There are many different reasons people register to work on supply in schools. Some are experienced teachers wanting a better work/life balance, whilst others work on supply at the start of their career to gain more skills and experience.
For Monarch Education candidate, Ziaul, he wanted to gain experience working in a school setting before applying for his PGCE.
With a background in sports coaching and experience of working in different communities to support health issues, such as obesity and mental health, Ziaul didn’t always want to be a teacher. It wasn’t until the pandemic that he decided to become a teacher.
“I missed the deadline to apply for my PGCE so I decided to join Monarch Education as a Cover Supervisor to build my experience of working in a school setting. On reflection, I would’ve struggled to complete my PGCE if I hadn’t joined Monarch.
“I have learnt so much in the past 12 months. Every day was a new experience and I was gathering new skills. Working in a school is different to my sports coaching. I had to adopt a different teaching style and a different persona,” explained Ziaul.
As a Cover Supervisor, Ziaul manages the classroom in the teacher’s absence by using pre-prepared materials. He can cover any subject or year group. Although Ziaul will specialise in PE whilst he completes his PGCE, being a Cover Supervisor has given him a good foundation and experience teaching different subjects.
“With covering a class, a lot of the work set is textbook work. Not many students like textbook work so it can be challenging to keep everyone on track during lessons and that has helped me hone my teaching style.
“It is rewarding when you help a student who is struggling. I enjoy interacting with the pupils and helping them in PE because I can use my sports coaching skills.”
Through registering with Monarch Education, Ziaul has built a good foundation to support him with his PGCE. He admits he didn’t enjoy school himself and he is trying to use his experience to inspire and support the pupils he teaches.
“I didn’t enjoy school and I struggled with some of the subjects, but I worked hard to get my degree and my masters and hopefully my PGCE. I try to inspire the pupils by telling them of my personal experiences and explaining how you can achieve anything if you work hard.
“I think pupils can relate to me because I am a bit younger. I can’t build a close relationship with the pupils, as I’m constantly covering classes in different schools. It is rewarding when pupils come up to me and tell me about their sports and what they are doing in the gym. I feel like I am making a difference.”
Throughout his time at Monarch Education, Ziaul has worked in a range of different schools and has secured full-time hours due to the guaranteed work scheme.
“The guaranteed work scheme has been really good. It’s meant I haven’t had to look for another job. I have been so busy with Monarch that I didn’t need to register with another agency. If there is no work available then I still get paid, so it has helped me have a regular income.”
Looking to gain experience working in a school setting? Contact our team today.
