Employment Insurance and teachers

Important notice for teachers and support staff

You will not be issued a 16-digit reference code. Please complete your application without using a reference code.

If you are a teacher, you may be paid Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. However, because of contractual arrangements in the teaching profession there are some variations to the EI rules. This means that:

Non-teaching periods

Non-teaching periods are periods during which no work is performed by people engaged in teaching. They generally include the summer break, Christmas and the mid-winter or spring break. A statutory holiday is not considered a non-teaching period, unless it falls within a non-teaching period.

The non-teaching periods may vary among provinces and even from one school to another within a region.

Qualifying period

The qualifying period is the shorter of:

When any or all the insurable hours that fall within the qualifying period have been accumulated while you were employed as a teacher, no regular benefits can be paid for any week of unemployment that falls in a non-teaching period.

However, 3 exceptions to that rule allow you to be paid regular benefits. These exceptions are:

Exceptions

First exception - Your teaching contract has ended

Second exception - Your employment was on a casual or substitute basis

Third exception - Qualify for benefits with an occupation other than teaching

Proof that you are available for work

Like any other person who claims regular benefits, to be paid benefits you must prove that you are capable of and available for work and unable to find suitable employment for any working day that falls within your benefit period, including any non-teaching period.

As a teacher, you need to show that, during a non-teaching period, you are willing and able to accept immediately any offer of suitable employment and that no restrictions exist that would limit your employment opportunities. As few teaching opportunities exist during a non-teaching period, you may have to consider non-teaching jobs. This means that you must show that you are actually seeking a type of work which you can reasonably hope to obtain, particularly when some non-teaching periods are spread over many weeks.

Working while receiving benefits

If you work while receiving EI benefits, you can still receive part of your benefits. After serving your waiting period, you can keep 50 cents of your benefits for every dollar you earn, up to 90% of the weekly earnings used to calculate your EI benefit rate. Earnings above 90% will be deducted dollar-for-dollar from your benefits.

For more information on how earnings impact your benefits, visit Working While on Claim.

Maternity and parental benefits

You can be paid maternity and parental benefits during both the teaching and non-teaching periods, as long as you meet the requirements to receive benefits.

Sickness benefits

Sickness benefits can be paid during the teaching period only, including situations where the illness during the teaching period extends over to the non-teaching period, or where the illness during the non-teaching period extends over to the teaching period.

Sickness benefits will not be paid to you during non-teaching periods unless 1 of the 3 exceptions is met.

Caregiving benefits

Compassionate care benefits can be paid during both the teaching and non-teaching period, as long as you meet the requirements to receive benefits.

Family caregiver benefits for children or adults can be paid during both the teaching and non-teaching period, as long as you meet the requirements to receive benefits.

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