I live in the Devon area and I am finding it difficult to find a teaching job. I qualified in July and completed a term’s supply, which never amounted to a full week. I had been told by people that there was a huge demand for supply, but this doesn’t seem to have been the case. I’ve tried everything. I am not sure, financially, if I can go on with one or two days supply a week and I am thinking of taking a temporary office job. Would this ruin my chances of finding a permanent teaching job in September?
A: You don’t say whether you are looking for a post in primary or secondary.
If the former, the job market is tough and set to get tougher this summer as the extra trainees recruited in 2003 hit a job market already over-supplied in many popular areas. You may be needed in a couple of years’ time when large numbers of teachers retire; but that is no help now.
The Government seems to be ignoring the fact that although it set the training target, it has done nothing to help you find a teaching post. Keep trying, but I fear any job outside teaching won’t help your chances of obtaining a permanent post in September. The only alternative is to look for teaching posts in another part of the country, if it’s possible.