Teacher work extends beyond regular school hours. Many professional responsibilities can only be accomplished after school, during evenings or on weekends.
When employment ends or a teacher accesses maternity or parental leave or applies for other Employment Insurance (EI) special benefits, employers produce a Record of Employment (ROE) that the teacher uses for filing an EI claim. The number of hours reported by the school board on the ROE varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In many cases, the hours do not reflect the amount of time worked.
Typically, substitute teachers, part-time teachers and teachers who work only a portion of a full year are most vulnerable to denial of a claim due to insufficient hours.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association has assisted teachers in making successful EI claim appeals relating to a shortage of hours. Teachers whose appeals succeeded had kept accurate and detailed records of additional hours they spent outside their normally scheduled instructional hours and were able to prove that they qualified for benefits.
If you are a teacher working as a substitute, part-time or less than a full school year, you are advised to keep a record of any time worked so that if you ever file for EI and are denied benefits, you will be able to provide evidence of work you have done.
Start a weekly record of hours worked. Keep a daily planner and a copy of your school calendar and timetable. Record additional time devoted to professional duties such as lesson planning, classroom and materials maintenance, curricular activities, marking, report cards, supervision, consultations with teachers and others and administration duties—related to administrative designations only and professional development.
For more information, visit The Service Canada website or contact the ATA’s Teacher Welfare program area at 780-447-9400 (Edmonton area) or toll free at 1-800-232-7208.
