Supply Teaching - what is your experience?

[TheDowagerCountessofPembroke]

I’m a primary class teacher at the moment but I’ve reached my end with all the bullshit paperwork and other crap that goes along with it.

I’m thinking about changing to supply. I have done supply before but that was decades ago when all schools were council run. Back then I just wrote to every school locally and said that I was available. As I had a council payroll number and DBS I was able to pick up work easily. However that was back in the early years of teaching and I just got the lowest pay grade. Now I’m MPS6 and full time.

Do I need to sign up with an agency? If so how much do I get paid? Can I do it directly like I did before?

Thanks.

I’m not a supply teacher but I know people who have done it. Some enjoy it (because of the flexibility and they’re not tied down to one school) whereas some others hate it- the non guarantee of an income etc.

You spend time getting up early waiting for the phone to ring… and sometimes it doesn’t….

Before you do resign - can you afford to move to supply? Have you considered that there might not always be work available? I know supply teachers who also have a part time permanent job to top up their income so that they at least have some money coming in.

I would recommend signing up to as many agencies as you can if you do decide to do it.
In regards to pay, it all depends on the individual agencies. Most pay weekly or fortnightly.

Hi. I've been Supply Teaching for 10 years now.

1. A few weeks ago I was offered £130 for a days Supply teaching. This is roughly equivalent to £25,000 a year. I refuse to do work for less than £160 a day now but that is roughly M1. Schools often want to employ experienced teachers as Cover Supervisors. I haven't accepted this for a while but £70 a day was standard rate. (£13,600 per annum)

2. Most work I get is for long term cover. This suits me but if you're trying to escape paperwork this is not a good option. Most of the same workload for M1 minus sick pay, etc (if you're lucky). You should be paid to scale after 12 weeks. Notice is very short (works both ways) so can be difficult if you're let go a few weeks after start of term.

3. You can be assertive but this will cost you work. You may need to use several agencies.

4. Some academy chains now employ bank supply teachers. Look out for teacher vacancy ads.

5). It may be difficult to return to permanent posts if you stay on Supply too long.

6. Could you be a Cover Supervisor? Rubbish pay but you leave the paperwork at school.

7. I may have been unlucky with my agency but there is very little day to day supply teacher work about.

8. Above annual equivalent salaries assume 195 days work a year. In practice you will not get INSET days, much work before September or after May half-term.

Good luck

I have had a couple of stints of supply teaching.

Join agencies - more than one. They'll offer different pay. They don't pay to scale. You can negotiate pay to scale for long term supply roles, usually. You won't get paid through the holidays like you do with regular teaching roles, you accrue holiday pay but it's legal minimum and pittance you claim it back from the agency.

I wouldn't rely on wages from supply teaching, unless I had someone else who could cover all the bills if I didn't get any supply jobs for whatever reason.

Your teachers pension will be on pause while you're on supply as will death in service etc. You will join a generic workplace pension/gov mandated pension scheme through the agency.

Day to day supply - you need to be up and ready to leave the house from about 715am, you may or may not get a call to work.

You have flexibility to decide what days you work / want to work.

The start of term and the end of term are usually quiet for day to day supply.

You get to walk out the building once the kids have gone home and the room is left tidy, usually by 3:45 latest!

Plans may or may not be left for you.

You won't always be respected by children or the school staff.

You will learn a lot and become very adaptable and quick thinking on your feet.

Supply teaching is one of those things I think ALL teachers should experience at some point in their career.

If you're in England, you'll have to fight tooth and nail with each and every agency for a rate higher than £120 per day. Some will pay you even less. I understand that in Wales, the Welsh gvmt has negotiated a standard, minimum daily rate of £162. You will need to get in touch with HMRC so that you are taxed properly if you find yourself working for more than one agency. Supply in state schools, especially in areas where a school has a high percentage of families on FSM, is brutal. It's not for the faint hearted. And if you complain, or start being choosy about areas / schools, you'll find yourself overlooked for those morning telephone calls. Supply at the start of the school year and at the end of the year, is pretty sparse. And .... you must keep up your Union membership. You can opt to pay as a Supply teacher.

Thank you for your replies all.

I’ll stay where I am at the moment and keep supply on the back burner for an emergency.