Why would anyone choose to be a Supply Teacher?
In the past supply teachers were often the target of ridicule in the form of throw away comments made by misinformed individuals with a tainted view of their reasons to work on supply, and the quality of the service they provided.
I often heard first hand or was told by other supply teachers about some of the shocking comments being made in staffrooms. Examples included;
“They only work on supply because they are no good”,
“Only Teachers who are failing work as supply teachers”, or worst of all
“They only choose to do supply because they are lazy”.
So Why you may ask would anybody choose to be a supply teacher?
Thankfully opinions like these have been almost completely eradicated. This is because for an ever increasing number the positives of working as a supply teacher outweigh the negatives. Some of the very best teachers I have ever come across in a career spanning over 20 years within the education sector are supply teachers.
What are the positives and negatives of being a supply teacher?
| POSITIVES | NEGATIVES |
| You can choose the days you want to work | Pay is not the same as Directly Employed Teachers |
| You can take time off guilt free | There will be days when you don’t get offered work |
| You don’t have to plan | You can’t pay into your Teachers Pension Scheme |
| You don’t have to go to staff meetings | You can be called for work at the very last minute and have to rush |
| You don’t have to write reports | You may miss the bond you make with a full time class |
| You don’t have to do Parent Consultations | You may end up travelling further for work |
| You get to try other year groups you might not have considered before | You will only be eligible for Statutory Sick pay |
| You see different approaches to tackling the same problems and improve your teaching | |
| You can achieve a better home/work life balance. | |
| You get to meet new people everyday | |
| You find out about opportunities in other schools where you may like to work | |
| You Teach, Mark and go home. | |
| You get paid weekly, easier to budget. | |
| If you don’t like a class or a school you don’t have to go back |
Obviously most of the points above are applicable for day to day Supply Work and if you were to ask any supply teacher I am sure they could add to both of these lists. Of course if you are in a long term supply position and are being “paid to scale” you will have the same responsibilities as a directly employed teacher. In these circumstances there are however still benefits to both the teacher and the school. The main one being that either party can end the agreement whenever they choose to. In other words if the school or the supply teacher are unhappy, the agreement can be ended with much less fuss and formality.
Schools now realise that many exceptional teachers choose to work as supply teachers because of the flexibility that this type of work brings and that it enables teachers to stay in the profession that they have chosen on their own terms and takes away some of the pressures of the job. Many teachers choose to leave the profession because of these pressures and supply teaching keeps some teachers teaching for longer, this has to be a good thing!
If you ask any teacher what are the parts of the job that you enjoy the most? The vast majority will say being in front of the class teaching them and seeing them progress. Not Planning, Report Writing, Assessment, Staff Meetings… I could go on and on. That is what supply teaching can offer and that is why there are many teachers choosing to work on supply.
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