Teachers for Supply

Teaching is an excellent career option that offers tremendous advantages over many other professions available in the marketplace, but it does come with some responsibilities that many find unsustainable. Key among these is the amount of preparatory work that goes into a permanent position in a school. The lack of this added responsibility is one of the key advantages of a career in supply teaching, but continue reading to discover some of the important areas where the two different teaching career options diverge.

Teaching jobs are remarkable in how much of the year you’re able to not work, allowing people to pursue an interest in travel or something similar that takes extended periods of time. On the other hand, while many assume outright that teachers only have to work from 9am to 4pm, or approximately the opening times of the school, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Many teachers end up spending significant amounts of time marking work and planning lessons, and for the most dedicated teachers, this could see them dedicating over 50 hours a week to work, which leads to a lot of burnout. This is not the case for supply teaching.

Supply teaching, while typically having lower pay than a full-time position, the position rarely requires work to be done outside of school opening hours. Supply teachers are typically paid on a pro-rata basis, meaning for every day you’re filling a position you earn a fixed salary for that day. Supply teachers are unable to produce lesson plans, as lessons may be taking place outside of your area of expertise, which means that less time is required for preparing a class. Supply teachers in Cambridge will rarely have a responsibility for marking work either, which yet again reduces your responsibilities.

Another feature that some individuals consider desirable regarding supply teaching in Cambridge positions is that supply teachers rarely fill specific subject teaching roles. This means that those who’ve grown bored of teaching History, for example, can take on a supply teaching position and enjoy teaching children maths or English on occasion instead. This feature, plus the reduced working hours of a supply teaching position, are the main ways in which supply teaching can be an excellent solution for teachers who are experiencing burnout but still want to perform a teaching role.

There is a potential disadvantage of working in supply teaching, which is the lack of steady work. Even if you build up a relationship with a particular school, it is not uncommon for supply teachers to suffer from a lack of work, sometimes for extended periods of time. In situations like this, it becomes even more clear as to why supply teaching agencies play such a fundamental role in securing jobs and workers for both schools and teachers. These agencies are able to help you manage your schedule so that work comes in at a manageable rate, and you don’t have to spend so much energy on looking for work.

When working as a supply teacher it is better if you can work in a small number of schools on a regular basis rather than continually working in different schools but sometimes especially if you work for a supply teaching agency you may be required to work in a school that is unfamiliar to you. Although this can be quite stressful there are a few tips that will make the situation easier for you.

The first thing you should do is to arrive at the school early enough in the morning so that you have the opportunity to discuss the routines of the day with the headteacher or class teacher. Making a note of break times, lunchtime and assembly times is a good idea in case you forget.

Whilst talking to the teacher or headteacher it is important to find out a bit about any pupils in the class who have special needs and need extra support. There may be a support assistant who is familiar with the class who may be able to work with any children who need additional support throughout the day or for some part of it.

Unfamiliarity with the school building will be an issue but often the pupils will be able to show you where the hall is or the way they usually go out to break time for instance. The key message is to ask other members of staff for help if you need it and stay calm and in control.

Working as a supply teacher whether in a school that you are used to or in a school that is through an agency your responsibilities are not always made clear apart from the obvious duties of teaching the class and making sure that safeguarding guidelines are followed to the letter. Although some schools have policies on what they expect from a supply teacher many do not but if you want to be offered work on a regular basis it is important that you not only create the right impression when you first start but also fulfil the duties expected of you in that particular school.

Many teachers whose classes you cover will set work for the children to do and expect this to be carried out as per their guidance. This is especially true with older pupils who often have a fixed curriculum to cover in a given timeframe. Should this be the case it is important that the supply teacher carries out the teacher’s instructions as much as possible. At the end of the day a brief note to the teacher outlining how the day went is a valuable way to communicate.

 There may be times when a supply teacher is needed to cover an unexpected absence and in this case work may not have been set so it is a wise move to have lessons prepared that can be adapted to the age group you are teaching. It is essential that all work is marked according to the school’s marking policy checking with a senior member of staff if anything is not clear.

During your career as a teacher you may find yourself in the position, either because you are between jobs or because it fits in better with family life considering working as a supply teacher.

It is true that there are many advantages to the flexible working patterns that come hand in hand with supply teaching. For instance, if you have young children at primary school you can be free to attend their school events without having to negotiate time off work. It also enables you to fit work commitments around other family responsibilities such as caring for an elderly relative.

Many schools employ supply teachers to cover planned absences of their teaching staff which is generally better for a supply teacher as you may know in advance the year group you will be teaching and the subjects you will be required to teach. This is for some more suitable than having an early morning call to cover absence due to teacher illness however If unplanned cover is not suitable for you this can be made clear when you register as a supply teacher.

Although most teachers will leave planning and resources it is always good to be well prepared and have a selection of open ended teaching resources with you that can be adapted to the age group that you are required to teach.

Some teachers choose to work as a supply teacher either because it fits in better with their family life especially if they have young children or are caring for an elderly relative, or because they have just moved into a new area and are unfamiliar with the schools in the new area.

The advantages of the flexible working patterns that come hand in hand with supply teaching suit many teachers. Should you have children of your own at school you will be free to attend their school events without having to negotiate time off work a difficult situation that many teachers face.

Some schools will employ supply teachers to cover planned absence of teaching staff. In this case you may know in advance the year group you will be teaching and the subjects you will be required to teach. This is usually easier than having an early morning call to cover absence due to teacher illness. If unplanned cover is not suitable for you this can be made clear when you visit schools to promote yourself.

One of the main advantages of working as a supply teacher is that the administrative tasks involved in contract teaching is not expected of a supply teacher. Setting and marking of work is required and possibly some short-term assessments but report writing and data collection is not usually part of a supply teachers remit.