The teacher shortage across the country has had a significant impact on booking trends. One thing we are noticing more than ever is an increase in the number of booking requests being made that are missing key details like the class or subject that needs covering.
While we understand that sometimes schools are forced to create bookings with incomplete information, if done regularly it can lead to anxiety among casuals and result in bookings going unfilled. With this situation in mind, we have introduced a new feature aiming to combat the problem.
Flexi Bookings boost transparency, allowing schools to create a booking request before they have all the details, while at the same time ensuring that casual teachers are kept in the loop.
Why do schools make booking requests with missing info?
To get a better understanding of the reasons behind this, we surveyed a group of schools that had recently made booking requests with incomplete details. Here’s what we discovered:
- 60% of schools create bookings in advance — The largest chunk of schools reported leaving fields blank because they create bookings in advance, often before they know which teacher / class will need covering.
- 20% expected last-minute changes to the booking — This group of schools left information out in case of last-minute changes to the booking. They didn’t want teachers preparing for a class they may not end up teaching.
- 5% left out information intentionally — The smallest group of schools said they intentionally left some fields blank when they knew a certain class or subject would deter casuals from accepting the job.
And how do casuals respond to incomplete booking requests?
We also surveyed a group of the casual teachers using ClassCover to get a better understanding of what they think of booking requests with missing details. Here’s what they had to say:
- For 40% of relief teachers it depends on the school — The majority of casual teachers that responded said the likelihood of them accepting a booking request with missing info depended on the school it was coming from, particularly their relationship with that school.
- 29% ignore incomplete booking requests — This group of teachers said they ignore all incomplete booking requests, neither accepting or declining them.
- 23% accept all bookings — This group accepts all bookings, despite missing fields.
- 8% decline bookings with missing info — Finally, the smallest group of respondents said they will decline all bookings with missing details.
Interestingly, of the same group of casual teachers interviewed above, 57% said they would be more likely to respond to a booking request with missing info if they knew it was a Flexi Booking.
What is Flexi Bookings?
Flexi Bookings gives schools the ability to create a booking request and send it to some or all of the teachers on your list without putting in all the details that are normally required. Next time you are in the Booking Request screen in ClassCover you will see the option to make a Flexi Booking.
Once accepted by a casual teacher, Flexi Bookings sit in your school’s calendar as normal. When you select a day with Flexi Bookings on it, more information will appear in the Bookings List panel. As the day of the booking approaches, you will be prompted to fill out the missing details if you know them. This is important as it allows the casual who has accepted the job to properly prepare.
What do Flexi Bookings look like for Relief Teachers?
For teachers, the process to accept a Flexi Booking is much the same as any other booking on ClassCover. The biggest difference is that they will see that a request is for a Flexi Booking when it appears in their requests. And like your school’s Calendar, a booking will be listed as a Flexi Booking for teachers as well.
Ready to check it out? Make a Flexi Booking.
