Teacher supply agencies are making millions of pounds while sending schools unqualified and inexperienced staff, a special Schools Week investigation has found. Jessica Hill reports…
The recruitment crisis and soaring sickness have led to big profits for teacher supply companies, with an analysis of annual accounts showing the country’s seven largest agencies recording £68.4 million in gross profit.
But the recruitment squeeze has led to a scramble for staff, with hundreds of agency adverts for unqualified teachers to run classrooms, and a spike in demand for cover supervisors, who have less experience.
While some supply staff report earning as little as £50 a day, one company claims an agency recruiter could earn more than £100,000 a year with paid-for holidays abroad. Previous all-staff trips included to Ibiza and Mallorca.
