Unless you are familiar with education lingo or the sector it’s highly likely that you have no idea what a cover supervisor is. But if you have attended school (and we are pretty sure you have) you have probably interacted with a cover supervisor without knowing. 

In short, a cover supervisor is someone who supervises a class in the absence of a teacher and ensures that the work set is completed. See, we told you that you knew what we were talking about!

To become a cover supervisor you must be educated to degree level and some experience working for young people. The role is great for those who may run or help to run after-school clubs or classes e..g, sports coaches or dance tutors.

It can also be helpful to those who are unsure whether a career in education is for them, like Matthew Taylor, for example, as it gives you great insight into what life is like as a teacher.

Following working for us as a cover supervisor, Matthew had this to say:

“I would personally like to thank Smile Education Recruitment for giving me the opportunity to gain invaluable experiences in a wide variety of educational settings over the last two years.

I fully recommend to anyone intending on doing a PGCE to gain experience as a cover supervisor as, without this opportunity, I wouldn't be as confident about training to teach as I am now.”

However, it takes a certain type of person to be a cover supervisor and you will need to be flexible, good at communicating and have a thick skin. Of course, you’ll also need to enjoy working with young people too.

As a cover supervisor, you would be responsible for managing the classroom and ensuring that the students stay on task. Unlike a qualified teacher a cover supervisor isn’t required to:

-Plan lessons

-Have subject knowledge 

-Set homework

-Set targets

To help make your transition into the role as easy as possible we run Cover Supervisor Training Courses several times throughout the year. The training covers what is expected on you in the role and offers advice and guidance on how to manage a classroom. 

Does this sound like something you could do? If so, we’d love to speak with you. Get in touch with us today by calling 0121 210 5000 or head over to our ‘Get in Touch’ page where you can send us a message.