bviously -19 There Having worked within education for nearly 20 years and now the director of Teachers today, a fab supply teaching agency, I am in a good position to share my view on this statement.
Apart from extreme workloads, Co-vid, red tape and a reduced workforce, why are teachers leaving the profession in droves and choosing supply teaching?
One of the key causes of this is stress. Recent analysis commissioned by the BBC Radio File on 4 found that of the 138,500 absence days taken by teaching staff, 3.5% of these are stress related. That’s the equivalent of 48,475 days! (Source: Telegraph.co.uk).
The average length of a stress related absence is 26.9 working days (that’s nearly a month), over twice the length of an average staff absence which is 13 working days. Separately, an online survey of 3,500 members of the NASUWT teachers’ union revealed that 67% of teachers said their job was having an adverse effect on their mental health’ (Telegraph 2014).
I remember a time when a school would receive 40 applications for a teaching position, today you would be lucky to receive five; There is a real shortage in such subjects as Maths, Science, Food technology and Design & technology, how times have changed!
Covid-19 has obviously played its role in reducing the number of teachers. Teachers are now re-evaluating there life and deciding it may not be the option for them. Taking on other jobs and dipping into teaching when needed.
I believe if we asked teachers just to teach, we would have much lower absence rates and maybe, that’s why supply teaching is now such an attractive option.
What are the advantages of supply teaching day-to-day?
I recently met with one of our supply teachers; she was previously an English teacher in an Academy chain. She has been working with us since January and told me: ‘I have enjoyed working for you and supply has been a breath of fresh air for me. I’m looking forward to the new academic year as supply.’
Supply teaching allows her to concentrate on what she does best, teach. She is not constrained by the overwhelming pressures, the endless marking and the continued assessment of students’ work. Instead, she can express herself and leave at the end of the day to spend time with her family.
The advantages of supply teaching are numerous, including no marking, assessments, duties, nor parent meetings. It means no staff briefings, departmental meetings, after-school clubs or school events; these benefits may outweigh a pension or holiday pay for a supply teacher. After all, what good is a pension if you cannot use it due to the fact that your health has been seriously affected by stress, constant worry, lack of sleep, increased heart rate and many other symptoms?
The truth behind day-to-day and long-term supply salaries
A NUT survey (2014) found that:
- Half of respondents said their daily rate of pay was between £100 and £124
- 22% said it was between £125 and £149
- Less than 4% said that they were paid £150 (still 10% below the MPR maximum) or above
- One in six said that they were paid less than £100
All good supply teaching agencies should take into account past experience and expertise when deciding on rates of pay. Many will pay a flat-rate; in my view this is neither treating the teacher with respect nor as a valued staff member, and rather a commodity. With that in mind, the last point underlining that one in six were being paid less than £100 is a worrying sign.
Day-to-day rates are naturally lower than longer supply teaching rates due to the nature of the role. I believe a fair rate should be in the region of £105-125 per day, depending on location and past experience.
For long-term contracts the supply teaching rate will be higher depending on the subject and background of the staff member. For those teaching core subjects they are likely to be paid at a slightly higher rate due to the complex nature and responsibility that comes with the area. If you are expected to take a full-time role within the school then you should be looking in the region of £125-150 per day. It is important that you speak to your agency if you feel that you should be on a higher rate of pay: push your case!
If you find yourself in a management role then once again the rate needs to be higher compared to a supply teacher’s rate due to the nature of the position and remit.
So, with high numbers of teachers leaving the profession and recruitment at an all-time low, what will happen to supply teachers’ pay if the numbers of supply teachers increase? My feeling is that some supply teaching agencies will lower the rate of pay for supply staff: just like when a currency floods the market, its value lowers. I feel agencies have a moral obligation to ensure that this does not happen and support the teaching profession.
I hope this blog has given you food for thought if you are considering making the move from a permanent contract to supply teaching. I would love to hear your thoughts on the market and find out about your personal experiences.
LET’S TALK About your options
Book A Callback With Neil Now