Here are Edapts best pieces of advice regarding supply teacher employment rights!
Andrew Lifford is Casework Manager at Edapt, an organisation which provides employment and legal support and advice to supply teachers and other school staff in England and Wales. A bit like a teaching union, but different. You can find out more about Edapt and subscribe to their services here. Their Knowledge Base of over 200 support articles on employment related subjects is currently freely available. We love transparency and clarity for teaching staff so we asked Edapt to help us explore supply teacher rights.
Familiarise yourself with your employment contract.
As a supply teacher it is important to know your employment rights. Many teachers enjoy the flexibility and reduced hours of supply teaching. However, supply teachers can often receive reduced pay, are unable to access the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and do not receive the same benefits such as sick pay or maternity pay as teachers employed directly by schools. It is important to read your employment contract if you are employed directly by a supply agency as it will stipulate your pay, conditions and working hours. SupplyWell will only ever offer you jobs that meet or exceed the national pay scale, as we believe you should be paid what you deserve. We pay holiday pay every half term for accrued work time, and we contribute to pension after the qualifying period of you working with us. Check out the benefits of working with SupplyWell here.
Supply teaching: pay and conditions – Contract with a supply agency.
If you are employed through a supply agency, your pay will be determined by your agency. You will not be covered by the pay or working conditions of the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD). Pay can differ between supply agencies so you will want to do some research and ask how much you will be paid before signing a contract. With SupplyWell your jobs will always meet the national payscale.
The type of work you complete and the duration of your contracts will also be a leading factor. You could just complete one day a week at different schools in your region, taking on exam invigilation, and covering lessons outside your subject expertise. Daily rates can range from £110 – £150 per day depending on your region and experience. At SupplyWell this is £112 – £181 per day plus WTD.
Alternatively, you could sign a contract with an agency where you will work in the same school for a number of months with the expectation that you might decide to take full-time employment there in the new school year. Your supply agency will also mostly likely take a ‘finders fee’ if you start full employment with the school. However, SupplyWell do not charge a temp to perm fee.
Employed directly by an LA maintained school or supply pool.
You should be employed in line with the terms and conditions as outlined in the STPCD. Edapt have published another article which looks at the pay and conditions of teachers employed under in the STPCD. The STPCD gives the provision to a daily pay rate based on the pay rate for teachers in regular employment at the school. Section 42.1 explains: “Teachers employed on a day-to-day or other short notice basis must be paid in accordance with the provisions of this Document on a daily basis calculated on the assumption that a full working year consists of 195 days, periods of employment for less than a day being calculated pro rata.” If you are employed directly by an academy and not covered by the STPCD your pay will be determined by your academy trust.
Do I receive sick pay or maternity pay as a supply teacher?
The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 give agency workers the entitlement to the same or no less favourable treatment for basic employment and working conditions, if they complete a qualifying period of 12 weeks in a particular job. You may be entitled to statutory sick pay or maternity pay rights in certain circumstances. Edapt have published other support articles looking at sick pay and maternity pay in schools.
If you have any more questions about your employment rights as a supply teacher you can contact Edapt for further support and advice.
Do you have any burning questions regarding your employment rights? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook! We always love to hear from you.
Are you a teacher ready to teach more, earn more and smile more? Use our speedy sign up form below and register with SupplyWell today.