Posted on 22/01/2016 by

Uniform Education – Expectations of a supply teacher

Here are a few survival tips to help you out and make your stand out from the other supply teachers out there. There are some great tips and advice below, but always remember to enjoy it!

Ring for work

Always ring Uniform Education when we open in the morning and before they close again in the evening to register your interest for work. Be keen and eager to work and accept jobs. Remember that part of supply teaching is building relationships, with not only the schools but the consultants at Uniform Education. Office hours 07:00-18:00.

Plan your journey

If you are booked on a job in advance, make sure that you plan your journey ahead of time. Save TfL (www.tfl.gov.uk) and/or https://citymapper.com/london/  in your bookmarks and download the APP, invest in an A-Z map (sometimes the internet isn’t always reliable and you have to do it the old fashioned way) and make sure that you have all of the school details written down in case you get lost on the way. Always stay in touch with Uniform Education if you are running late - they will keep the school in the loop too.

Arriving early

Get to the school as early as possible on the day that you are booked to work. Being punctual goes a long way in showing you are committed, hardworking and have a good work ethic. Be mindful that you are representing the agency as much as yourself when you go into schools as a supply teacher. Plus, it is useful to be at your school early in order to familiarise yourself with what you will be doing that day.

Your teaching day

Make sure that your name is on the board and easy for the children to see. Before the children arrive, check that you have all of the resources that you need, you know where to collect the children from in the playground, you have a list of the break times and you are aware if you have a playground duty or not. Ensure that you have outlined your behaviour expectations for the day (it would be good if you had found out what the in-school system is) and stick to it!

The end of your day

Ask what the expectations are for the collection of all children after school. Find out about the school’s marking scheme so that you can write feedback on all of the children’s work. Always think of the marking as the legacy that you leave behind in the school. Write detailed notes about the lessons and any issues that came up during the day. Comprehensive handover notes are a must and the class teachers really appreciate it when they come back to school. As a supply teacher you are paid between the hours of 08:15-16:00, so marking and a handover note is a must. Sticking to the above will ensure you are frequently asked to return to your favourite schools.