School Supply Staff - hardship funds / benefits

leodislife · 11 January 2021 at 6:32PM

I am a supply SEN teaching assistant for the last year, i have been working full-time in a the same SEN school for 2-3 months through an agency. Schools having closed apart from for essential worker children and those vulnerable means that i have no more work booked in for the foreseeable future, even though i have made myself available for any placements at any school within a reasonable distance.

I wondered what I am entitled to in terms of benefits and/or grants or schemes?

Currently I don’t get holiday or sick pay, in the last month i am down 50% of my income due to Christmas time off as well as bubbles beings bust as school (i am only paid £65 a day) and now i have no work at all.

Should i just sign on for universal credit? If So, Would this cover my mortgage and other bills?

MovingForwards · 11 January 2021 at 6:37PM

Benefits, no grants etc as you're not self-employed.

UC will cancel any WTC you receive.

Benefits may be enough to pay all your outgoings, it varies person to person. No contribution towards mortgage interest until unemployed and on certain benefits for 9 months and even then it's a loan secured on your property.

leodislife · 11 January 2021 at 7:02PM

This really doesn’t seems fair, I know its not fair for a lot of people, but I can’t believe I, who has actually worked throughout this pandemic and putting myself at risk, not getting anything from the government, looking after and educating the publics children while they work.. am now basically going to lose my home unless i find some other work which i am not trained in. Is there really nothing?

unholyangel · 11 January 2021 at 7:20PM

leodislife said:

This really doesn’t seems fair, I know its not fair for a lot of people, but I can’t believe I, who has actually worked throughout this pandemic and putting myself at risk, not getting anything from the government, looking after and educating the publics children while they work.. am now basically going to lose my home unless i find some other work which i am not trained in. Is there really nothing?

It's likely down to the school. They would have received funding and some of this funding was allocated for your wages. The school have now decided, with being closed and not requiring your services, that they'd prefer to use the money earmarked for your wages towards something else.

What about tutoring? I imagine there would be some call for it, given the number of comments I've seen from those who say they're struggling to work and homeschool.

JGB1955 · 11 January 2021 at 7:30PM

If you are supply staff you are not employed by the school. You are employed by the agency and your pay includes holiday pay (AIUI). Ironically, I know someone who now tutors Wuhan students in secondary school English as a living. Maybe TEFL as something to look at?

CreditCardJunkie · 11 January 2021 at 8:11PM

So sorry to hear about this. The system really is so unfair. Just to note depending on your circumstances... if you do apply for universal credit you can also apply for new style JSA (jobseekers allowance). I have applied for universal credit (which I don't think I will get due to being a married homeowner) and the lovely people on the benefits board here were able to tell me that new style JSA isn't included in the universal credit application, you have to apply seperately. I really hope it all works out for you.

loveka · 11 January 2021 at 8:13PM

Gosh, I really feel for you. That is so terribly unfair.
This must be the case for lots of supply teachers. Have you asked the agency you work through what other people have done? It is just so awful that some people have slipped through the net like this.

leodislife · 12 January 2021 at 12:00AM

JGB1955 said:

If you are supply staff you are not employed by the school. You are employed by the agency and your pay includes holiday pay (AIUI). Ironically, I know someone who now tutors Wuhan students in secondary school English as a living. Maybe TEFL as something to look at?

I really don’t think my pay includes my holiday pay:

i get paid £65 a day. Other perminant TAs get £17500 per annum (usually more), as agency staff if i worked every possible day in the term i would earn £12,025 , if you divide that by full year of 52 weeks / divide by 5 days / divide by 7 hours a day (its usually more than this but that’s the minimum) , you get £6.60 per hour ..

i am a graduate , CPD trained SEN TA, with 3 years experience, team teach training. I would prefer to be permanent staff but there was no jobs, just because I’m agency doesn’t mean i deserve to be treated that way.