The Supply Teacher Guide
Application Process
After registering your interest which takes seconds, you can expect David or Sharon to email you to arrange a convenient time for a quick chat. We will then send you over a link to our portal. We know that filling in application forms can be onerous so at Supply&Teach, we've tried to make our process able to be completed within a breaktime or lunch time. We'll send you a list of the key documents so you'll have everything to hand to help speed through it.
After we've checked references and confirmed your compliance documents (or organised a new DBS if needed) we can get you out into the classroom and earning yourself money.
See below for further information about the interview and the key documents needed.
Interview
Having worked in education for many years, we know that the interview process, as important as it is, can be daunting. That’s why at Supply&Teach we take a more friendly approach and style to interviews. We want to know you, not just the teacher but what you want from the role, what motivates you in the classroom? Obviously, we need to know your knowledge and understanding around areas such as behaviour management and safeguarding procedures - after all, we want to be able to offer the very best supply teachers to our schools. But again… we are here to support you so please find below some useful articles to read that will help you prior to interview.
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023
All supply staff should ensure they have read Part One as a minimum.
What happens after the interview?
Hopefully at this stage, you’ll be feeling a little more relaxed and we’ll know that you’re going to be an excellent addition to our team. The next step then is for us to send you over our Terms of Engagement and an Equal Opportunities monitoring form for you to sign and return - all done via email for maximum convenience.
DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service/Overseas Criminal Records Check
The safeguarding of children is paramount to us and to the schools we work with. As we're sure you know, an Enhanced DBS check with Children’s Barred List is required to work in schools as it shows us the results of a criminal record check.
Most teachers' DBS certificates only cover them for their last place of work so you may need a new one or it may be that your current one (if it's within 30 days of the printed certificate date) can be added to the Update Service. This makes it portable between schools and updates your record live with any subsequent convictions or reprimands.
If you do need a new Enhanced DBS, Supply&Teach can help by arranging that through UCheck who carry out the checks and provide certificates at a cost of £53.70.
This DBS will then need to be added to the Update Service to allow you that freedom to work in different schools. It costs £13 for a year’s subscription.
The Update Service – https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service
We check our team's DBS status every 3 months so we are confident we are sending our schools fully compliant teachers and teaching assistants. We would therefore advise you switch on auto-renew on the Update Service.
If you have lived overseas for 6 months or more in one country in the last 10 years, then you will also need to provide a copy of your Overseas Criminal Records Check. Depending on the country you lived in, will determine where you can obtain your check. Country-specific check information can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants
Teaching Qualifications
In England, you are only considered a qualified teacher if you hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) with SET membership (although there is a currently a new qualification being piloted called iQTS -International Qualified Teacher Status). You will need to show us your certificate as part of our process. If you're not sure where your original certificate is and need get a copy, you can do so by following this link – https://teacherservices.education.gov.uk/SelfService/Login
If you do not hold QTS or QTLS (maybe you were trained outside of the UK), then we advise you to apply for it however your overseas teacher training may qualify you for QTS exemption for four years, subject to verification from the regulatory body where you qualified.
You can start the QTS process by clicking the link below – https://teacherservices.education.gov.uk/MutualRecognition/
You can find out more about the 4 year QTS Exemption rule by clicking HERE
Proof of Identity, Right to work and Address
We need to verify who you are and to do this we require the following:
ID (We need two of these): A passport, driving licence, birth certificate, adoption certificate, immigration document/visa/work permit, HM Forces ID card (UK issued), firearms licence or biometric residence permit with share code.
Right to Work: Click here for the checklist of valid documents.
Proof of Address: A recent (last 3 months) bank/credit card statement or utility bill (not a mobile phone bill), a financial statement, a council tax bill, a P45 or P60, or government document/letter that includes your National Insurance Number.
Please Note A single document can not be used for both proof of address and as an ID document. If you have had a change of name, you will need to provide evidence of this as part of your ID documentation. Please ensure that all the documents you provide are current and valid.
References
We require contact details for two referees which you can supply through our portal application process. Preferably, at least one should be from an educational setting and one from your most recent employer. This helps us to verify your experience with a previous employer.
So now you know what to expect, what are you waiting for?