weighting. Think King’s Lynn, Yarmouth etc where schools, including little primary schools, are struggling to hire permanent staff. If you’re willing to move, then you’d be more likely to get a job there.

15 applications really isn't that many. By comparison I work in a jobcenter in Denmark and I have teachers on my caseload. They hve to apply for 2 jobs every week.

I think primary is quite competitive depending on area. If you are someone who is not willing/unable to move this might be restricting you.
Regarding supply, do you go to the same schools/get invited back? Where I work they generally try requesting the same people as they have got on well in the school. However this doesn't necessarily lead to a job as it does depend on the day who else turns up and sometimes the candidates who have been supply have an overconfidence and make silly mistakes.
Has someone looked at your personal statement? Are you fully selling yourself? You have to really upsell yourself and not be shy about your achievements.