Is it worth applying for maternity cover NQT roles?

[fluffyslipper1]

I've seen some of these and they are actually good schools which makes me want to apply but my worry is as an NQT do you think stability is more important?

If you apply, you need to make sure they will register you for induction. It can only be done in full terms though so you need the beware of that.

@MrsHamlet

If you apply, you need to make sure they will register you for induction. It can only be done in full terms though so you need the beware of that.

What do you mean sorry?

You have to complete induction which, under the Early Career Framework, is 2 years. You can do it in bits, but each bit must be a full term.

Personally I would only do this if it was a choice between maternity cover / no job.

The problem is that it isn’t stable - any teacher with common sense will put her return to work date as just before the holidays so you will be left without income. And she could return early too of course.

Schools vary with how temporary staff are treated and while some will be grateful to have someone good covering it is also the case sometimes you get a certain amount of unpleasantness because well, you aren’t staying so no one has to treat you well.

Then almost as soon as you arrive you have to start job hunting again!

My NQT was a maternity cover. I was lucky as the teacher moved away so I was able to complete the three terms. However, it was an additional worry hanging over my head throughout the year as clearly the teacher wasn’t going to let the school know this until they absolutely had in, I would have done the same. I took the role on in September, she left at October half-term and provided support so the class had a consistent teacher for the year.

Now the induction is over two years (not really paid it much attention) you would have to move, I assume this will be quite normal. However, I was the only NQT on my induction course who was on a temporary contract and had to job hunt at Easter. They’d all been told they were being kept on.

You’d need to decide if you are prepared to take a gamble and be prepared to move on.

Should have been clearer, I didn’t know until we were in the summer term that the teacher wasn’t returning so I would definitely be there until rend of July. It was an additional stress as well as job hunting.

Mine was a maternity cover, but I got the full three terms which was good and worked well, next job was also a maternity cover but she did come back unexpectedly a week before Easter so no pay for three weeks and a scrabble to get some work for the Summer term ( which did eventually turn out to be a permanent job in that school)

Yes, as PP have said, maternity cover for a first post is more risky. If this was July or even late June, I would be recommending you went for it. Even then, you need to make sure you will get two full terms out of it on the ECF.

However, it is still earlyish in the recruitment window (maybe? This year has not been in any way normal so far, and job adverts have been few and far between round us) so I would probably be tempted to hang on unless this is a school you really want to work in.

Occasionally, schools can commit to a full year's employment to include the maternity leave, and sometimes they are fairly sure another maternity leave may follow or someone else is likely to leave so the contract could be extended if the maternity cover proved themself. That's great, because you can complete 3 terms or more of your ECT before having to move schools.

My nqt year was a mat cover and they took me on perminantly. I would at least be ensuring it's a full year contract.

I’m doing it. It’s a school I really want to work in. I appreciate there’s a risk the teacher will want to come back early, and obviously I’ll have to do the 2nd year elsewhere (unless something else crops up in the same school). But I thought on balance it’s a job I really, really want to do.