Supply Agencies

Supply agencies for teachers are actually quite commonplace, especially with the evaporation seen in the UK teaching market as the private sector and the lure of the higher salaries in the Middle East and further afield means that there is a massive gap in the number of teachers, to begin with together with retirement, maternity leave, and career breaks only add to the rapidly dwindling numbers of teachers being available in the UK. Things are so bad that there is active recruitment of teachers from the Commonwealth nations in their own countries.

UK teacher salaries are average compared to other countries in Europe and the developed world, a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) can get anywhere from 27k to 31k depending on location and specialism but not as high as they should be considering the amount of work they are required to do. The major firms in London that I have encountered are Engage Education, Protocol, and Zen Education but they are a drop in the ocean and business seems to be booming. 

These companies put qualified and experienced/non-experienced people into roles based on proximity and earning potential. It is a business and you as a supply teacher are an asset. You will deal with agents, the people who organize your work, getting you into roles that you prefer so it is in their interest to get you work. Strangely, in all of the time I have been with my agency, I have never met any of them in person, only through emails, texts, and phone calls. 

Contracts are detailed so you know your obligations before you sign up with an agency. The agencies themselves can be a subsidiary of the actual group paying your salary and their name may never appear on your payslip, they can also do all of the tax work required showing you detailed deductions from your payslip. When you finish working during the week you will have to complete a timesheet, confirming the days you have worked and this is confirmed by the actual school you have been to, if they do not sign off and your agency is not made aware of it then you may not get paid, I personally always do my timesheet after work on Friday to make sure I get paid on time. You will work one week in arrears at the start of every term. I can also add that I have always been paid on time without fail.

Agency work is based on good relationships with the schools, the staff of those schools, and doing a good job while you are there if only for a day or two. This equates to you building a good reputation and has allowed me to ask for more money for certain jobs because I will have built up contacts within schools and they tell me how much the company gets and what my role or class is going to be that day, the agent then will try and offer a better rate for me to go there.

Always remember that the agency’s prime motivation is to increase its revenue and protect its reputation in the schools they provide teachers for. They will always put their needs before you. It sounds harsh but remember the supply company sees you as an asset/resource first and foremost, they are not your friend. In my first full year, I have found that they are nice to you the most when they want you to take a position they have negotiated to get a big commission on because it is in THEIR interest. 

You might not be experienced enough or want a certain job but they will big up the position by telling you, “its good for your CV/career progression or exposure to other teachers, you can get better teaching experience and word of mouth will get you more jobs and the salary is about £15 more a day but you have to be there until 6 in the evening because of the increasing workload teachers in the UK are facing