Anonymous survey answerSurvey Nº 085

While some supply requests are being sent out by some schools during the current session, the large number of teachers on the supply list makes it very difficult to actually get a post. Posts are often being filled in under 3 minutes!

Supply posts filled in under three minutes

Published 5 October 2026 · 1 min read

Employment situation: On a supply list, no work
Sector: Primary

While some supply requests are being sent out by some schools during the current session, the large number of teachers on the supply list makes it very difficult to actually get a post. Posts are often being filled in under 3 minutes!

The fact that short-term supply does not count towards continuous service for permanency is extremely frustrating.

I am beginning to feel deskilled and disconnected from teaching.

This is answer 85 of the 269 written answers that teachers let us quote anonymously in the Scottish Teacher Employment Survey 2026. It answers the survey’s last question: what do the people who make decisions about teacher employment need to know?

We have corrected spelling, added paragraph breaks and removed details that could identify anyone. Words in square brackets are ours.

Every answer in the report (PDF) Survey results

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SupplySurvey Nº 043

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SupplySurvey Nº 047

Since schools returned in August I have not had any work. Further, to get onto a permanent supply you have to have 2 years continuous service, this seems impossible when not getting any work at all.

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