Squaring 'recruitment crisis' and 'threat of capability'

[Tariqa]

Apologies if I'm being really thick here but:

A) I'm reading about how hard it is to fill teacher vacancies

B) I'm reading about long hours teachers work, with pressure of data/marking policies/lesson plans/paperwork.

Given (A) - would a teacher refusing to engage in (B) really have action taken against them?

[Tariqa]

I've thought becoming a contractor in my 'regular' job - so the peripatetic lifestyle does not put me off. Peversely, however, I think it must get a bit boring - always delivering another person's lessons; no long term input/trackng progress...

[Phineyj]

Cover supervisor in a school that has problems staffing Physics (most!) is something you could consider.

[MrsGuyOfGisbo]

Re Supply/relationships
I only go to a few schools so I have built relationships with the children and teachers.

[antiqueroadhoe]

Supply is no picnic either. Hard to build relationships etc

[MrsGuyOfGisbo]

That is my solution.
My own DC are now teenagers, doing GCSE and A2. In theory they don't need childcare - independent etc, but they do still need parents around, available to listen/feed etc. and I want to see them/be at home and also so I can go for a bike ride/do nothing/meet friends in the evenings.
Like a previous poster, I used to teach in another country where teachers just....taught. So I am not prepared to spend every waking moment terrified of SLT's latest initiative. I like being in the classroom, so I do supply (I like the soubriquet 'journeyman' which is what I am happy to be), and will never be shackled to a FT role.

[Tariqa]

So is the answer to qualify and then go onto permanent supply?

Certainly it gets round the issue of what to do when your own DC have sports day or 'flu

[derxa]

I understand exactly what you are saying. They would rather have supply teachers than a good teacher who works sensible hours. I left teaching for the reasons you explain. I was good at my job but too expensive and too popular with parents and pupils. It's brutal but there you go. The English system is nasty and should change but it won't.

[Phineyj]

I have got a 3 year old and I have plenty of colleagues whose DC are pre schoolers - it's not impossible but you need to have strong boundaries round every part of your life. Also an understanding partner/friends/parents helps.

However, what I really meant to say is that if you love your subject you are bound to find yourself doing more than the bare minimum anyway.

[G1raffe]

Even just 8.15-4.14 would be 40 hours a week and I'm not sure many teachers are only in school for that period of time.

You would need to work in the evenings to prepare the work to teach for the next day and to mark.

However I always used to justify the long hours as we didn't work holidays so sort of made it even out in my head.

I am far too exhausted to perform every day currently though so I have been out of school teaching a few years.

[Tariqa]

But as you say phiney - it's all pie-in-the-sky with young DC.

My attitude isn't bad IRL - but obviously DC are a major limitation on the time I can offer - and there's no point starting & quitting.

[Tariqa]

There's another recruitment route just for PhDs, where they also give you off-timetable time to do something which seems to be a cross between academic activity (attending conferences/writing up papers) and G&T extension (lead initiatives to widen Russell Group uni access from under-represented schools).

[Phineyj]

There are schools where the nonsense is controlled to some extent (my experience is with grammars and independents - where you are more likely to get decent numbers for Physics in sixth form anyway). However, all state schools are under the cosh regarding budget cuts, increasing numbers of children and National Insurance increases. So average class sizes are high. My workload is high because I am responsible for 180 students, half of whom are sixth form - even 5 mins marking per student would be about 15 hours a week - not possible on top of planning, reports and other paperwork. I do not feel my school's requirements are excessive in other ways and they have been nice to me (niche subject in which it's hard to recruit).

You could likely find a job teaching 0.6 Physics and do it in 40 hours, although you'd still have to attend parents' evenings, meetings and take on some responsibility for e.g. trips, competitions, science club, clinics, revision and no doubt some form tutoring would be involved.

I'm sure your posts are tongue in cheek, but I think attitude would be your major challenge. Schools are large institutions and colleagues who ignore deadlines and required paperwork are a royal pain in the behind - bear in mind also if you have young DC you will need colleagues' support if DC are ill or if other issues come up. I am very aware of which colleagues have helped me out of a tight spot and which haven't!

