Supply work can change quickly. A placement may finish, your availability may change or a suitable opportunity may become available at short notice.

Keeping your details accurate helps your teaching agency understand when, where and how you would like to work. It can also reduce delays when a suitable SEND or mainstream education role becomes available.

This evergreen checklist is for supply teachers, teaching assistants, HLTAs, cover supervisors, learning support assistants and other education support staff registered with Axcis Education.

Your placement-readiness checklist

To help Axcis match you with suitable opportunities, regularly check that the following information is current:

• Your available working days
• The locations you can realistically reach
• Your preferred roles, age groups and education settings
• Your contact details
• Your CV and recent experience
• Your compliance documents
• Your training and qualifications
• Your availability calendar in the Axcis App

You do not need to wait until the beginning of a new term to update these details. Let your consultant know whenever something changes.

Is your availability up to date?

Availability is one of the most important details to keep current.

Your circumstances may change during the academic year. You might become available for additional days, need to reduce your working week or have specific dates when you cannot accept work.

Make sure your consultant knows:

• Which days of the week you can work
• Whether you are looking for full-time or part-time work
• Whether you are available for daily supply
• Whether you would consider short-term or long-term placements
• When you can start
• About any upcoming dates when you will be unavailable

Registered Axcis candidates can also use the Axcis App to keep their availability calendar current.

Accurate availability means your consultant is less likely to contact you about work you cannot accept and better placed to speak to you when a suitable opportunity arises.

How far can you realistically travel?

Travel preferences are just as important as availability.

Consider how far you can comfortably travel each day and whether that changes depending on the length or type of placement. A journey that is manageable for a long-term opportunity may not be practical for a single day of supply work.

Tell your consultant:

• Which areas you can reach
• How you usually travel
• How long you are willing to spend travelling
• Whether you rely on public transport
• Whether your travel range changes for longer-term roles
• About any locations that are not practical for you

Be realistic rather than giving the widest possible area. Clear travel preferences help your consultant identify opportunities that are genuinely workable for you.

Have your role and setting preferences changed?

Experience can change what you are interested in.

A teaching assistant may discover an interest in a particular age group. A mainstream teacher may want to develop their SEND experience. Someone who has worked in an alternative provision may decide they would like more opportunities in similar settings.

Review whether your consultant knows:

• The roles you would like to consider
• The age groups you prefer
• Whether you are interested in SEND, mainstream or both
• The types of settings in which you feel most confident
• Any areas in which you would like to gain experience
• Whether you would consider temporary, long-term or permanent work
• Any responsibilities you are not trained or authorised to undertake

Preferences help guide the search, but they can evolve. Let your consultant know when your interests, experience or career goals change.

Are your contact details correct?

Your teaching agency needs to be able to reach you when a relevant opportunity arises.

Check that Axcis has your current:

• Mobile number
• Email address
• Home address
• Emergency contact details, where required
• Preferred method of contact

If you change your telephone number, email address or home address, tell your consultant promptly.

It is also worth checking your voicemail and email regularly when you are actively looking for work. If you miss a call, respond when you can rather than assuming the opportunity is no longer available.

Is your CV current?

Your CV should develop as your experience grows.

Update it after completing a significant placement, taking on new responsibilities or completing relevant training. Making small updates regularly is easier than trying to remember everything several months later.

Consider adding:

• The type of education setting
• The age groups you supported
• Your main responsibilities
• Relevant SEND experience
• Communication approaches you used
• Classroom or behaviour-support experience
• Interventions or programmes you supported
• Training and qualifications
• Achievements or examples of positive impact

Do not include confidential information or details that could identify individual children or young people.

For further guidance, read our article on What Schools Actually Notice on SEND CVs .

Are your compliance documents current?

Compliance is an essential part of working safely in education.

The documents or checks required will depend on your circumstances, role and placement. Your Axcis consultant or compliance team will tell you if anything needs to be supplied, renewed or reviewed.

This may include:

• Right to Work documentation
• Proof of address
• References
• DBS information
• Safeguarding training
• Relevant qualifications or certificates
• Additional documentation required for a particular role

A DBS certificate does not have an official expiry date, but a teaching agency or education setting may require a new check or updated information depending on its safeguarding procedures and the circumstances of the placement.

Do not wait until you are due to begin work to respond to a compliance request. Providing requested information promptly can help prevent unnecessary delays.

If you are unsure whether anything is outstanding, contact the Axcis compliance team or speak to your consultant.

Have you completed any new training?

Professional development can strengthen your knowledge, build confidence and help you prepare for a wider range of education settings.

Tell your consultant when you complete relevant training or gain a new qualification. This could include learning related to:

• Safeguarding
• Autism
• ADHD
• Social, emotional and mental health needs
• Communication
• Positive approaches to behaviour support
• Trauma-informed practice
• Moving and handling
• Personal care
• Medical needs
• Specific teaching subjects or age groups

Training does not automatically authorise you to carry out every associated task. Always follow the individual setting’s procedures and do not undertake medical, personal care, physical intervention or moving and handling duties without the necessary training, information and authorisation.

