Teachers' experiences
of insecure work.

Strange how more experience left we without any interviews  – and the cynic in me wondered if it had anything to do with my approaching two years service, which would see me placed on my council’s temp to perm list and eligible for a permanent position if a…

After completing the undergraduate and then going onto my probation year, I was filled with hope that I would soon have my own class and be part of a school community.

I am lucky as I have a perm role and one I enjoy but keeping this role means I have a 3/4 hour commute every day at least. I live in Argyll and work in highlands.

I left a good job with the civil service in 2020 aged 26 to go to uni and do BA ED Primary studies – my dream but I hadn’t had the right timing until then.

I attended the Strathclyde open day in 2019 where I was told teachers were “guaranteed work” as they were “crying out for Primary teachers”. The next year I decided to apply.

After completing my probation year in 2022 I applied to be put on the East Dunbartonshire supply list. That in itself was a nightmare as there was no one working in the role of looking at applications between June and October of that year. I had to tweet th…

Following probation I was lucky enough to get a fixed term contract for 1 year.

Last straw in a toxic department so decided to resign and find work closer to home.

I have applied to my local council in the hope of gaining permanency due to my length of service however every time I apply I am told that although I meet the criteria there are no positions available.

No contracts available across the councils. Put on supply list. Only a day here and there offered on supply text but gone when you phone the number. Reapply every January through Generics, still no contracts so put back on supply list.

After working for Inverclyde council for 4 years and still not gaining permanency, I moved LA where I have been there almost 2 years and waiting on permanency here.

Apparently I lacked experience. Feedback from interview panel, (which included my own head teacher), was that I did not use enough jargon and did not have enough experience.

I was fortunate in the beginning being able to complete my flexible route probation through a mixture of supply and numerous temporary contracts. Post ECT there were consecutive temporary short term contracts which ultimately did not lead to permanency, due…

Completed probationary year august 2021 to June 2022. Interviewed at supply pool interviews and scored 11/12. After several months of waiting on an outcome. I was told I was unsuccessful for a job.

There is a huge turnover of temporary staff, despite this being detrimental to the children who find it unsettling. I have been out rightly told not to expect to increase my hours as I was the one who wanted to decrease my hours after having children. Flexi…

I did not want to lose my supply so I did not speak up and was therefore taken advantage of. After all this dedication I was dropped without warning when supply money ran out. I felt as if my loyalty and extra dedication to that school was not appreciated a…

I was back on my college course, completing my HND (which I had him during) within 6 weeks of his birth, and secured a job prior to being finally signed off from college.  A job that I stayed in for 11 years until leaving to return to university to follow m…

I was rejected from UC because I had too many savings (most of which were in a Help to Buy ISA).

I did NQT 20-21, gained a fixed term 21-22,  LA agreed to fund my masters which I have completed, BUT I’ve been unemployed since my fixed term ended due to my council having a mass backlog of individuals who gained permanency through service.