The Truth About Supply Teaching: Busting Common Misconceptions

In this blog, you will learn:

• 7 common misconceptions around supply teaching.
• Where the latest Supply Teacher jobs are and how to apply for them.

Graduating as an Early Career Teacher is an exciting time, however the level of competition and time constraints of the academic year mean that securing a permanent teaching position is not always a breeze. 

Despite some common misconceptions, supply teaching is an extremely rewarding alternative to permanent work. In this blog, we’re busting some of the most common myths around supply teaching and uncovering how we can help you enter the wonderful world of supply work! 

7 common misconceptions around supply teaching

7 of the most common myths regarding supply teaching, include:

• Supply work is unpredictable and unreliable.
• There is no professional development as a Supply Teacher.
• Supply teaching is for people who can’t secure permanent work.
• You won’t be paid to your true potential.
• You won’t receive any support from schools or agencies.
• You can’t make a real impact as a Supply Teacher.
• There are limited supply teaching opportunities available.

Supply work is unpredictable and unreliable

While it is true that some Supply Teachers will move frequently between schools, it is more common for Supply Teachers to cover gaps in a school for up to 12 months, particularly if they are covering maternity or sickness leave. A long contract provides Supply Teachers with a secure stream of work and a reliable income during their time on placement.  

Should your placement be on shorter-term contracts, the ability to be flexible will stand ECTs in good stead and open the door to many rewarding opportunities in a variety of schools. 

At Spencer Clarke Group, we work with hundreds of mainstream and SEND schools across the North West, meaning we have a reliable stream of work for Supply Teachers throughout the region. We take great pride in matching Supply Teachers with a school which perfectly aligns with their values and skills. 

There is no professional development working as a Supply Teacher

The idea that embarking on a career as a Supply Teacher means sacrificing any chance of professional development is completely false. Agencies and schools who prioritise the career growth of their Teachers offer many opportunities for Continuous Professional Development. Not only does this have a positive impact on a Supply Teacher’s ability as a professional, it also results in better outcomes for the children and young people. 

At Spencer Clarke Group, we offer many opportunities for professional development, such as our Best Practice in Safeguarding Children, Young People & Adults course. 

Many Supply Teachers also choose to pursue their own professional development. This might be through networking or enrolling in additional training. The nature of supply teaching also means that Supply Teachers will naturally gain further experience and an enhanced skill set, thanks to their exposure to more schools and a variety of teaching styles.

Supply teaching is for people who can’t secure permanent work

For many Teachers, working on a supply basis is a choice, but for others, this choice is taken out of their hands. It is important to note however that this is not a reflection on a person’s ability to teach. 

There are many reasons why an Early Career Teacher might not have secured a permanent job for the term ahead. This includes a lack of jobs due to school budget cuts or competing with other newly qualified teachers in popular locations. Some schools actually prefer to hire Supply Teachers over full-time employees as it provides them with flexibility; this is particularly useful when budgets are tight.  

Whatever the reason for working as a Supply Teacher, the great news is that there are plenty of supply teaching jobs out there to keep you busy until you can secure permanent work. We also find that many of the schools we work with choose to keep our supply staff on as permanent employees because they are so impressed by them!

It’s important to remember that supply work shouldn’t be seen as a setback, it’s actually a brilliant opportunity to get your foot in the door and gain experience within multiple schools. 

You won’t be paid to your true potential

The perception that Supply Teachers aren’t paid to a level that matches their true potential is misleading. Many Supply Teachers are in fact offered competitive daily rates that even sometimes exceed the earnings of full-time Teachers (when the flexibility of work is taken into consideration).

Supply teaching can be financially rewarding and offer high levels of job satisfaction, making it a career choice that many Teachers of varying experience choose to pursue.

You won’t receive any support from schools or agencies

A good recruitment agency will provide support during any of the placements which you have with them. When searching for a reputable recruitment agency, it’s crucial that you carry out your research beforehand. 

This is critical to ensure that you don’t end up working for a recruitment agency who is only interested in making money out of you. We advise checking out an agency's testimonials from existing Supply Teachers to ensure they will meet expectations and prioritise career aspirations, just like we do at Spencer Clarke Group! 

As specialists in education recruitment, supporting Supply Teachers throughout their employment is of utmost importance to us. We provide guidance from placement to placement and we’re on hand to help Supply Teachers fit their teaching career around their personal commitments.  

It is also extremely important that the schools we work with support our Supply Teachers. Many of the schools we work with welcome Supply Teachers into their team in the same way they would embrace a permanent member of staff. Concerns regarding day to day classroom issues or challenging behaviour are understandable, however it’s important to remember that this is not subjective to supply teaching. Permanent teaching staff will share the same concerns and the important thing is that Teachers support one another, regardless of their working pattern. 

You can’t make a real impact as a Supply Teacher

The idea that moving from school to school means that Supply Teachers aren’t able to make a long term positive impact on their students is simply not true. 

Secondary education recruitment specialist, Liam Jones, says, “Working on a supply basis actually provides Supply Teachers with the opportunity to develop their skills and learn effective teaching styles that can be implemented from one school to another.”

Supply Teachers bring a fresh energy to lessons, which can have a significant impact on pupils motivation to learn. They also assist with keeping learning on track, offering new perspectives and bringing innovative teaching styles to students.

Supply Teachers make as much of a positive impact on the learning and development of children and young people as permanent Teachers do! 

There are limited supply teaching opportunities available

It is true that the number of supply teaching jobs can fluctuate throughout the year based on the needs of the school. However, a good agency (like ourselves) will work with many schools so there will always be work available. 

Even if you haven’t quite finished your PGCE yet, we recommend contacting us to register your interest for supply work. Once you’re qualified, your name will be at the top of the pile once the supply teaching opportunities are released. 

Supply teaching jobs for Early Career Teachers 

Passed your PGCE but struggling to secure a permanent teaching job? 

As specialists in education recruitment, we work alongside hundreds of primary and secondary schools throughout the North West of England who regularly need Supply Teachers. 

Whether you’re looking to build your classroom confidence, fit your new teaching job around existing responsibilities or test the water before committing to a permanent position, we can help you enter the wonderful world of supply teaching. 

We usually find that schools love our Supply Teachers that much, they end up taking them on in a permanent position. 

Even if you’re not searching for supply work, if you refer a Teacher to us and we successfully place them into a teaching role, you could earn yourself £250 in vouchers! (Ts & Cs apply)

Recruit Supply Teachers

As a specialist education recruitment agency, we support mainstream and SEND schools with Supply Teachers and support staff across the whole of the North West. If you’re struggling to find cover, why not get in touch with one of our team to see how we can help?

• Primary schools - Jimmy Callagher 
• Secondary schools - Liam Jones
• SEND schools - Jamie Heath

Meet Liam Jones

Who is Spencer Clarke Group?

Established in 2017, we’re an award winning and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. Our reputation is built on trust, expertise and an unwavering commitment to exceed expectations. 

In 2024, we were named Recruitment Agency of the Year at the prestigious Recruiter Awards, an accolade we are extremely proud of.