Registered Axcis candidates can access continuing professional development through the Axcis Academy .

Are you using the Axcis App?

The Axcis App helps registered candidates manage important parts of their work with Axcis.

Depending on the features available to you, the app can help you:

• Update your availability
• View upcoming bookings
• Manage timesheets
• Search for education jobs
• Upload requested documents
• Access important placement information

Check that you can sign in and that the information shown is accurate. If you experience a problem with the app or something does not match what you have agreed with your consultant, contact Axcis for support.

The app is useful, but it does not replace direct communication. Speak to your consultant when your circumstances, preferences or career goals change.

What should you check before accepting a placement?

Before agreeing to a placement, make sure you understand the essential details.

Ask about:

• The school or education setting
• The location and correct site
• The role and expected responsibilities
• The age group or class
• The start and anticipated end date
• The working hours
• Whether the role is daily, short-term or long-term
• Any essential experience or training requirements
• Who you should report to
• Any other practical information available at that stage

Not every detail about individual learners can or should be shared before a booking is confirmed. However, you should receive enough information to decide whether the role is appropriate for your experience and whether you can reach the setting reliably.

If the role is substantially different when you arrive, or you are asked to undertake responsibilities that were not agreed, contact your consultant.

How should you prepare once a placement is confirmed?

Once you have accepted a booking:

1. Confirm the address and correct site.
2. Plan your journey.
3. Check your arrival time.
4. Review the agreed role information.
5. Make sure you know who to report to.
6. Take any identification or documents you have specifically been asked to bring.
7. Save your consultant’s contact details.
8. Ask if there is anything else you need to know before arriving.

Every school and education setting works differently. You are not expected to know every routine on your first day, but you should ask questions, observe established approaches and follow the setting’s safeguarding procedures.

Read our universal guide: Your First Day in a New School or Education Setting: What You Need to Know .

What if you have not worked for a while?

If you have had a break from education work, contact your consultant before marking yourself as fully available.

You may need to:

• Update your CV
• Provide more recent information or documents
• Review your references
• Complete current safeguarding training
• Discuss any changes to your preferred roles
• Confirm when you are ready to return
• Refresh your knowledge through CPD

A break does not necessarily prevent you from returning to education work. Giving Axcis accurate information helps the team explain the next steps and identify anything that needs to be completed before you can accept another placement.

How often should you update your teaching agency?

You do not need to contact your consultant every day. You should, however, provide an update whenever important information changes.

Contact Axcis if:

• Your available days change
• You become available for work
• You accept work elsewhere
• Your travel range changes
• You want to explore different roles or settings
• Your contact details change
• You complete relevant training
• You gain new experience
• You need to pause your availability
• You are ready to return after a break
• You have questions about your compliance status

Even when nothing major has changed, an occasional check-in can confirm that your recorded preferences remain accurate.

Frequently asked questions

Should I update my availability even if it has not changed?

If your availability calendar is already accurate, you do not need to make unnecessary changes. However, it is worth checking it regularly and confirming that your consultant has the correct information.

Can I change the types of roles I want?

Yes. Your role and setting preferences may change as you gain experience. Tell your consultant what you would now like to consider and discuss whether you need any additional experience or training.

Should I say that I can travel anywhere to increase my chances of finding work?

No. Give a realistic travel range. Being contacted about placements you cannot reliably reach is frustrating for you, the school and your consultant.

Do I need to update my CV after every day of supply work?

Not necessarily. Update it when a placement has added meaningful experience, responsibilities, skills or training. You can keep private notes of shorter assignments to help you remember the range of settings in which you have worked, but do not record confidential learner information.

Does my DBS certificate expire?

DBS certificates do not have an official expiry date. However, employers and teaching agencies can determine when a new check or updated information is required. Follow the instructions given by Axcis or the relevant education setting.

Can updating my availability guarantee me work?

No. Updating your details cannot guarantee a placement. It does, however, help your consultant understand which opportunities are appropriate and when you are able to work.

Should I contact Axcis if I accept work elsewhere?

Yes. Let your consultant know that you are no longer available, or update the relevant dates in the Axcis App. This helps prevent unnecessary calls and ensures that your record remains accurate.

Keep your details accurate and your options open

Staying ready for your next education placement does not mean accepting every role or making yourself available at all times.

It means giving your teaching agency clear, current information about when you can work, where you can travel and which opportunities are suitable for you.

Keep your availability, preferences, CV and compliance information up to date. Use the Axcis App where appropriate, stay in contact with your consultant and ask whenever you are unsure about what is required.

Small updates can make the process clearer for everyone and help Axcis approach you about SEND and mainstream education opportunities that better reflect your experience, availability and goals.

This article provides general information for education professionals. Registered candidates should follow the instructions provided by their Axcis consultant and the requirements of the individual education setting.