Supply teachers - help!

[supplyhelp]

About to start teacher training and considering my options post-course. I have a young daughter and was considering part time (3 day weeks) however have read that supply is better for family life and more flexible etc. I just don't think I understand it. Can you be a full time supply teacher? How would this work? Is there constant demand for supply work? I thought that supply work would mean just work when needed and might not be consistent, however are you able to actually support a family on the wage? Any advice/experience is appreciated. Apologies for the naivety
I'm also in Scotland if this makes a difference

Inconsistent as hell. I did it in England for years (primary) and I was one of the better regarded teachers for my agency and would get asked for by name by schools. Even so - September (obviously Scottish school terms are different) was non-existent in terms of work, October wasn't amazing and it wasn't until November that you'd get anything with any regularity. Would dry up again in the weeks before half terms or any time they could get away with combining a class with DVDs on, and after late-May was pretty meh too (you might get some bookings covering staff away on residentials or whatever). I did it when I was single - couldn't support a family on it (I'm looking to go back to it now but it'll be as a second occasional income not a main wage).

I'm only looking at it now as a route back into the classroom but knowing my youngest's going to have a barrage of therapy appointments landing about the same point in time if my reckoning and knowledge of where waiting lists are standing at the moment is correct (think speech and OT will all hit the top of the list about the same sort of time as consultants want us back in and surgery and stuff) so I need ultra ultra flexible work for the short/medium term (her issues are such that eventually we'll just be sent away to deal with it).

I think passing your NQT Year is dependent on a year (or equivalent) full time teaching across the curriculum.

So if you're only teaching 50%, your NQT 'year' would in fact be 2 years.

May be worth speaking to someone at the Uni?

I am available to work two days a week and have maybe 1-2 days a half term where I don't get work on my days. The couple of weeks after Summer hols are quieter but that suits me as I can spend more time taking my kids to school, getting them settled back into the routine etc. It can be quieter around the holidays but I have found, now I have been doing it for a couple of years, that I am busy most of the time. I imagine if I worked full time, I would get more work as I do get asked back by schools but, as I only work a couple of days (the sam two days each week), I can't always do the days I am requested.

I'd say it is certainly worth trying out to see if it works for you. It does take a good couple of terms to get going though as you need to get into schools and prove yourself reliable to the agencies and a good teacher to the schools, so it may be quieter at the start. By term 3 you would know if it's going to work I would say.

It is certainly less stressful than teaching in a long term position. I actually get to spend time with my family at the weekend and don't have to put my youngest into nursery so I can get more work done as I had to with my eldest before I went on supply. I love it and would recommend it to anyone.

Oh, I'm in England so not actually sure whether supply works the same in Scotland.

@cliffdiver yeah, it is! I'm planning on doing the first year full time then cutting down my hours after that

@BingTheButterflySlayer
Oh no! This is what I was worried about. Everyone I've seen who speaks about supply (online, facebook groups etc) makes it sound like the best way to teach without the added stress of teaching and implies it's full time wage. I'm assuming when you aren't in a school you don't get any pay then? The inconsistency would worry me with such a young daughter to support as my partners wage isn't amazing either and wouldn't be able to support me if I had weeks of no income. Thank you for replying

@VodkaRevelation I'm glad it works so well for you! Your situation is pretty much what I hoped it would be but I guess it is different for everyone. I love the idea of teaching with more flexibility and less stress which is what makes it so appealing I think, I would just be worried about stable income. I think it is definitely something I want to pursue, ideally my partners income will increase so that he could cover any gaps if I were to have a few spells without any income however I'm not sure when that situation would be possible! Thank you for replying

It's been a few years since I did supply, so I'm happy to be corrected but I found I consistently got 3 days a week (& sometimes more) except for September & the lead up to Christmas which were very quiet.

There are also some agencies who guarantee you a salary every week regardless of whether you work or not- eg if I make myself available to work 4 days a week, they'll guarantee me 3 days pay a week even if they only get me 1 or 2 days work. Some also skim a bit of your earnings each week & use it to pay you during school holidays.

You are right, you don't get paid when not working - that isn't really surprising though, is it?
A teacher on a contract gets the salary divided into 12 equal portions, so, for your family budget, it is easier. A teacher doing supply, used to get the full salary, divided by 195, for each day they worked. This was, of course, back in the day, when supply teachers just were bought in directly by schools. Now virtually everyone goes via agencies, you earn less, as the agency takes a cut.

