Is It Possible to Become a Subject Lead After Supply Work?
If you want to become a subject lead after supply work, you need to be able to put the time and effort in to dedicate yourself to it. While it can be difficult to become a subject lead while working as a supply teacher, long-term supply positions can give you this opportunity—but working as a permanent teacher will make this process easier and more straightforward.
When you work as a supply teacher, promotion opportunities are incredibly limited, as you are not usually at one location for an extended period of time. However, there are ways to progress and continue your career beyond simple supply teaching—including specialising, transitioning to full-time roles, and more.
Can Supply Teaching Lead to a Subject Lead Role?
Supply teaching can absolutely lead to a subject lead role, but this is a long journey. In order for you to become a subject lead, you need to form relationships, build trust, and deliver excellence beyond just the classroom. To start the journey and become a subject lead after supply work, you need to set your mind to it, and expect the road to be a long one, as you will need to prove that you have what it takes to fill the role and make good decisions—because being a subject lead is no small task!
Can You Become a Subject Lead While Supply Teaching?
It is not impossible to become a subject lead while supply teaching, but it certainly is not the norm. Becoming a subject lead is not possible if you are only doing short-term supply teaching at any given institute, but it is technically possible in a long-term role—but this rarely happens.
It’s much easier to become a subject lead after supply work, as you will have picked up and developed key skills through your work that will allow you to thrive in a subject lead role.
What Are the Responsibilities of a Subject Lead?
A subject lead is responsible for attending various meetings, mapping out your subject curriculum, meeting with Ofsted inspectors, organising events, ensuring consistency in teaching, and much more.
Key responsibilities of a subject lead include:
- Attending different subject network meetings
- Mapping and sequencing the curriculum regarding your subject
- Meeting with and speaking to Ofsted inspectors regarding the subject
- Organising events for your subject (assemblies, subjects days or weeks, etc)
- Making sure there is teaching consistency (planning, observation, ‘book locks’, etc)
- Delivering Continual Personal Development, teach-teaching, and helping with planning
What Are the Skills That Supply Teachers Develop That Prepare Them for Leadership?
To become a subject lead after supply work, you will find that many skills you grew and developed as a supply teacher are key. From adaptability that is crucial for working as a supply teacher, to having the flexibility and communication skills to pull off the planning that is needed. Many permanent teachers may be lacking in these areas, which means that your work as a supply teacher is an advantage.
Skills you will develop as a supply teacher that are key for leadership positions:
- Adaptability – you will need to adapt to routine changes, quick preparation and organisation, new environments, and so much more as a supply teacher. Subject leads also need to be adaptable to their changing schedules, and will need to be able to remain organised through it all
- Lesson delivery flexibility – not all students learn and understand the same, and supply teaching allows you to explore alternative methods to delivering lessons to be suitable to a diverse range of learning needs. As subject lead, you will need this flexibility in your approaches to find the best solutions to problems and deliver great results
- Classroom management – new classrooms and new students mean that you will learn different ways of managing classes and dealing with different kinds of behaviour to nurture an environment that is safe and suitable for learning. This is key for being subject lead, as you will still encounter new classrooms and new challenges daily
- Communication and collaboration – you need to communicate with your agency, school faculty, students, and more as a supply teacher, and communication skills will quickly improve as you work in the role and is crucial for positions like subject lead
Is Continued Personal Development Important?
CPD is important for any kind of teacher, and for many other jobs, as well. However, as a supply teacher, CPD is one of the most important things that you can invest your time and money in outside of teaching. There are numerous courses that teachers can take to learn the skills and requirements of being a subject lead, as well as meetings, seminars, and more to dive into and build your skills for the role.
CPD opportunities to help you become a subject lead:
- Subject lead courses (online or in-person)
- Shadowing senior staff
- Seminars
- Meetings
What Steps Help You Transition from Supply to Subject Lead?
It’s important that you learn everything you can about the subject lead role before you get ahead of yourself. However, once you are sure that you want to do it, make sure that you shadow senior staff to learn more, continue CPD, create a career development plan, and more to ensure that you can transition from supply to subject lead.
Please remember that you will have an easier time becoming a subject lead if you are working permanently at a school, but long-term supply placements also have the opportunity for this. Make sure that you take your time and learn everything you need to know, put the work in, and prove that you are dedicated to excellence—then subject lead positions will become viable for you.
Below are the steps you can follow to transition to a subject lead position:
- Shadow senior staff to learn more
- Attend leadership meetings for CPD
- Create a career development plan for yourself
- Work closely with a faculty leader to fill in any gaps and determine what you need to do
- Continue learning about your subject and stay abreast with developments
- Join a subject association
- Find an association or union that offers CDP
- Widen your responsibilities at the school
- Become a school governor
- Update online professional profiles to reflect your goals
Make sure that you are in a suitable position to take on the role of subject lead, and ensure that you are up-to-date with the curriculum and developing techniques and news. To do this, you will need to work with others, and be able to identify gaps in your knowledge to remedy as you move forward.
Take these steps to make sure that you are ready for the position of subject lead:
- Ensure that you have a deep and thorough knowledge of the subject and curriculum
- Carry out a subject audit
- Identify gaps in your knowledge and fill them
- Stay up-to-date on news and changes within your subject
- Manage your time carefully and create a monitoring schedule with relevant information and documents
- Always implement improvements where you can to better your understanding and teaching
How First Class Supply Supports Your Career Growth
Moving away from supply work can be challenging, especially if your goal is to become a subject lead. However, it is absolutely possible to become a subject lead after supply work, provided you get the necessary skills and experience, and have the drive to complete it.
Ready to grow your teaching career beyond supply? Contact First Class Supply to explore long-term roles and subject leadership opportunities, or 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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