The training is also no picnic and if you don't do it, the pay is very low.

Having said that, I'd give it a go if I were you. There is certainly a need for inspiring Physics teachers.

[noblegiraffe]

Schools direct can be salaried if you've been working for 3 years but given a PhD in physics would attract a bursary of £30,000, it would be more profitable to do the unsalaried version.

[Livelifefortoday]

Noble giraffe

Isn't that what school direct is? Says me who is considering it

Good luck OP!

[JosiePye]

I think I understand what you're trying to say, as in if it's so difficult to retain teachers, why aren't SLT anxious to do whatever it takes to keep the ones they've got. You would have thought that the recruitment issue would give teachers a bit more power, a "you need me more than I need you" sort of situation. Unfortunately, I haven't seen this in practice. Currently, most schools can fill positions using NQTs, overseas-trained teachers, supply teachers (who are subject to less rigorous monitoring). There is no trust in the teaching profession at the moment, which means the endless marking and data collection are required as "evidence".

[noblegiraffe]

Volunteering? Like, teaching for free?

Yeah, I reckon the school would go for that.

[ravenAK]

I absolutely think you should give it a go, OP.

In fact I reckon it'd make awesome reality TV. Srsly.

[Tariqa]

At the moment I'm looking into volunteering not training. However, I'm thinking through the medium term options - since volunteering is ££££ in childcare for my preschooler. If teaching is a dead-duck then I'd probably save my money and go for weekly manicures or summat .

[larrygrylls]

Tariqa,

I think you are going in for the right reasons. Give it a go and see what happens. If you like it, you will probably work a bit more, anyway. If not, hopefully you can return to what you are doing.

Teachers who have done other jobs first, in my opinion, are a great asset. You will be a good role model for girls and will be living proof of the flexibility of a STEM qualification.

[Tariqa]

I had an amazing maths teacher - the one that transformed me from an all-rounder at GCSE to a maths high-flyer at A-Level.

She was extremely systematic. She spent two weeks every holiday planning solid. She had these massive ring binders for every course she taught with 90 lessons for each class, homework sheets, intermediate tests - the works. Obviously not her first year - so I presume she recycled year on year - and she only taught A-Level, so obviously less range than an average teacher.

She was the one who had an utterly draconian policy on layout for homework. Big fan of swapping books to self-mark.

I felt very secure with her. She just hammered the material out - no gaps, no weird notation changes, no faffing with books and irregular work demands.

[BombadierFritz]

No we all think you should do your school a favour and do on the job teaching qual there

Enjoy . . .

(You might start to understand why so many teachers leave for tutoring)

[larrygrylls]

I think that, in sciences and maths, if you have excellent subject knowledge and curriculum knowledge, it goes a long way. The idea of all pupils making progress in every lesson is nonsense, and (I think) has been abandoned by OFSTED anyway.

The thing is that, after a while, when you know the curriculum and the kids well, you can be a little lazy (although, for me, probably, between 40-50 hours WORK per week (i.e not counting lunchtimes and chatting in the staff room as work). You won't be quite as good as the teacher doing 60-70 hours with the same ability, but you will still be 10x better than the teacher who is doing 100 hours a week but has weak subject knowledge.

It is all a compromise and there are 2 very tough years to get through to get to where I am (and I am in a private school, and I think that is substantially easier).

[Tariqa]

But that's not my angle at all.

There is a long-term vacancy at my local secondary school in my subject.

Is the vacancy is preferable to a workshy potential permanent teacher like me? I'm sure the supply teacher isn't filling in post lesson evaluations about differentiation and such.

If it is, that's fine. I'll keep ca$$ing in with my tutoring and writing bits.

[G1raffe]

And managing out is happenign mainly to older (more experience but more expensive) staff.

The infant school I chose for my daughter used to pride itself on having a very low turn over and a good mix of older/newer staff. Post becoming an academy I'd say 2/3 of the staff are NQT or first few years after.

[noblegiraffe]

I work about 40 hours a week. I'm part time, 3 days equivalent, so if you want to work 40 hours you could always look into a 0.6 role.