As you will know, supply teachers have become an integral part of the smooth running and functioning of any school, often stepping in at short notice to cover for unexpected absences or illness affecting your permanent staff. In this article, we look at some of the key areas and factors to consider when recruiting supply teachers for your education establishment.
Supply teachers need to have broad skill sets, not only possessing all the necessary teaching qualifications required by law but also soft skills of the highest order that will enable them to seamlessly fit into your classrooms. Among these attributes are patience to deal with students from different backgrounds and learning abilities as well as a natural empathy for people and a passion to teach. This is why it is imperative that the supply teachers that come to work at your school are carefully vetted and screened thoroughly so that you won’t encounter any unwanted surprises.
Key traits
Adaptability is of course one of those most desired attributes given that your school and the requirements of your students will be very different. Therefore, if you’re not, for example, engaging with a specialist supply teaching or education recruitment specialist, you must have rigorous assessment procedures in place to test for these competencies that you are looking for. Finding that mix of teaching and interpersonal skills at short notice is not an easy task, as you want teachers who can fit in effortlessly into your school and hit the ground running from day one.
The experience of the teacher is also a big factor as those who have been working as supply specialists for longer will naturally have undertaken many assignments, so they will be less fazed by entering new environments. That said, newly qualified teachers (NQTs) can be just as effective and capable as long as their competencies have been scrutinised. In an ideal world, you want to find yourself in a position of having a pool of suitably qualified teachers and support staff who you can trust. They have worked in your school before, so you can rest assured that they’re going to be up to the task.
‘Bank’ on the quality of supply teaching
Working with a reputable recruiter will allow you to enjoy that level of security as the supply teachers that they deal with will have all met and exceeded these stringent criteria. Furthermore, some agencies will also manage relationships with other recruiters, thereby increasing your talent pool. In this way, you will always be able to hire a supply teacher as and when you need to call on their services. This also extends to defining a suitable sourcing strategy as well as taking away the administrative burden in other areas such as the processing of timesheets and payroll, amongst others.
The importance of having such a ‘bank’ of qualified and experienced supply teachers at your disposal cannot be understated, especially given the shortages of teachers and NQTs. School leaders need to respond quickly to cover gaps and so having that supply of talent at your fingertips can make all the difference. And just as it is important to build relationships with your supply teachers, the same applies to any recruitment agency you are dealing with, as they will get to know your school and the skills that you’re looking for in your supply teachers. That will only build trust and confidence.
Recruiting supply teachers
While partnering with a specialist recruiter will not only help you source the best supply teachers in your local area, there are also other benefits in terms of streamlined processes. As mentioned, you are effectively handing over the reins for your recruitment to the agency, which will free up your time to focus on the running of your school. Some agencies can also offer different options tailored and customised to your needs, so you can choose the package that’s right for you depending on your requirements and budget with a view to making the process as cost-efficient as possible.
The other important aspect to consider is technology. Some providers have sophisticated custom-built platforms that allow you to manage all the stages of the recruitment process in real-time. Once you have submitted a vacancy, you can search for candidates who match your criteria and then communicate with them directly so that you can move quickly. You will also be able to approve timesheets and sort out invoicing and billing.
Regardless of whether you decide to go down the agency route or not, fundamentally you will need to be able to hire supply teachers with the right credentials – individuals you can trust implicitly who can deliver the right lesson plans for your pupils. And secondly, you will want to have a ready roster of supply teachers because the demand for these individuals is such that your preferred option(s) might not be available when you need them.
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