Now Education Guide to Supply Teaching

Transcription

1 Now Education Guide to Supply Teaching Adding value at every Key Stage

2 Welcome to Now Education s Guide to Supply Teaching. Taking you from agency search to how you are paid, and incorporating advice from the teachers we work with, we hope the guide will assist you as you embark or progress throughout your teaching career. Regards Alex Westworth Managing Director (Former Business & Economics teacher)

3 Part One: Choosing and Registering with an Agency Whether you register with one or five agencies, choose a specialist or generalist, or opt for an established name over a new startup, it cannot be underestimated how important it is to work with an agency / agencies that understand your objectives and can meet them. If you re new to an area or are embarking on a career in supply teaching, we recommend you follow these three steps: Ask the schools / teachers you know, either your placement schools or schools close to where you live who they use or recommend. Google it : If you have auto-detect location turned on, Google will only return results local to you. Try searching supply teaching agency, supply teaching recruitment agency or supply teaching jobs, to browse a list of agencies local to you. Research the agency. Find out what they offer you. In what regions are their teaching opportunities? Is the agency weighted towards primary or secondary? Do they have long-term positions or only supply? Do they offer leadership positions? By narrowing your search you greatly improve your chance of finding a teaching position you will accept. Many of the teachers we work with agree that registering with lots of agencies didn t help them find more work and keeping each agency informed of their availability was a real headache!

4 Part One: Choosing and Registering with an Agency When can you come in? Once you have selected your agency / agencies and have registered, a consultant will contact you - inviting you to their office to formally register. Formal registration will involve completion of registration documents as well as verification and copying of ID and qualifications for legal purposes. You will also have a discussion (sometimes referred to as an interview ) with the consultant about your requirements and what you want to achieve. The discussion is your opportunity to be clear and honest. It sounds obvious, but not being honest and saying yes to everything at interview stage, in a hope that it will improve your employment options, won t help you in the long-run. When selecting teachers for schools, motivation and cultural fit are just as important as qualifications and your ability to do the job; by providing the recruiter with a clear indication of the following you will increase your chances of finding a role that suits you, and will reduce the amount of roles you have to reject. Provide your recruiter with a clear indication of the following: Why you chose supply teaching what s your motivation? Your strengths and weaknesses How you plan and prepare What initiatives have you developed to encourage learning How do you conduct handovers at the end of the placement Distance you re prepared to travel Size of school you want to teach in The minimum amount of days you re prepared to work What subjects you re prepared to teach What pay rate you will accept Remember: The consultant s objective is to sell you to the school the more they know about you, the more they re able to tell the client exactly why you re the best person for the position!

5 Part Two: Receiving Teaching Opportunities and Making a Great First Impression Once you ve registered, the consultant will contact you about teaching opportunities either in advance or at short-notice. Being contacted at short-notice is the result of a school having an urgent requirement and not the consultant being ill-prepared! Our advice is to be ready as the call could come as early as 7:15am. First Impressions Count... We interviewed a cross-section of our primary and secondary teachers to find out what they do to make a memorable impression. Summarising their comments, we ve listed the top five most commonly mentioned: 1. Plan your route and arrive early A big turn-off for any agency or school is a teacher calling to find out where to go on the morning they are to arrive. Simple ways to ensure you get to school on-time include: Ask the consultant for their advice when the booking is made. Use sat-nav. If you don t have a sat-nav, many smart phones have this option included as standard. Google Maps is also a good tool to use. Check bus and train routes. Many companies have apps available to download. You can also cross reference train stations against the school s location on Google Maps.

6 Part Two: Receiving Teaching Opportunities and Making a Great First Impression 2. Be positive First impressions count more than you think. Like any new situation, it s important you make a good impression on those you meet. Simple nonverbal ways to make a positive impression include; straighten your posture, smile, make eye contact and lean in slightly when in conversation (don t get too close though!). Following the above will help you make great strides towards being top of the school s wish list when they need supply staff. 3. Volunteer Once at the school, ask if they require extra support during breaks or after school. The school will appreciate the gesture, and your willingness to take on extra responsibility will not go unnoticed. 4. Leave a note A simple way to help the returning teacher get back on track quickly is to leave a note outlining what lessons took place, marking you did and homework (if any) you set, as well as the general behaviour of the class and any pupils who overachieved or were troublemakers.

