Supply teaching: How to prepare for a placement

The trend in recruitment is currently that there is an increasing shortage of teachers at both primary and secondary school levels.

As a result schools in both sectors are turning increasingly to supply agencies to address this shortage and to bridge the employment gap. In many instances, in spite of heavy agency fees, many short-term placements can result in substantive job offers if both parties are in agreement. This makes it doubly important that both schools and supply teachers work together to ensure a positive placement.

School budgets are tight and expectations are high, so supply teachers have to be able to perform in any given situation, even if teaching a year group unfamiliar to them. Feedback is scarce so for the vast majority of supply teachers the beginning of a placement is like starting a new job every day.