Supply teachers ‘more secure in their roles’

Nick Elvin

Supply teachers are revelling in the contractor lifestyle and are feeling more secure in their roles, according to research by giant group.

The specialist services provider’s latest analysis of its contractor database found that almost 70% of supply teachers feel more secure in their careers than at this point last year. In addition, the percentage of professionals that would opt for a permanent role if offered one has continued to fall for the third year in a row, highlighting the growing popularity of working as a contractor.

Matthew Brown, managing director of giant group, said: “Our data has highlighted that contracting is becoming an increasingly popular choice for professionals across a range of sectors, not least education, where supply teachers have been very highly sought after. This doesn’t come as a particular surprise; there are growing shortages within the profession – which are exacerbated by government cuts to the public sector – and specialists are being brought in to fill these roles.

“Reports suggest that UK schools spent around £1.3bn last year on taking on supply teachers and this appears to be a sound investment as without these skills the sector would be in a major crisis.

“It’s also encouraging to see that the percentage of those who would accept a permanent role has continued to fall for the third consecutive year. The contracting lifestyle is well suited to the drivers of the 21st century workforce and professionals who have external commitments find it a much more convenient way of working. It’s highly likely that as we move through 2016 we’ll continue to see more people opting to work in this way in the future.”