7 Part Two: Receiving Teaching Opportunities and Making a Great First Impression 5. Say goodbye It is courteous to thank the head teacher and head of department on your last day and let them know how you got on. If anyone else at the school has helped you, ensure you thank them too. Schools are close knit communities and you want your name to be mentioned in the best light. It is also advisable to contact your consultant to give feedback. Ten essential tips for supply teachers to create a memorable first impression* 1. Arrive early Be2. friendly (*ten most mentioned based on conversations with our teachers) 3. Volunteer 4. Leave a note 5. Say goodbye 6. Bring your own resources Ask 7. about the children Find 8. out about routines 9. Know your groups 10. Have fun ideas for time fillers

8 Part Three: Putting Your Name Top of the Schools Wish List It s surprising how small items such as leaving a note for the returning teacher and following lesson plans will endear you to the school and ensure that you get the recognition you deserve. Ways to ensure you can put your name top of the supply list include: 1. Leave a note for the teacher No matter how long you are covering for, it is a good idea to leave the returning teacher with a note outlining; difficulties with any pupils, what lessons took place and homework (if any) is due. 2. Be punctual & make a good impression Be sure to remember the adage you re only as good as your last assignment. Arriving on time, or even better early, will give you opportunity to familiarise yourself with the school and other teachers. Make sure you make a good impression on those you meet. On average you have seven seconds to make a good impression make sure you stand out to ensure you have the best chance of being remembered and asked back for future work.

9 Part Three: Putting Your Name Top of the Schools Wish List 3. Mark work If required, you may be asked to mark work. Take time to familiarise yourself with the school s marking policy; leave comments, where necessary and ensure you mark consistently. The returning teacher and school will thank you for your effort. 4. Don t disrupt groupings The groups are in place for a specific reason. Even if it doesn t seem correct to you, it s best that you respect the groupings to avoid disruption. To ensure the pupils are in the correct group, and to also help you familiarise yourself with their names, write the groups on the board or put in a visible place. 5. Always follow plans Same as it s wise to always be prepared in the event that work hasn t been left for you or has been misplaced, it s always best to follow the teacher s notes and follow their lesson plan. This will ensure continuity in the teaching and avoid any potential classroom disruption.

10 Part Four: Payment Options By now, you ve found and registered with an agency, secured an excellent position, made a memorable impression and are top of the schools list of teachers they want to work with now all you ve got do is be paid on time and correctly! Typically, there are three options available to you: 1. Standard PAYE (agency will pay you via their payroll team OR an external payroll supplier ) Each option has its own respective benefits. Standard PAYE, the default payment model for the majority of UK workforces is simple to operate; however, it is typically more suited to permanent employment scenarios and does not entitle you to receive additional benefits from being paid via an Umbrella model. 2. Umbrella company (a specialist payroll company who, via an overarching contract, become your employers and are responsible for paying you. Note: you are still paid via PAYE) 3. You form your own limited company An umbrella model offers teaching professionals who are undertaking multiple assignments via a recruitment agency / agencies to offset allowable expenses against their gross weekly pay. Allowable expenses include travel to and from the school, your daily subsistence and parking charges. When offset against your gross income, the expenses reduce your tax liability, thus increasing your net pay. The amount your pay will increase depends wholly on your pay rate, hours worked and expenses submitted.

11 Part Four: Payment Options Your agency is likely to be working in partnership with an umbrella company and will be able to recommend some for you to choose. Alternatively, you may already use an umbrella provider and providing their product is portable meaning that you can transfer it from one agency to another (at no cost be sure to check that!) you will have no problems as you move from one teaching position to another. If you want to find out more about umbrella companies we suggest viewing Maddison Group, Azebra, Key Portfolio and RACS. If you form your own self employed limited company you will be responsible for managing your tax affairs. A default process example is: you will invoice the agency for payment (if you re VAT registered) and then handle all required payments to HMRC at year-end. T F