So, my better half is a Primary School teacher and has been for the best part of the past 10 years. She returned to work part time at the beginning of the academic year after the birth of our first child but quite frankly, even part time, the hours are too much. It’s not the daily school hours that are the problem and she loves the teaching but the several hours of work a night planning and assessing etc are tiring her out, especially as they don’t get started until after mini-sw goes to bed. Sunday to Wednesday evenings I hardly see her then the rest of the week she’s exhausted. Clearly something has to give.

She has been talking about supply teaching as a way for her to still do the bits she enjoys, teaching children, but without having to do all the other crap that comes with it. Granted she’ll still have to do marking but that’s all right, it’s school politics and assessments that are the problem.

I want to support her in doing this but know little about it. Does anyone here know how it works?

I presume you are self employed and therefore have to sort out your own taxes, pension etc? I work i engineering and contractors at our place can claim tax relief on travel etc so does it work similar to that?

As for getting work, She has some school contacts so may be able to go direct to those schools but might be relying on a agency for others. We’re based near Epsom so she could cover SW London/North Surrey, are there any decent agencies around there that anyone knows about and would recommend?

Anyway, I know there are some teachers on here and that STW is the font of all knowledge so if anyone can give me any pointers so I can help her with the decision that would be great.
Cheers

Most LA schools and agencies deduct tax and treat you as PAYE.

If you do use an agency at a school they will

a) not let you ever work direct for that school
b) charge the school an introduction fee if you get a permanent job at any of the schools they place you at.

My wife registered with an agency. Initially they gave her one days work at every school in the area (to tie her to them) and after that it turned out they had more teachers than places so she only ever got sporadic work.

The above was some years ago and outside of London, though.

Cheers, I know they tie you to the schools which is why she is beginning to think about working her contacts and getting in before the agency.

To be fair she has a friend who does it and is going to speak to her about how it all works but she hasn’t been able to find the time and I’d like to be able to contribute something to the discussions rather than just saying “speak to XXX and see what they say”

Interesting regarding the PAYE, would make life a bit simpler.

My wife did this for a bit, in an area where there is a huge shortage of teachers.

A lot of schools (at least in our area) try to avoid agency staff. They like to build up a pool of reliable staff they already know.

If you work for an agency your daily rate will be a lot lower than if you work directly for a school who will pay standard local authority rates. They also make contributions to teachers pension.

You can haggle with an agency to up the daily rate (only if you are “in demand”) but working directly to one or several schools is less aggro.

That’s what I was thinking. She would still be wanting to do part time which she has heard anecdotally works where we are based. She would rather work direct for the school and as such, is planning her exit to avoid as much disruption at her current school as possible. She has worked there about 10 years and therefore sees them as being an ideal school to go and work direct for, especially since she knows them, the pupils and the systems.

It’s going to be one of these things where we don’t know how it goes until we give it a go but forewarned is forearmed and all that

16 years of this.
Most agencies try to tie you. A big one, Hays, do their best. My first contract with them was very restrictive. A few years ago it changed and was less so. New laws I think. Schools are also tied to varying degrees so even if you decide to tell the agency to stuff it the school might not be able to take you on without paying up front. Of course you would never work again for that agency.
When I joined Hays I told them, and was firm, of all the schools I had been to before independently. Said I was happy to go through Hays but I regarded them as my contacts and if they asked me back independently I would go. Hays oked that. So maybe lie a bit. Pretend that the contact was ancient?
Going self employed is hard. You become a company and will probably have to jump through a huge amount of hoops with the LEA. And as you are still a one man band you won’t be able to guarantee providing a teacher.
Agency pay is poor. I regard my £120 a day as making me one of the best paid around in my area.

LEA pay is your pay scale rate divided by 195 for a daily rate.
Why not knock up a CV and hand deliver it on paper to every school you can reach. They like that. That gets you onto the LEA payroll and even pension. Schools of course have to contact you directly which can mean phoning around in a hurry in the morning. An agency means the school only makes one call. Costs them a bomb though.

Of course not all agencies are the same. Herefordshire have a council owned company that does all sorts of HR work. They have the interests of the school at heart and thus charge them less and pay supply more. Worth asking you LEA HR department.
They may well also have a supply pool. Get on it. Some urban areas have their own system, especially for prebooked stuff. A pool for “subscribing” schools in effect.

If there are a couple of local schools that might eventually turn supply into part time or something like PPA or intervention, then contact them directly.
Maybe use an agency as well for less attractive options that you might be prepared to chuck later.
So for the best money, approach the schools direct and get on the LEA payroll.
Of course independent schools do as they like.
Any thing else?
Happy to help.

Well, things have progressed and we’ll be taking the advice on board. Thanks to everyone for their help so far

Bump for this thread. Mrs P also struggling with 2 days of KS1 on top of 3 under 8s at home. Similarly, it’s the bollocks rather than the teaching that is getting her down. The school seem to “police” as their main style of management!

Over the past year I’ve somehow become a supply teaching assistant (typically working 3 or 4 mornings a week) and the school takes care of everything – pay, tax, pension. It’s ace.

Interesting comments about agency the-in tricks. Will have to warn mrs to read all small print.

The supply I had in on Friday morning said to me that there is a ridiculous amount of work about around our way. If she wants to she could work every day.

Probably more likely if you’re good at it, which she seemed to be. The kids in my class all tutted and moaned when they realised I was back in the afternoon.

Over the past year I’ve somehow become a supply teaching assistant

Any advice on getting into this? My wife is volunteering in the school at the moment but loving the work. I am pleased about that, but a second income would be good 😉

As a TA it would be good to get some qualifications. They are what will make you attractive to schools or agencies. For all I know they may be compulsory now .
Supply teaching is very seasonal. I did bugger all in September but the last couple of weeks could have been 8 days at least. I go direct to local schools and play two agencies off against each other. This does limit income a bit but the holidays are mine. And I can skive if I so wish.
Tricks to getting work are having good classroom management skills, marking well and being able to read the mind of the teacher who has just left their planning but hasn’t read between the lines for you.
Being able to wing it is good especially when all the work, notes etc is on a “flipchart” and the bloody laptop, which is always the old spare one, won’t read the new version.

RichPenny – at my school at least we have lots of parents wanting to volunteer. We also have loads of people who are going through an NVQ asking to come in to school to get experience. It now means that pretty much any TA role that comes up has many applicants who have TA experience and an NVQ. All the TAs we have in on supply also have a TA qualification.

This qualification is probably the best route for your wife while she is volunteering.

Try T.A. roles.

Teaching has far too much work and stress if you have a family to work around and poorly paid.

Or a part time job in something else even tutoring self employed.

Teaching has far too much work and stress if you have a family to work around

This.

As an update to this my wife left her permanent role at Easter and stated supply teaching shortly afterwards. It took a while to get going, especially since she had to get a new “floating” DBS check done and then register with several different agencies. A lot of schools around here only use agencies and they all seem to use different ones. However once that was all sorted she’s not been short of work for the 3 days a week she wants to do and has even had to turn stuff down. With time I think we’ll work up the courage to turn things down hoping that something better (closer) comes along but so far it good to have the work. Its odd not knowing how much money you’ll earn each month and we’re preparing ourselves for the slow down in the run up summer and then no work over the holidays but honestly its made loads of difference. Not only does she get to spend more time with our daughter by walking out the door at 4 but we also have our evenings back.

The only other downside is that she says its a bit like starting a new job every time you go to a new school but she copes with it much better than I would!