Learning Supervisors - your best and worst stories

[semideponent]

I'm about to apply for a Learning Supervisor position at a local secondary. It would be the first time I'd worked in an 11-18 school, though I've worked on education programs before. I need to get some experience in a secondary to support my PGCE application.

The job spec lists class and assembly cover, supervision duties and so on - nothing set in stone and all dependent on what's needed.

How stressful is it really? Is there much support?

I am going to be blunt here. If you are the right person in the right school, it's not stressful. However, that's not always the case. Our cover supervisors are very stressed. Essentially, they are nice women who could do a good job if they didn't have to manage behaviour. In a different school, they would be OK.

We don't have out of control classes, but some individuals are challenging. Classes that are no trouble for teachers turn feral when they are covered.

If you have a natural air of authority and are resilient, you will be fine. If you lack confidence, choose your school carefully. In our school, cover supervisors are not respected in the way teachers are. A couple of years ago, we had an ex teacher who did the job for a while, and she loved it. The kids didn't know that she had been a teacher, but she worked the room like a teacher and asserted her authority from the outset.

If you have any qualms, I would suggest choosing the school carefully and to consider working as a teaching assistant instead. In a lot of schools, cover is not an easy ride.

If it is just experience you need why not just a week of observing at a local secondary. We have a constant stream of folk interested in teaching shadowing us.

Thanks both for the observations/ideas - I didn't realise shadowing was a possibility but will follow it up. Cynderella, your bluntness was exactly what I wanted, so thank you. I'll keep your advice in mind if I get to the interview.

I am doing it post-PGCE! I'm finding the classroom and behaviour management skills are needed even more as you are coming to children that don't know you (as well), a classroom with its own routine and a 'lets try it on with the teacher' attitude.
Yes it is stressful, but less so than teaching. There isn't that much support as teachers are too busy to support the cover- they just want it done!

If you assert your authority and are firm and fair then cover supervisors normally have a better time of it than supply teachers as they know the children, school staff and policies for sanctions and rewards and students know they are a member of school staff so don't tend to play up as much. The cover supervisors who approach it as babysitting a class and are too matey with students tend to lose control quickly and little work is achieved.

Many of our cover supervisors have gone on to have their teacher training paid for by the school.