The reason it is 'easier' or less stressful, if that you only do the 'teaching' - that is, be there in front of the class, and then mark / clear up after yourself. You don't have to do the other crap that comes with the job - such as the constant tracking / data etc. Nor do you do staff meetings, parents evenings, nor will you be planning assemblies, trips, residentials, attending meetings with outside agencies etc etc

Disadvantages are you don't get included in any training (well, with some trainings this can be seen as an advantage , but with a lot, you can soon miss all the changes that happen constantly in teaching. You don't know the dcs' names or their particular difficulties or additional needs. You don't know the schools policies re things like behaviour or even things like if they are allowed to go out to the toilet or not. You don't know the timetable of the day. You don't know where anything is etc.etc (unless you get a regular lot of supply in one school).

Another downside is you don't get to know the dc, and see them progress, and help them to overcome whatever it is they are struggling with.

If you have young dc and need childcare, then you need to be paying for childcare (to be available yourself) but might not get work and therefore not paid. Or, you don't pay for childcare, and then you can't accept the job as you haven't got childcare. It doesn't work at all well for those who need childcare.

I’m not sure you can pass your nqt year doing supply-you need to check.

It is possible to get part-time jobs. At least that's a regular income, with rights and benefits. Supply seems a bit unreliable really (although I can't speak from experience!).

I'm a teacher in Scotland. You can do your probation through long term supply via the Alternative Route. I don't know about the rest of the country but Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire are desperate for supply and you would be working as much as you wanted. We also have Permanent Supply jobs where you are employed by a cluster of schools and work every day. If no actual cover is needed then there is always someone needing to be paid back time.

I did supply work when jobs were hard to get and found it a good way to get experience of different stages and different schools but unless you take long term work then you don't feel part of the school community.

Also worth checking but I think it has changed now but short term supply was only being paid for 5 hours a day and at the lowest pay scale.

Feel free to ask me anything else.

You can teach full time on contract - I currently do full time and have done for the last 2 1/2 terms covering two people - one who got a job post deadline and so left early in the year and the school decided they would recruit for the following year and the other part of the job is covering someone on long term sick. So I am essentially 2 part timers rolled into one!

I love supply but I also have caring responsibilities so I need the flexibility. It is a tough job and doesn’t suit some people -you need a thick skin and need to be out-going to get on in the staff room. I like day to day but it can be thin on the ground so I tend to take longer contracts.

I'm going back into it for next year - but only to get a foot back in the door of teaching (I'm bricking it to be honest - been out of the classroom 6 years), and only doing it as an extra "nice if we get it" income for the family - nothing else.

In my experience you will get supply easily depending on your subject but it's not an easy route. You would very much be part of a department and expected to participate fully in training, meetings, tracking, marking, planning etc. You obviously wouldn't be paid for holidays.

Particularly if it was your probation year. You could do it part time supply but you'd need to work very hard to ensure you achieve the standard.

Thank you for all the replies! It seems that supply is as much of a hit or miss as I thought, for some it's fantastic and consistent and not so much for others.

@superram I wouldn't be doing supply till after my probation year, I'm just very forward planning

I'm supply in West Lothian in Scotland and have been doing it for ten years now. In the beginning when I started i just did days here and there to fit in around my childcare, now i do three days a week and actually this past year i ended up being given a contract for my three days after doing supply in the same school for a few months.
Not sure if it's the same all over Scotland but here you get a lower rate of pay ( bottom of pay scale) for first two days of work, if you do more than two you get paid by your position in the scale ( because I've been teaching for 18 years i get considerably more so try to get extra days at a school to achieve this)
Also you get paid holiday pay each month on top of your wages but obviously dont get paid during holidays. And because you put your time sheets in once you've done the days you are paid this month's hours next month.
In Scotland you don't need an agency, you apply directly to the local council you want to work in and you can apply to more than one. In West Lothian you can be permanent supply which means you can be allocated a school which needs cover or short term supply where you receive texts from schools for cover and if you're interested you phone and take the job. Once a school gets to know you they can also phone you direct for work and actually that's pretty much what's happened to me. I now tend to work between three or four schools.
There are some quiet periods, mainly at the end of summer term and first few weeks of new tem in August but generally there's been loads of work and I've not struggled.
Sorry it's so long, hope it makes sense and helps. If you've any other questions please ask.

Sorry meant to add, supply suits me as it's go in, do your job, go home. No marking, parents nights etc. If you don't like a school, you didn't go back. Downsides are not getting to feel part of the team and never being sure what class you'll get so you have to be ready for any stage and think on your feet, especially if you arrive 5 mins before school starts and find there's no work been left for you!

Supply in England. Just day to day. Get paid the following week.