supply teaching

[nextqueen]

how much does a supply agency charge a secondary school for a supply teacher on a daily rate? i know that a supply teacher themselves can get up to 130 pounds a day but that could be regional i guess.

[sherrardk]

I used to be responsible for arranging cover and 'booking' supply teachers and the rates used to vary by agency and by the experience of the staff. We also used to pay less for long-term supply. I always assumed that they charged the school a set amount and then paid the supply teacher a cut of that fee.

[boxtops]

I imagine it's the same as any temp agency - the agency charges the employer a good deal more than the temp gets.

[factor-fiction]

I don't know the answer to your main question (I'd guess around 20-30% of the daily rate).
The daily rate for supply work sounds attractive but supply teacher who works every available school day earns the same over a year as an employed teacher earns. The daily rate for supply works includes an allowance for holiday pay, as on holidays the supply teacher gets nothing.

[nextqueen]

do you know if a supply teacher could get 170 pounds per day for long term supply for a term or two for example.

[yelenots]

My husband gets around £150 but not through an agency - direct with the schools he works at - agencies take a high percentage

[sherrardk]

That seems a bit steep to me - ok, you would have to prepare and mark work and probably attend all meetings, etc but that sounds like a lot to me. Doesn't that equate to something like £40k per annum (the sort of money that an experienced teacher with some level of responsibility allowance would get?).

[factor-fiction]

£170 a day is on the high side (unless it's inner London).
But it's not as high as it might first appear- based on 195 teaching days a year that equates to £33150 a year

[JonnyBoy12]

Wow, that will do me! How do I get this job? Do I have to be a qualified teacher, or will they take just any responsible, educated adult? I heard that you do not have to be a qualified teacher, and that you just set work for the kids to do.

Can anyone tell me how I apply for this attractive role?

[factor-fiction]

You'd need to be a qualified teacher, johnnyboy, and you'd have to have maybe eight years experience to get close to that sort of salary. If you were just starting out you'd get significantly less.
The alternative is to become a 'cover supervisor', for which the pay rates are lower.

And, of course, as it's supply work you may sometimes have to have days or weeks unpaid between assignments, be prepared to travel (unpaid) to different places every day, and cope with the many unco-operative students who try to take advantage of cover supervisors/supply teachers.