Teachers for Supply

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.

You may think that working as a supply teacher involves the same skills whether you are working in a small rural school or in a large urban primary but you would be mistaken as the role varies greatly with some supply teachers preferring one over the other.

If you are asked to do supply teaching in a larger school the first difference you may encounter is when you arrive at school finding your way around the building. If you are new to the school this can be quite daunting and often requires help from other members of staff until you become familiar with the layout although the children are often helpful in this situation.

The amount of staff in a large school may make it difficult to remember names and roles but always make sure you know the Head Teacher’s name and who you need to approach if you have any concerns. If the class teacher is in school when you are covering their class, it is easier as they will be able to assist you when you are familiarising yourself with the classroom and the class routines.

At break times if you are not on duty you may decide to visit the staffroom. Be aware that in some schools, certain seats and cups are used by some members of staff who do not take kindly to supply teachers using them, so check first – it can stop a frosty atmosphere in the staffroom.