Teachers for Supply

The festive period is almost upon us and you may have started to notice that your class is already getting in the Christmas spirit. This may mean that you find it harder to get them to focus and do the work that has been set for them. It can be frustrating if you have got a lot of work you need to get through, especially as so many children have had a lot of time off from school over the past two years but there are ways in which you can help turn the situation around. Rather than getting annoyed about them being too over excited, you need to try and get them to put all of that energy and excitement in to something else. Creating work that is themed around Christmas or that is fun to do but still involves learning is the perfect mix. You may want them to write a letter to Santa or ask them to work out how much it is going to cost to buy all their family presents. All of these sorts of tasks are practical and fun but also help them continue to learn without them even realising they are doing it.

Over the last decade there has been some big changes in the education industry. In 2015 the law was changed to state that children were required to participation in some form of education or training until the school year in which the child turns 18.

People start their first job at a variety of ages. Some people chose to start work straight after their GCSE’s, as soon as they are legally old enough to do so, whilst others may not actually start looking for work until they have been to university and possible even taken a gap year.

Choosing which career path to take must be decided based on your own personal circumstances and career that you wish to go into. Some professions require you to have a degree in which case you will have to do some sort of education whether it be open university, traditional uni or on the job training. Other professions are more flexible and will accept people who are self taught with some experience if they show knowledge and willing.  There is no set right or wrong time, everyone is different and many will follow different routes. if you are looking for teaching jobs then these are normally advertised in local papers, government /local authority websites and specialist sites such as TES and you will need to have done your PGCE to apply.

If you are a teacher looking for work then not only do you need to find a school that is within your geographical location that has an opening, but also one that suits your teaching style.

Many schools have quite a lot of say over how they are run and therefore you might find that the policies and procedures at one school differ quite drastically from another.  IF for example you are used to working in schools in rural areas, then you may find that switching to work in a school in an urban area is quite different.

When looking to apply for a teaching job be sure to read all the recent Ofsted reports that are available and have a good look through their website and recent news. You should be able to find policies on the school’s website about their ethos and what they expect from their pupils. This information should give you a good overview of the setting, but it may be that you do not get a real feel for it until you are invited in for an interview. At this stage you can ask any questions you may have and take the opportunity to have a good look around the school.

With the Christmas holidays fast approaching many parents are trying to plan their work around the time the children are off or having to find suitable childcare to allow them to continue going to work.

Most jobs, unless you work in the education industry carry on as usual during approaching and following Christmas and that can be hard for parents as not only do they want to spend time with their children but they will also have to fork out for childcare.

You may be able to save some of your holiday up throughout the year and book a few weeks off around Christmas, but many companies will have a policy that Christmas holidays must be shared so you may only be allowed some of the time off. If you are going to be using childcare for a period of longer than 6 weeks then you can possibly get help from the government towards the cost.

IF you are a teacher or work in the education industry then you will most likely have the same sort of time off as your children give a day or two, but you may still need to work from home or go in to school during the holiday to do making or planning.

With many students getting ready to start their GCSE’s and A Levels this summer, they will soon need to be considering what they are going to do afterwards. It may be that they are going on to further education and know what grades they need to get or possibly that they have decided they want to work. The recent laws state that all under 16 to 18-year-olds must stay in full-time education, for example at a college, start an apprenticeship or traineeship or spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training.

To find out what career may be suitable for you, you could try taking one of the personality quizzes such as the one on the UCAS website. This will ask you a series of questions and based on the answers you have provided, it will tell you a bit more about your personality and what jobs may be suited to you.

You have to be able to speak to a careers advisor at school or if not you may be able to contact the nation careers advise service to find out what options you have available to you and what may be a good career path for you to choose.