Is supply teaching right for you?

The demand for qualified teachers continues to rise in the UK, with teacher shortages driven by recruitment and retention challenges. Supply teaching as a career option is steadily gaining popularity among both new and experienced teachers. Having spent a significant part of my career teaching in both short and long-term placements, I’ve put together a brief article to help you navigate the minefield of information available, dispel any misconceptions, and consider the pros and cons of the role of a supply teacher.

---

How does supply teaching work?

A supply teacher stands in for an absent staff member on a temporary basis. Depending on the needs of the school and your own availability, this can range from half a day to several months.

Daily supply cover is often at short notice and involves following lesson plans provided by the class teacher and marking pupils’ work. Short-term supply teaching (up to half a term) requires a greater degree of responsibility and involves planning, assessing and recording pupils’ progress. Long-term supply involves taking on the full responsibilities of a permanent staff member and actively contributing to the wider school community.

To become a supply teacher, you’ll need to have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and experience in a classroom setting. For primary school supply, you’ll need to be familiar with the subjects covered in the national curriculum. A typical week can see you working in multiple schools across different age ranges. As a secondary school supply teacher, you will need to be up to date with your specialist subjects and au fait with current teaching methods. There are opportunities for supply teaching roles across all national curriculum subjects, with a specific shortage of teachers in maths and physics.

How to find work as a supply teacher

Back in the day, when I began supply work, I registered through my local authority’s supply pool. The majority of supply teachers today, however, register with an agency that liaises with a network of local schools. The school informs the agency when a supply teacher is required, and the agency selects the best fit from its database of teachers.

Many supply teachers register with more than one agency to maximise their chances of finding work.

It is possible to be hired directly by a school, especially if you have previously worked for them. If you have been doing supply for a long time and have made contacts and built up a positive reputation with a number of schools, you may decide to go solo and cut out the agency. This, however, requires considerable organisational and self-marketing skills.

How much does supply teaching pay?

The rate of pay for a supply teacher is not uniform. Experience, type of school, location, and length of placement are all contributing factors. For supply teachers employed directly by the school or local authority, the pay scale is closely aligned with that of a permanent member of staff, and teachers can participate in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

Agency rates of pay tend to be substantially lower than those of a supply teacher directly contracted by the school. Agencies must, however, offer all employees a workplace pension scheme.

The Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) offer protection to supply teachers working for an agency. After 12 weeks in the same role with the same school, agency workers are entitled to the same pay and conditions that they would receive had they been directly contracted by the school.

It’s important to be aware of the fact that some agencies operate through umbrella companies and may not offer such a good rate of pay as first appears.

What are the essential skills and qualities of a supply teacher?

If you are looking to build a successful career as a supply teacher, you must possess a range of teaching skills. These include:

• A high degree of professionalism at all times
• A passion for learning
• A good working knowledge of the curriculum and subject-specific guidelines
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Good classroom management skills
• The ability to set clear objectives, deliver engaging lessons and effectively assess pupils’ progress
• The ability to employ a variety of teaching strategies

Being flexible and adaptable are essential traits due to the unpredictable nature of supply teaching, as is having a positive attitude and the ability to build a rapport with staff and pupils easily. If you can connect with new pupils and put them at ease, then you’ve already won half the battle. Being punctual and well organised is a must, as is being self-motivated and resilient. Having a good sense of humour comes in handy too!

What are the pros and cons of supply teaching?

There are both advantages and disadvantages to working as a supply teacher. Whether or not it is the right fit for you will depend on your personal circumstances.

Pros

One of the major advantages of being a supply teacher is the promise of a better work-life balance. Teachers are under an incredible amount of stress, with long working hours, constant changes in policy, unrealistic expectations, and challenging pupil behaviour. Supply teaching offers the freedom to decide when, where, and how many hours you work. It provides relief from excessive planning and marking, onerous staff meetings, and extra-curricular commitments. You get to focus on the actual teaching, which is why the majority of teachers enter the profession in the first place!

Not only that, but it gives you the opportunity to work in a multitude of settings and observe different teaching styles. It’s ideal for those returning to the classroom after having children, for retired teachers who want to keep their hand in teaching, or for newly qualified teachers who want to gain experience before settling into a permanent role.

My stints as a supply teacher undoubtedly enhanced my professional growth. Working in a plurality of schools with pupils of different age ranges and from different backgrounds certainly tested my pedagogical skills and afforded me a wealth of experience that I’d otherwise have missed had I remained long-term in my previous post.

Cons

As with any job, there are downsides to becoming a supply teacher. For me, it was the stress of never knowing when the phone would ring, to be told that the agency desperately needed a supply teacher that day and would be forever grateful if I would cover (even though it was a day that I shouldn’t be working!). Or driving to a new school in an unfamiliar area, having had a call at 9:30 that morning and being unable to find a parking space. Having difficulties accessing the teacher’s resources when the children were about to enter the room or having to deliver another teacher’s lesson plans in front of the beady eye of the classroom assistant sent my heart rate soaring. And don’t even mention the interactive whiteboard!

But with time and experience, I learned not to stress too much about such things, and instead to just go with the flow. Last-minute hitches were part of the game, and it helped to be ultra-organised and to always have some spare lesson plans in hand.

For some, supply teaching can be an isolating experience due to the lack of continuity in relationships and detachment from the wider school community. Then there can be behavioural issues as the children push you to see how much they can get away with. And the drop in pay, lack of salary during summer months, and absence of job security cannot be ignored.

---

Increasing numbers of teachers are choosing to go down the supply route rather than opting for a permanent full-time position. Whether or not supply teaching is right for you will depend on your personal preferences and life circumstances. Hopefully, this article has given you a clearer understanding of the role of a supply teacher and what to expect, helping you to make an informed decision.

• Copy URL
• Share Article