Is Supply Teaching Worth it? Supply Vs Permanent

by Sammi Gregory

Is supply teaching worth it?

I qualified as a primary school teacher in 2010, my dream job from a young girl. I started out as a supply teacher, and within 2 weeks I had found a school that I loved and secured my first teaching job. I was there for the next twelve years. It was everything that I thought it would be.

Throughout the twelve years that I was there, I had the opportunity to work in different roles, EYFS class teacher and then EYFS phase leader, Geography Lead, Music Lead, Nurture class teacher, Year 1 teacher, KS1 & EYFS Behaviour lead and finally Year three teacher. I left this role in the hope to develop even more, going to EYFS class teacher and phase lead, leading to then becoming phonics and early reading lead.

I thought it was everything I wanted.. Then, I realised that I was choosing being a good teacher over being a good mum. I knew something needed to change. 

I left my role after suffering with anxiety and decided to take a financial risk and move into supply teaching. 

What a life changing decision! 

I am now much happier. I love teaching again, I love my job, and I don’t have to battle with myself to get out of bed every morning. However, you definitely have to pick your agency carefully. I’m lucky to have found an agency in Click Teachers that has high standards, and I can identify with their values.

I have even done supply teaching in a secondary school, I never thought that I would have been able to have a successful day and enjoy it. But I did, I didn’t just survive, I actually found a new challenge and a new buzz.

As a teacher, I now believe in myself. Such a difference to 6 months ago. 

There are definitely challenges, such as not having relationships with children, not knowing their background and being able to pick up another teacher’s planning and hope that you have the same vision.

So, what does a supply teacher do in this situation? I still go in with my high expectations, I follow the policies (which Click Teachers give me prior to booking) in the school I am in, and I smile and say ‘hi’ to everyone I pass, like I am there every day and that is because I am genuinely happy in my job. 

Do I miss my own classroom, absolutely!  Do I miss knowing where to find all the resources, absolutely! Do I miss knowing the children and their quirks? Absolutely. 

But…

Do I love my work free evenings and weekends… Like you wouldn’t believe (and so does my son). Do I love not having the pressure of emails pinging every two minutes, most definitely! I don’t get anxious that I have forgotten to do something. It really has changed my life. 

An added bonus is the experience I get from the range of schools that I visit and sometimes having the chance to share my knowledge and experience. 

Who knows if I will want to go back in the future, but right now, this is perfect for me. If it is something that you are thinking about, find a reliable, friendly and understanding agency with good values and standards, it may be worth the risk. It was for me! Do not just disregard being a supply teacher. It has shown me that it wasn’t me that was failing!