11/11/2010

Pay Rate versus Long Term Supply Contract...

73% of supply teachers expect pay rises this year

Supply teachers are increasingly looking for longer term contracts over higher hourly pay, according to research from giant group plc, the contractor services provider.

The research from giant, shows that 63.8% of supply teachers would prefer a longer term contract compared to 36.2% who would prefer higher hourly pay.

According to giant, schools could consider offering supply teachers longer term contracts in lieu of higher pay. This might help rein in budgets at a time when education budgets are under intense pressure.

Matthew Brown, Managing Director or giant group, comments: “Supply teachers are much more focused on job security and minimising gaps between assignments in the current climate. This is a great opportunity for schools to respond by offering longer contracts in lieu of higher pay, which may help ease pressure on budgets.”

“As pressure on education budgets intensify, schools will need to look at inventive ways of reducing spending. This may mean enticing supply teachers to trade higher hourly pay for more job security.”

The research by giant also reveals that the most important single factor attracting teachers to working as supply teachers is the work-life balance. 41.2% of supply teachers said that work-life balance was the most important criterion attracting them to the job, compared to 32.8% who responded to the same question six months ago.

Matthew Brown says: “The biggest pull factor attracting teachers to work on a contract basis is the work-life benefit. Schools should keep this in mind when negotiating contracts and link work-life balance requirements with a longer contract term.”

However despite concerns over education budgets, the vast majority of supply teachers (72.9%) are confident that their pay will rise over the next 12 months, according to the giant research.











Matthew Brown says: “Though many schools are looking to implement hiring freezes, this may create more opportunities for supply staff. Instead of replacing staff lost to attrition by hiring fulltime teachers, schools may find it more economical in some subject areas to bring in teaching skills on a contingent basis.”

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