Story 35

Age: 25

Teaching Experience: 2-4 years

Contract Type: Casual Supply (through calls, emails, teacherbooker etc)

My story is not unlike the many stories on here. I am a young struggling teacher trying to secure work. Work is unreliable I have secured more work through contacts in schools than the handful of times supply have helped me. I find myself ill with worry of how I will pay my bills.

My car is broken but I cannot afford to fix it. My rent is £1000 but I cannot get a mortgage due to uncertainty of work. I lost my mum in the first term of becoming a teacher so have no other way of supporting myself. I cannot even gain money from universal credit as casually working supply and earning some money means I cannot claim anything.

I try everyday to apply for jobs but it is more of a who you know in my authority.

The pool interview is designed to trip people up. With questions 5/6 lines long with heavy topics which cannot possibly be answered in 5 minutes. People are also ear marked for the position before a job is even advertised. With less than 10% of people securing permanent jobs after probation. I came from a lovely school who had 4 probations qualifying.

One job became available another probationer got the job. I asked for feedback, the feedback I was given was I had a good interview. I was not given a job though as I sought out guidance for report writing and asked my head teacher to proof read as I am dyslexic. The stakes for work are so high that having a hidden disability was the decider of who would gain a job in the school.The following year I worked so hard securing work each day on supply. Yet supply only contacted me once. I worked 95% of the year (mainly missing Fridays) through finding contacts of my own and schools requesting me  as they knew my work ethic.

One of my schools even offered to help prep me for the council interview. As I worked there continually and I was an asset in her team. She encouraged me to pick an interview at her school. Almost convincing me that potentially a job may come up or I had a good chance with her knowing me. Four of us interviewed that year at the school (two probationer and two post probation). All of us gained casual supply but no permanent position.

It is so disheartening as again I had really good feedback.This is my third year and I become more and more skeptical of the entire system. My council  introduced a break in service by prohibiting any work of supply till September weekend if this was not your first year doing supply.

I found work but no thanks to supply again. I feel like a second class human being my life is being controlled by being on supply. It is so disheartening to be in a job that asks you for your life and soul yet it is so heartless and seems to ensure you fail and cannot get work.

I plead please take action, please cancel this culture.