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Supply teachers empowered to rate and review agencies

Supply teachers empowered to rate and review agencies

Supply teachers will now be able to rate and review supply agencies thanks to a new, independent website facility developed by the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK.

The move follows extensive research and work by the Union with its supply teacher members which found that they are routinely being exploited by unscrupulous supply agencies and denied the pay, training and support to which they are entitled.

A survey by the NASUWT, released today, of over 1,400 supply teachers has found that nearly two thirds (65%) have been asked to sign a contract or agreement with an umbrella or offshore organisation. These contracts allow the agency to avoid their tax and National Insurance liabilities and deny supply teachers basic legal rights and entitlements

SupplyAdvisor.co.uk allows supply teachers to:

find agencies in their area both by postcode or by name;
rate agencies using a simple star rating system on levels of pay, quality of training, ease of finding work and support received;
write reviews, explaining their experiences, both good and bad, of the agency, or agencies, they have used;
read reviews written by other supply teachers, including viewing their star rating and seeing the average levels of pay that are offered;
add new supply agencies as and when they open; and
participate in regular polls, highlighting the key issues that affect supply teachers.

The move comes as representatives at the NASUWT’s Annual Conference in Birmingham are set to debate a motion condemning the exploitation of supply teachers through the use by some agencies of umbrella companies and zero- hours contracts.

Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:

“Supply teachers are a vitally important resource for schools.

“The NASUWT is deeply concerned about the exploitation supply teachers are routinely facing at the hands of unscrupulous agencies.

“This website facility puts supply teachers back in control.

“It will be a powerful tool to enable supply teachers to influence the market, shining a spotlight not only on the poor practices of bad agencies but also highlighting those agencies that treat their teachers well.

“Supply teachers are often simply too frightened to speak out about their treatment by some of these unscrupulous supply agencies due to threats of ‘blacklisting’.

“This is compounded by the fact that many supply teachers are being asked to sign contracts which include gagging clauses designed to cover up a range of illegal practices.

“No working person should be treated in this way.

“Supply teachers are paid with taxpayers’ money and it is scandalous that this is being siphoned off by offshore umbrella companies who are seeking to avoid paying tax and national insurance by exploiting supply teachers and schools.

“The Government should act to regulate supply agencies, but given the appalling track record of this Coalition in being prepared to regulate to protect working people, the NASUWT is empowering supply teachers themselves to name and shame.”
 


NASUWT Press Office contacts:


Ben Padley 07785 463 119
Lena Davies 07867 392 746
Amanda Williamson 07741 246 202

Notes to editors


The NASUWT’s Annual Conference 2014 is being held at the ICC in Birmingham from 18 to 21 April.

SupplyAdvisor.co.uk

SupplyAdvisor is a new, independent website designed for supply teachers.

SupplyAdvisor puts supply teachers in control, as they can use the website to see the agencies that other supply teachers recommend, and choose to use these agencies accordingly.

SupplyAdvisor also provides links to documents, and websites, which allow supply teachers to gain support or help when needed and understand their rights and levels of pay.

Schools may also choose to use SupplyAdvisor so that they can see the supply agencies that teachers believe are the best, both for levels of pay and quality of training. Schools will know that they are receiving the best value for money for their students.

Supply agencies themselves will also get the chance to comment on reviews of their agencies. This facility is available through a simple moderation process.

Although SupplyAdvisor was developed by the NASUWT, it is designed to be an open and free resource for all supply teachers.

SupplyAdvisor can be found at www.supplyadvisor.co.uk.

Supply teacher survey

Over 1,400 teachers responded to the NASUWT supply teachers survey during February and March 2014. A copy of the survey is attached.

A survey by the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union, of over 1,400 supply teachers has found that nearly two thirds (65%) have been asked to sign a contract or agreement with an umbrella or offshore organisation. These contracts allow the agency to avoid their tax and National Insurance liabilities and deny supply teachers basic legal rights and entitlements

The survey also found that:


over half (56%) of supply teachers say they are not paid at a level commensurate with their experience level;
more than four in ten (41%) supply teachers have experienced a decline in the amount of supply work they have been able to obtain since September 2010. As a result more than a fifth (22%) say they have been forced to claim job seekers allowance;
nearly two thirds (64%) of supply teachers say they do not have access to training and professional development opportunities;
Nearly two thirds (64%) of supply teachers say they do not have any access to a mentor or line manager to discuss their work;
Nearly half (44%) of supply teachers feel they are used to cover the lessons of more challenging pupils;
only 31% of supply teachers said they were always made to feel welcome when entering a new school;
over a third (35%) of supply teachers did not always have access to food and drink facilities in the schools where they worked. Nearly a fifth (17%) did not always have access to school staffrooms.

Teachers who responded to the survey were invited to share their experiences. A selection of their comments is below:

“My wage has been cut between 20%-25% in the last 10 years (depending on the agency I work for). I find I am contacted by other agencies supplying the same schools offering more work if I take a wage cut.”

“Too many schools are calling in supply teachers but only paying them as a cover supervisor, maintaining that the work has been set so the teacher just has to sit and supervise. This never happens; there is always teaching, management, intervention etc to do.”

“I have had to move back home with my parents as I cannot afford to rent. I earn about £13500 pa as a supply teacher. I had to take another job in a shop during the summer holidays to survive.”

House of Lords Inquiry into Personal Service Companies
As a result of its extensive work in supporting and representing supply teachers the NASUWT was the only teachers’ union asked to give evidence to a recent House of Lords Inquiry into umbrella companies and tax avoidance.

A copy of the written evidence which details the NASUWT’s evidence submitted to the inquiry is attached.

The full text of the motion to be debated at the Conference is below:


EXPLOITATION OF SUPPLY TEACHERS
Suzanne Nantcurvis to move,
Bill Cook to second:
Conference condemns the continued exploitation of supply teachers by umbrella companies and supply agencies.
Conference denounces the use by some companies and agencies of zero-hour contracts, which impact detrimentally on the lives of supply teachers and their families.
Conference affirms its opposition to the use of zero-hour contracts and supports the National Executive in campaigning to eradicate their use.
Conference celebrates the invaluable role played by supply teachers within our education system and welcomes the actions taken by the national executive to support supply teacher members.
Conference endorses the continuing work of the national executive to expose and challenge the exploitative practices of umbrella companies and supply agencies.
(Executive)

Lena Davies
Press and Media Officer
NASUWT
0121 457 6250 / 07867 392746
lena.davies@mail.nasuwt.org.uk