Can You Survive Teaching Through An Agency?
Teachers these days tend not to be optimistic about their career prospects. As the economy stumbles, education cuts loom and many teachers who once thought they had no need to worry about their future are finding that future looking increasingly dim.
Supply teaching seems to have been particularly hard hit, with the buzz among teachers being that work is very thin on the ground, particularly in the large cities which once supported armies of casuals through teaching agencies.
Many schools, faced with diminishing budgets, are turning to new strategies in dealing with fluctuations in teacher demands. It’s important to remember, however, that the need for supply teachers is never going to go away altogether, and that means that it is still possible to make a good living through causal teaching.
Among supply teachers themselves there seems to be little agreement on what the future holds. One teacher may tell you that he or she is registered with a dozen teaching agencies and has had no work in six months. Another may be on the books of one agent only and complaining they haven’t had a day off all year.
Where does the truth lie? In fact it’s all up to you and how much effort and adjustment you’re prepared to put into finding supply work. Adjustment is the key word here. It’s important when dealing with teaching agencies that you impress them with your flexibility. When you apply for a permanent position you may be very conscious of the need to be teaching just what you like to students of the age you like, because you could be doing just that for many years to come. With an agency, however, you will be accepting assignments of just a matter of days, or even one day. It’s an ideal opportunity to push your limits, and flexibility will endear you to the agency staff. They’ll see you as someone who is willing to help them by accepting most offers and they, in return, will take care of you.
It’s also important to remember that finding work needs some effort. Don’t be content to just sit back and wait for your agency to call you with an assignment. There are many resources available to teachers these days, from tips on internet forums, to leads from other teachers on schools which use a lot of supply teachers. Find out which agency these schools use and sign up with them. There are even a number of agencies today which specialise in internet teaching jobs, a field which is growing rapidly.
As with everything else in life, you’ll get out of casual teaching just as much as you’re prepared to put into it. So don’t give in under the weight of fellow teachers who tell you that times are tough. Get out there and get a little tough yourself. You’ll find it will pay off.