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:
- if you are a teacher under a continuing contract in pre-elementary, elementary, intermediate, secondary, including technical and vocational schools, you cannot be paid regular benefits during non-teaching periods, even though you are unemployed, unless your contract ends. However, you may be paid maternity, parental, compassionate care, or family caregiver benefits for children or adults
- if you are a teacher above the secondary school level—at universities, community colleges and CEGEPs—the same rules for regular benefits will apply as other claimants
- if you are a casual or substitute teacher you can be paid regular benefits during non-teaching periods
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:
- the 52-week period immediately before the start date of your claim
- the period from the start of a previous benefit period to the start of your new benefit period, if you applied for benefits earlier and your application was approved in the last 52 weeks
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:
- your teaching contract has ended
- your employment was on a casual or substitute basis
- you qualify for benefits with an occupation other than teaching
Exceptions
First exception - Your teaching contract has ended
- A contract is considered as no longer in effect on the day following the last day of the contract, as long as it is not renewed or no other contract exists. Consequently, regular benefits are payable for any part of a non-teaching period until a new contract is signed, verbally agreed to or effective
- If you are in a repetitive 10-month contract, you are considered to have a termination of contract at the end of the teaching period. However, if a contract for the next teaching period is signed or verbally agreed to with the same school board prior to the termination, you cannot be paid regular benefits for the non-teaching period
- If, during the non-teaching period, you sign or verbally agree to a contract for the next teaching period, you cannot receive regular benefits from that date
- There is no contract termination if you are suspended or on an approved leave of absence with or without pay
- If you do not meet the first exception you need to meet the second or third exception to be paid regular benefits during a non-teaching period
Second exception - Your employment was on a casual or substitute basis
- If the nature of your teaching employment in the qualifying period is on a casual or substitute basis, regular benefits are payable for any part of a non-teaching period, in certain situations
- Casual teaching means irregular, occasional or incidental teaching. If the employment involves filling an unexpected or temporary absence for a short period and, if the employment can be cancelled at any time, it is of a casual nature
- Substitute teaching means the replacement of another teacher for part or all of a school year. However, when teachers sign repetitive 10-month contracts for substitute positions with the same school board and work the full school year, regular benefits cannot be paid unless their contract is actually terminated
- If you are employed on a casual or a substitute basis, for any part of the qualifying period, and you, since the beginning of, or prior to, the non-teaching period have signed or verbally agreed to a regular teaching contract for the following school year, you may not be entitled to benefits during any non-teaching periods that fall within your current benefit period
- If your employment was both regular and casual or on a substitute basis in the qualifying period, you may qualify for benefits even if there was full-time teaching in the qualifying period. For example, if you are under a contract to work full-time from September to January of each year, worked as a substitute teacher from January to March, and on a casual and substitute basis from March to June, you may be paid regular benefits for a non-teaching period
Third exception - Qualify for benefits with an occupation other than teaching
- If you accumulated enough insurable hours in non-teaching employment during the qualifying period, you may still be eligible for regular benefits during non-teaching periods, even if you later signed or verbally agreed to a teaching contract for the following school year
- The benefit rate during the non-teaching period is calculated using the earnings from the other employment. However, if you become unemployed from teaching after a non-teaching period and if you are entitled to be paid benefits, your benefit rate will be adjusted to take into account your insurable earnings from your teaching employment
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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