mike.riverside@tiscali.co.uk

I started working as a cover supervisor in a small team a few weeks ago in the South-West. I am a french-speaking Religious Studies graduate with lots of TEFL experience and have just spent over a year as a teaching assistant. I am in the process of changing my career from working in the Church. It is early days and my opinions may change but so far I see the post as a good way to ensure continuity. I am not expected to teach but to present a prepared lesson plan (usually written tasks) and supervise the carrying out of the task. I cover most lessons not because of illness but because of meetings, training, etc., and there is a very good rapport between the teaching staff and the cover team. The pay is not high but I do believe people who already have experience in a teaching/classroom environment will be attracted to the cover supervisor position as a stepping stone to qualifying as a teacher, which is what I am doing. I hope this small piece of information is useful.