How to Transition from Supply Teaching to Full-Time Roles
Find out how to transition from supply teaching to full-time roles with First Class Supply, and find out if it’s the right choice for you and your lifestyle.
If you want to transition from supply teaching to full-time roles, you are bound to have a lot of queries that need to be answered. From steps to move from supply teaching to permanent roles, how you secure full-time positions, and what schools look for when hiring, there are several things that you should be aware of in order to prepare yourself moving forward.
Why Consider Transitioning from Supply to a Permanent Role?
You might want to consider a transition from supply teaching to full-time roles to get opportunities for career progression, stability, and to build deeper connections with the people you work with and teach. The consistency of taking up a full-time teaching role can be hugely beneficial for many people who like routines, but also for those who prefer to have more secure and stable work.
While everyone might have their own personal benefits to transitioning to a full-time teaching role, it is also important to understand the benefits of supply teaching. The main benefits being that supply teaching offers flexibility, involves less administrative tasks, and can offer a better work-life balance—but these benefits might not be enough to outweigh those of a permanent role for many.
Understanding What Schools Look for in Full-Time Teachers
Schools will look for a teacher who has good classroom management, strong teaching skills, high adaptability, a positive attitude, and the potential to integrate into the school. They aim to only get the best of the best, and the transition from supply teaching to full-time roles can be a challenging one when you have not got a lot of experience or have not built a strong reputation as a teacher.
Schools look for the following when hiring full-time teachers from supply:
- Good classroom management
- Strong teaching skills
- High adaptability
- Positive attitude
- Potential to integrate into the school
These can all be grown and improved upon with every new role you get as a supply teacher, and it may take some time to get a full-time role. However, as long as you continue to develop and work hard, you will get your dream role.
Practical Steps to Secure a Permanent Teaching Position
To transition from supply teaching to full-time roles, you need to build a strong reputation, network with schools, apply early, tailor applications, gain CPD, consider long-term supply roles, explore different schools, and excel in interviews.
Unfortunately, all of this is easier said than done, and you need to put work in every step of the way to achieve your goals. It is important to take your time and build up your repertoire as you learn and grow, and understand that it may take some time to get to where you want to be—but you need to keep improving yourself and learning regardless.
Steps to move from supply teaching to permanent roles:
- Build a strong reputation as a teacher – you need to build a reputation that lets school and teachers know that you are professional, reliable, and have a positive attitude when it comes to your teaching. You need to be well-mannered and punctual, treat students with respect, have good classroom management, be adaptable, and have a positive attitude towards your role.
- Network with schools – take the time to speak with and get to know staff from the schools you work at, and attend any relevant events that might come up throughout the year. You could also work to have a strong online presence and use online platforms to widen your horizons and allow you to be discovered by more people and schools. You want schools to keep you in the back of their mind and consider you when positions open.
- Apply for positions early – don’t leave things last-minute, and work hard to ensure that applications for new positions are done as soon as possible. This will show enthusiasm and commitment—two things that every school wants their teachers to have.
- Tailor all of your applications – when applying for a teaching role, it is imperative that you tailor your application to the specific role and school. Avoid using general information, and be specific wherever possible so that the school knows that you took the time to look over the details properly.
- Gain Continuing Professional Development (CPD) – you can do this by taking training courses (online or in-person), getting formal qualifications, attending webinars, shadowing, research, mentoring and coaching, and on-the-job learning. Every teacher must be able to show that they are continuously learning and improving.
- Look at long-term supply roles – to transition from supply teaching to full-time roles, you can look for long-term supply roles that have the chance of becoming permanent, full-time roles.
- Teach at different schools – don’t tie yourself down and focus only on one school when there are many others that are local to you. Teach at different schools to get new experiences, learn more, and network, as these can all help you get into full-time teaching.
- Excel in your interviews – take the time to properly prepare for interviews and have answers to key questions planned out, such as ‘how do you manage classroom behaviour?’, ‘how do you handle last-minute assignments and unfamiliar material?’, or ‘how do you differentiate instruction to meet the diverse needs of learners?’
Leveraging Your Supply Teaching Experience Effectively
To leverage your supply teaching experience when you want to transition from supply teaching to full-time roles, you need to take the time to highlight your adaptability, teaching experience in other roles, and your classroom management in your CV, cover letter, and interviews.
You should also secure strong references that can back your claims and experience, showcasing how you have made a positive impact and your effective methods. Never underestimate the importance of a good reference!
Try to demonstrate the following:
- Knowledge of the curriculum (varies based on subject and year)
- Ability to think outside the box when the situation calls for it
- Past achievements in teaching
- Ability to take initiative
Writing a Strong CV for Full-Time Teaching Jobs
To write a successful CV as a supply teacher pursuing full-time teaching roles, you need to be able to show your teaching skills, adaptability, classroom impact, experience, and more. You need to highlight your professional summary and mention your strengths, teaching experience, and where/if you specialise in anything, show your skills in the key skills section, and list your teaching experience, with your most recent role at the top of the list.
You will also need to include your education and qualifications to ensure that you are suitable for a teaching role, and include CPD such as courses you have taken, to strengthen your skills and professional development to highlight your commitment to teaching.
Tips for writing a strong CV:
- Keep everything concise, preferably using two pages or fewer
- Ensure everything is clearly formatted with headings and bullet points
- Tailor every CV (and cover letter) to the school you are applying to
- Highlight measurable achievements where you can
Preparing for Interviews: What to Expect
To prepare for an interview, you should research the school, position, and job description, and prepare common interview questions using the STAR method below. Come up with insightful questions to ask during the interview, and make sure to dress appropriately and bring any essential documents with you. If required, plan a strong lesson to showcase your skill and expertise as a teacher.
Arrive for the interview early and remain as calm as you can. Do not be in a mad rush, and take your time preparing, even once you reach the location. Be sure to show your enthusiasm for teaching, and remain confident in your abilities.
Use the STAR technique when answers interview questions to give yourself the best possible chance of excelling:
- S – situation (give a brief description of the particular scenario/context you are drawing from)
- T – task (outline the objective/challenge you faced in that situation)
- A – action (go through the steps you too to address the challenge/achieve the objective)
- R – result (discuss the positive impact of your decisions/positive outcome)
How First Class Supply Supports Teachers in Securing Full-Time Roles
If you are looking to transition from supply teaching to full-time roles, you need to know that the journey may be full of challenges. However, if you know that it is the right decision for you, and the benefits outweigh those of supply teaching, you can follow the advice in this blog to achieve your goals.
Be prepared to face challenges in your transition, with the most notable ones being the amount of administrative work and the more rigid working times. These will take time to get used to.
Ready for a permanent teaching role? Register with First Class Supply today and let us guide you to your ideal full-time teaching job.For more information, why not check out our community support, testimonials and meet the team? We also have information for schools and teachers, and like to keep you up-to-date on news.
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