I qualified in July but couldn’t get a job so I’ve been doing supply since September. How long can I do supply before I have to get a permanent job? And what happens if I haven’t got one by then? If I do a year of supply, will it count towards any points for me - or doesn’t it work like that?

You can only do supply until the end of autumn term 2002. The rule for newly qualified teachers is that no more than a year and a term can be worked on engagements of less than one term. This begins on your first day on supply and is measured in calendar terms from then, rather than an aggregation of your work. You don’t have to have done a lot of supply - from the day you begin work, the clock starts ticking. After January 2003 you won’t be allowed to do supply placements of less than a term.

Make sure the supply agency knows you’re an NQT. They should try to find you a term’s placement because then you can and must be on induction. The only rule about this is that you have to have a regular timetable rather than doing cover. It wouldn’t be ideal, but you can serve your induction period in three different schools, one term in each.

If you are on induction as a supply teacher, the school should treat you like any other NQT on the staff. You should have an induction tutor who should organise your support, monitoring and assessment. The school can claim pound;1,000 per term from the local education authority for your 10 per cent reduced timetable and other induction expenses. Schools may not feel that it’s worth investing time in helping an NQT for one term, but you need to ensure that you get your induction entitlement - and it should make you a better teacher.

If you get a job that’s not on supply, all the better. It doesn’t have to be permanent, as long as it’s for at least a term. You can do induction on a temporary contract. Unfortunately, some schools won’t give NQTs permanent contracts.

E-mail questions to susan.young@newsint.co.uk. Sara Bubb cannot enter into personal correspondence. More questions answered at www.tes.co.uk. Sara Bubb’s ‘A Newly-Qualified Teachers’ Manual: how to meet the induction standards’ is published by David Fulton, pound;15.