Working, but moving between short-term posts

Since completing my probation year, I have found the lack of job security incredibly difficult. I want to teach and build a career in education, but despite being willing to work and gaining valuable experience, I have had to move between supply work and temporary contracts rather than being able to secure a permanent position.

Temporary contracts can involve taking on all of the responsibilities of a permanent class teacher – building relationships with pupils and families, planning for their needs, contributing to the wider life of the school and investing in long-term improvement – while still having very little certainty about your own future. It can be difficult to fully settle into a school when you know that your employment may end within a matter of months.

The uncertainty also affects life outside of work. It makes it much harder to make longer-term financial decisions, such as applying for a mortgage or planning where to live, when you do not know whether you will have employment after the end date of your current contract.

I think it is particularly frustrating because there is clearly a need for teachers. I have been able to find supply and temporary work, and schools need cover and classroom teachers, but that need does not necessarily translate into secure permanent employment.

I would like decision-makers to understand that employment figures alone do not capture the experience of teachers who are working, but moving between short-term posts and continually having to think about what happens when the current contract ends.

I love teaching and want to remain in the profession. What I would like is the opportunity to have the stability to properly establish myself in a school and continue developing as a teacher without the constant uncertainty surrounding my next contract.