As part of a series on teacher pay and agency supply rates, Ollie Parsons lifts the veil on supply teacher pay rates to help you calculate if you’re getting a fair deal.
Teachers! Know your rates!
With the October resignation deadline on the horizon schools will soon be employing new staff for November/January starts and many of these roles will be filled by agencies on a long term supply basis.
Most agencies will have fixed rates when it comes to day to day supply but for long term roles there can be a huge range in pay rates quoted to teachers. So how do agencies work out their rates and what goes on behind the numbers?
Too often teachers will sign up to agencies without any idea of what to expect in terms of pay and what is fair and right. Read on for information about the true value of your experience and the things to be aware of when negotiating pay with agencies.
I’m on M5, what is my daily rate?
Most agencies will be very coy when it comes to discussing rates with teachers and can often be hard to pin down to a specific figure. When pushed they will quote figures which have little to do with a teacher’s pay and experience, in the hopes that you will accept a manageable rate that will allow them to maintain their margins when negotiating with their client schools.
Qualified Teachers Inner London: 1 Sept 2021 – 31 August 2022
| Spine Point | Max Salary | Daily Rate |
|---|---|---|
| M1 | £32,157 | £165 |
| M2 | £33,658 | £173 |
| M3 | £35,226 | £181 |
| M4 | £36,866 | £190 |
| M5 | £39,492 | £203 |
| M6 | £42,624 | £219 |
| UPS 1 | £46,971 | £241 |
| UPS 2 | £49,279 | £253 |
| UPS 3 | £50,935 | £262 |
Figures taken from the NASUWT website
You’re being paid to scale, honest.
To establish a paid to scale long term daily rate for a teacher you simply take their current annual salary, based on where they sit on the teacher pay scale and divide it by the number of working days in a school year (195) – that’s it.
The figures above are the daily rates you should be receiving if an agency says you are being paid in line with your experience (for this current year). Rates for outer London and fringe areas will be lower but the same principles apply.
The next time an agency tells you you are being paid to scale, refer to the table above. If you are going to take on a long term supply role at a school, where you will be expected to fulfil the duties of a permanent member of staff, then you can rightly expect to be paid in line with your experience according to the national pay scales.
Don’t be afraid to push back. Remember:
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Know what you are worth. The agency might be basing their charge rates to the school around the above figures, regardless of whether that’s actually what they are paying you.
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Clarify if you are going to be paid PAYE or via umbrella, ask for the agency’s Key Information Document (KID).
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If you are going to be paid via umbrella ask what your gross pay is, after employer’s deductions (Employer’s NI and Pension Contributions) have been calculated.
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You are within your rights to be paid PAYE. Don’t settle for less when you don’t have to.
For more information on how umbrella services affect your pay click here for a full breakdown in our previous blog post. TLDR? It can cut as much as 20% out of your daily pay packet, and that’s before any of your tax or expenses are accounted for.