What every emergency teacher should know

Contributed by Southern Teaching Services

The following information was provided to us by casual relief teaching agency, Southern Teaching Services, and contains information that may be helpful for those seeking CRT positions.

It is important to remember that your agency is not your employer. The school at which you are working at any given time is your employer. Your agency will not instruct you on how to teach nor assess your abilities/shortfalls in this area. They will however pass on to you the general requirements of the schools, which are as follows:

• You must always be contactable
• Before you start at the school
• When you start teaching

Always be contactable

CRT agencies will try to get you as much work as possible, as economically as possible; your job is to help them do that. Often they will start ringing out the next day’s jobs from 2pm each afternoon, with only a small window of opportunity to get back to them.

Here’s a few tips to help you get those jobs:

• Get an answering machine. Message bank, “101” and mobile phones can be expensive and unreliable. They should NOT be used as a first line of contact. A lot of CRT’s only ring mobiles if they are desperate (imagine the cost of calling 150 mobiles per day at 66c a call!). An answering machine is the most reliable method of ensuring you get their information, and you can leave a different message each day if you want, e.g. 'This is Jenny Jones. I am not available for work tomorrow, Tuesday 15th ... If urgent, you can reach me on ... or by mobile ... '
• Ring your CRT agency on Friday or Saturday and tell them what days you are available/unavailable the following week. You can leave this information on their answering machine if no-one answers.
• If you go out for the evening, ring them before you leave or put your home phone on call-divert to your mobile.
• Leave your bookings diary next to the phone. Make sure it’s up-to-date so anyone at home can accept bookings confidently on your behalf if you are out.

Before you start

You should now consider yourself as a 'business'. Emergency teaching is a highly competitive industry. You should be organised, business-like and tactful. Dress smart, be ‘likeable’ and act professionally. Teaching talent is simply NOT enough. Get yourself a bookings diary and keep it accurately!

Prepare a 'Panic Box' - 3 or 4 activity sheets (30 copies of each) to use in emergency situations to keep children occupied for 15-20 minutes while you prepare for the day. It will save your life. Simple colouring or 'fill-in-the-gap' type activities. Schools will replenish any materials you use while working.

You are welcome to freelance as much as you like at schools which are not registered with your agency. You will not be charged for any work gained at schools outside their registered list, but check to see if they are on the list first.

When you start teaching

CRT agencies will encourage classroom teachers to tell them who they want when they ring for a replacement. This system provides continuity for the children of the grade and increases that CRT’s knowledge of that classroom’s practices and policies. A feeling of familiarity and appreciation is likely to produce greater job satisfaction for you as well.

Please pay your CRT agency within 14 days of their invoice or call them immediately. Don’t write information on the back of cheques or envelopes. If payment is made with someone else’s cheque (or by bank cheque or money order), write your name on the front corner of the item. Always return the tear-off slip (from the account reminder) with your payment.