If you’re looking to return to teaching you may be wondering where to start. No matter what stage you’re at, supply teaching can be a great way to regain confidence in the classroom.
 
Perhaps you’re a qualified teacher who took a few years out to go travelling, or maybe you took a longer hiatus to pursue other career avenues before realising teaching is where your passion lies.
 
Whatever your reason for leaving teaching, one thing’s for sure: the industry will welcome you back with open arms.
 
Schools are crying out for more teachers, especially teachers with experience already behind them so, if that’s you and you’re wondering where to turn next, we’ve got some top tips to help you return to teaching.
 
How to return to teaching
 
Every year thousands of trained teachers leave the profession, be that to retire or change career.
 
Whatever a teacher’s reason for leaving a school, if you’ve got a burning desire to get back into teaching, there are a few things that will help you.

There is no doubt about it – nursery practitioners have one of the toughest, yet most rewarding jobs going.
 
Responsible for supporting and guiding children through their preschool years, it is a career that requires dedication, passion and sensitivity.
 
It goes without saying that you will need to enjoy being around young babies and children if you want to become a nursery practitioner; however, there’s much more to it than that.
 
Here we explore just what it takes to become a great nursery practitioner.
 
Nursery practitioner qualifications
 
More often than not nursery practitioners begin their career working as an assistant within a nursery setting. As an assistant you may be working under supervision and therefore no formal qualifications are required, or you may be working towards a qualification for example completing an apprenticeship.

Continuing professional development is important in all industries, but for teachers it’s especially vital to ensure effectiveness in the classroom.

Not only that, it can increase teacher motivation and confidence and stand you in good stead when moving between schools – something supply teachers know all too well.

CPD for teachers helps keep you up to date with your chosen specialism, if you have one, as well as stay abreast of the latest approaches to teaching.

It’s easy to get swallowed up in the day-to-day busyness that being a teacher inevitably attracts; however, investing in CPD can put you head and shoulders above the rest, as well as making sure you offer the best possible teaching environment for the students in your classroom.

What is CPD and why should you do it?

So, what exactly is CPD training for teachers?

Put simply, continuing professional development is the practice of engaging in activities which develop your professional skills in a given industry.

It encourages teachers to take an active role in their career, enabling them to keep their qualifications up to date and even train in new areas.

It is of huge benefit to supply teachers because not only does it strengthen your professional credibility, it can also boost your confidence levels and allow you to be more creative in the classroom.

An additional benefit, and one great reason why schools and supply teaching agencies promote CPD, is it underpins high teaching standards and ensures everyone in a school is working towards the same goal.
Finally, CPD ensures teachers are compliant and up to date with the Department for Education and Ofsted’s requirements, which are continually evolving and changing.

​Primary supply teaching offers qualified teachers a flexible working arrangement with greater variety than a permanent school placement.
 
It can be a great option for those wanting to dip their toe into teaching after qualifying, for anyone wanting to work more flexibly around their family or for teachers looking to wind down into retirement.
 
Being a supply teacher means less responsibility when it comes to lesson planning, a greater variety of classrooms and the chance to plan your own work schedule.
 
But, as with any career move, there are a few things you need to consider before jumping in the deep end.
 
For anyone thinking about becoming a supply teacher, it can be hard knowing where to start, which is why we’ve put together our top seven tips for getting into primary supply teaching.

Primary supply teacher qualifications
 
If you’ve found yourself reading this article the chances are you’ve already got the necessary qualifications to be a supply teacher.
 
You’ll need to have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), so if you’ve already gained your qualification then you’re good to go in terms of primary supply teaching.
 
If you’re in the middle of your studies you may be wondering if supply teaching is a good option for you.
 
Many newly-qualified teachers use supply teaching as a way of dipping their toe into the water before taking on a permanent placement with a school, while others choose to return to supply teaching after completing their statutory induction, working on supply for the remainder of their career’
 
Whatever your position, so long as you have QTS, then primary supply teaching is an option available to you.