Long term supply rates of pay

[GriseldaChop]

Hi, just looking to pick brains and see if I have a case for asking my agency for more money! I've just started a long term supply job which will last till the summer, teaching secondary MFL. I'm required to do the full job so planning, marking, duties, CPD, etc. I'm a UPS 3 teacher and am being paid £135 a day, am I being ripped off? I'm in the North so no London extras to add on. Thanks.

As a HT who uses a lot of supply I think you are not being paid enough. Dependent on experience, I pay anywhere between £190 and £250 per day. I know the agency take a few but £135 on long term seems low.

Thanks, that's really good to know. I've not done supply before and am hoping to be back to a proper contract from September. Just trying to arm myself with lots of evidence before I call my agency!

There's no pay portability anymore so they could pay you M1 anymore. You are only a UPS3 teacher in the last job you had. No school, even a permanent contract, has to honour it.

After 12 weeks you would be covered under the Agency Worker Rights, which means you can ask your agency to ask school to pay you whatever they would pay of pay if you were permanent.

But if the school don't have a policy of honouring pay, then they can just say it is an M1 job. Lots of schools advertise and say that a job is main scale only.

I earn £160 a day in special (went up from £150 after 12 weeks). The most I earnt in mainstream was £130 but that was a few years ago. This is just outside London, but not fringe. I'd ask for more if it's long-term. My current long-term position requires me to do exactly the same as permanent staff so I wouldn't be happy on less.

Thanks, it's going to be for 13 weeks so I just make it over the 12 week point! I am doing everything other members of the dept are doing, although I was excused from parents eve tonight saying as I've only done 4 days!

That figure is par for the course. You only really get decent rates at the 12 week point. You can negotiate at the start of a contract, but with the caveat that you aren’t necessarily the only person chasing the job and the agencies are ruthless. They will sell you out to the lowest bidder. And of course, even at the 12 week point, the school can decide on a cheaper option with no notice.

You won’t make money on supply. We do it for the easier life - even when marking and planning I find the just teaching year 10/11/12/13 without the worry of target grades hanging over me makes life that much easier.