Does doing PPA cover negatively affect your career?

[HariboFrenzy]

I've recently returned from maternity leave and have been fortunate to be able to work the days/hours I wanted. In September I will be covering PPA. I thought I was happy to do this but since it's been confirmed I feel really sad that I won't have my own class. Before I went on mat leave I was shadowing the maths co-ordinator with a view to taking over the role and hoping to do a maths specialist teacher course, and now I won't be teaching maths or english for a year. I feel really anxious that my career was going well and that I've now shot myself in the foot .

So is this a bad move? Nothing I can do really now...

I went for a ppa cover job on purpose, and less than 2 terms after I started was asked to take a class the following September... I did, as was new to the school and wanted to show willing. Wish I hadn't! School are now recruiting ppa teachers again... Oy.

Turn it to your advantage - getting lots of experience in a short amount of time.

What subject/s will you be teaching? If you're teaching a specialist subject like MFL, ICT or music then it could be a great way of developing your skills in that field. I'm a specialist PPA teacher and I'm never going back to regular class teaching.

I was a PPA cover teacher for a couple of years and loved it. I specialised too (ICT and Music - that well known combination). As PP have said, it is hard to hold onto a PPA post. Senior Management are always trying to get you back into class!

I have also done supply and been offered full time jobs left, right and centre. I think the way things in the teaching world at the moment as long as you are good, you won't damage your career.

I have been offered a full time post recently (SEN, so slightly different), but they actually liked the fact that I had demonstrated the flexibility involved in covering different year groups and subjects. It was a plus.

So don't worry about it.

I was a PPA cover teacher for a couple of years and loved it. I specialised too (ICT and Music - that well known combination). As PP have said, it is hard to hold onto a PPA post. Senior Management are always trying to get you back into class!

I have also done supply and been offered full time jobs left, right and centre. I think the way things in the teaching world at the moment as long as you are good, you won't damage your career.

I have been offered a full time post recently (SEN, so slightly different), but they actually liked the fact that I had demonstrated the flexibility involved in covering different year groups and subjects. It was a plus.

So don't worry about it.

My first ever double post. I often wondered how those happen. Now I know!

Thanks for replies

I know there are positives to PPA cover, I think it's just given me a shake that people lower down the pay scale are actively working towards promotion and I feel like I have taken a step back.

ICT and music would be a fab combination! Sadly though, any non marking subjects are held onto fiercely so it is likely that I will be doing RE 😕

Oh - also - I had the ICT co-ordinator
role while on PPA - which came with a TLR and I did my NPQML that year too, so I was still moving forwards.

I loved PPA. I covered years 1-6 with a grammar specialism and responsibility. It was always interesting, I had no ultimate responsibility for end results, I got to do all the fun stuff,all the art, DT, and science and if a post like it ever came up again I would fight you for it. It was the best work / life balance I ever had. i scour ads for similar every year.

Oh no! Don't say that about RE! I cover RE and music as a PPA teacher and love it! I much prefer the RE to the music. It's so nice to be able to focus on my two subjects, to teach them really well without having to worry about all of the admin/bureaucracy that comes with having my own class.

I haven't felt that my professional development has suffered since starting PPA 5 years ago. I attenbd all of the staff meetings and INSET days, despite only working one day per week and have actually progressed onto the UPS during this time.

Someone in our school who was recruited as a ppa teacher is now on the SMT. It can be done.

I've been doing PPA cover, some play intervention and parent workshops for the last couple of years - and it's fab! I don't have to do reams of planning, parents' evenings or reports. I'm not responsible for targets, moving children on etc. I rock up, teach someone else's planning, mark what I teach, enjoy being with the children I taught in Year R. What's not to like? I don't feel my career has been negatively affected.