Take a fresh look at your lifestyle.

Is Supply Teaching Right For You?

Teaching can be an extremely rewarding career where you’ll be arming students with the skills they need to succeed in life. At the same, it’s undeniably challenging, and you’ll have to be prepared to deal with stress if you’re going to do your job successfully. You’ll also have to train very hard and gain the necessary qualifications before you’ll be considered to fill a vacancy, but it’s a job where you’ll get to help people every day. Plus, there are some great career progression opportunities if you’re willing to put the work in.

You might assume that once you’re ready to enter the world of teaching, you’ll have to seek out a permanent role. However, supply teachers are in high demand, and being a supply teacher is inherent with a range of benefits that you won’t get from a permanent role.

For starters, if you look for a short-term supply teaching job, you probably won’t have to deal with responsibilities such as marking or lesson planning. Short-term usually refers to jobs that last no longer than six weeks, but you could be filling a vacancy that lasts just a couple of days. However, you won’t have much time to connect with students on a personal level, and short-term vacancies are less likely to result in a permanent role if that’s something you are looking for.

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Alternatively, you could look into long-term supply teaching jobs if you want to spend longer at a school, get to know how it works and connect with both students and teachers. These roles tend to last at least six weeks, and they generally become available if a permanent teacher needs to go on extended leave, or if a school needs to temporarily fill a vacancy before a suitable permanent teacher is found. Of course, you’ll have less flexibility in terms of free time if you accept a long-term position, and you might have to undertake the responsibilities of marking and less planning.

Compared to permanent teaching roles, you can expect the following benefits from supply teaching:

  • You’ll be able to gain industry experience
  • You can earn money doing what you love
  • You’ll have the flexibility to travel and spend time with friends and family
  • If you don’t like a school, you won’t be required to teach there indefinitely
  • You’ll likely make new friends and acquaintances
  • Supply teaching could lead to a permanent role
  • You can gain a better understanding of what subjects you prefer to teach

There are more supply teaching jobs available than you might think, with over £1.3 billion spent on supply teachers last year. It might also be a good option if you’re currently struggling to find a permanent job.

If you are looking for a job in teaching, Capita Education can help you. Of course, teaching isn’t for everybody, but it’s the perfect job for the right type of person.

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