Employment Insurance and teachers
On this page
- Regular benefits for teachers
- Non-teaching periods
- Teaching in post-secondary schools
- Teaching in primary, secondary or other schools
- Signing or agreeing to a contract
- Apply online
- Proof you're available for work
- Special benefits
- Additional resources
Regular benefits for teachers
As a teacher, you may be able to receive Employment Insurance (EI) regular benefits during non-teaching periods. You must qualify for these benefits like any other individual. However, if you're teaching in primary, secondary and other schools, you will also need to meet certain conditions.
Teachers may also receive special benefits, such as maternity, parental, caregiving or sickness benefits.
Non-teaching periods
Non-teaching periods are times when many teachers are not working. These periods can vary among provinces and territories, as well as from one school to another within a region. These periods include:
- summer break
- winter break
- mid-winter or spring break
A statutory holiday is not considered a non-teaching period, unless it occurs during one of these breaks.
Teaching in post-secondary schools
If you teach at a university, community college or CEGEP, you may be able to receive regular benefits during non-teaching periods if you meet the eligibility criteria.
Teaching in primary, secondary or other schools
If you're a teacher in a pre-elementary, elementary, secondary, technical, vocational or private school, you may be able to receive regular benefits during non-teaching periods, if you meet the eligibility criteria and any of the following conditions.
Conditions
Your teaching contract ends
You may be able to receive regular benefits during non-teaching periods if your contract ends. A contract is considered finished the day after the last day of the contract.
Note: Your contract does not end if you're suspended or on an approved leave of absence, whether it's with or without pay.
You teach on a casual or substitute basis
If you teach casually (irregularly filling in for absent teachers) or as a substitute (replacing another teacher for part or all of a school year), you may be able to receive regular benefits during non-teaching periods.
If, however, you have a recurring 10-month contract for substitute teaching, you may be able to receive regular benefits during non-teaching periods only if your teaching contract ends.
You qualify with employment from non-teaching work
If you're teaching under a contract and also have a non-teaching job, you may be able to receive regular benefits during non-teaching periods. To qualify, you need to have enough hours at your non-teaching job to start a claim based on that work. If that's the case, the number of weeks you can receive and your benefit rate will be based only on your non-teaching work.
If your claim is based only on your non-teaching job and later you become eligible to receive regular or special benefits during a non-teaching period, your claim will be reviewed to determine if your teaching work can now be included. If it can be counted, the number of weeks you can receive and your benefit rate may increase.
Example scenario
Michael teaches at a local primary school under a part-time continuing contract. He also had a part-time job at a restaurant but was laid off in June.
At the start of summer break, Michael applies for EI benefits. Since his teaching contract has not ended, using his teaching hours and earnings to set up his claim means he cannot receive regular benefits during the non-teaching period. However, because Michael has worked enough at his restaurant job to qualify for regular benefits his claim is set up in July using only his hours and earnings from that job.
In September, Michael returns to teaching, but his contract unexpectedly ends in November. When he applies for EI again, his claim from July is reviewed. Now that his teaching contract has ended, his hours and earnings from teaching can be included in his existing claim. This means he may be able to receive a higher benefit rate and additional weeks of regular benefits starting in November.
Signing or agreeing to a contract
If you sign or agree (verbally or in writing) to a teaching contract in a pre-elementary, elementary, secondary, technical, vocational or private school, we will review whether any linkages exist between the new contract and the previous one. Typically, linkages occur when the new contract is with the same school or school board and may include:
- carryover of seniority or pension contributions
- retention of sick leave credits
- continuation of group insurance benefits, including premiums paid by the employer
If you sign or agree to a contract before your current contract ends
- If contract linkages exist: You may not be able to receive regular benefits during non-teaching periods because your current contract is considered still active due to linkages between your contracts
- If no linkages exist: You may be able to receive benefits during a non-teaching period up to the day before the new contract begins
If you sign or agree to a contract after your contract ends
- If contract linkages exist: You may be able to receive regular benefits up to the day before the date the agreement is made, or the contract is signed
- If no linkages exist: You may be able to receive benefits during the non-teaching period up to the day before the new contract begins
Signing a contract after casual or substitute teaching
If your claim is based on casual or substitute teaching, you may be able to receive regular benefits during non-teaching periods. If, during your current claim, you agree to a teaching contract, you may only be able to receive regular benefits during any other non-teaching periods if your teaching contract ends.
Example scenario
Robert taught casually throughout the school year, filling in for teachers who were absent. During the summer, he applied for and received regular benefits.
At the end of August, Robert signed a contract for the upcoming school year to teach at the same school. Since he now has a contract, regular benefits will only be payable during other non-teaching periods if his teaching contract ends.
If you sign or agree to a contract while receiving EI, it's important to contact Service Canada right away so we can advise you on how this affects your benefits.
Apply online
You should apply online as soon as you stop working. If you apply for EI more than 4 weeks after your last day of work, you may lose benefits.
Proof you're available for work
To receive regular benefits, you must prove that you're capable of and available for work by actively looking for employment.
As a teacher during non-teaching periods, you need to prove you're willing and able to accept any offer of suitable employment and that there are no limitations on your ability to accept work. As few teaching positions are available during non-teaching periods, you may have to consider non-teaching jobs. This means you must show that you're seeking work that you can reasonably hope to obtain, especially since non-teaching periods can last many weeks.
Special benefits
Maternity, parental and caregiving benefits
You may be able to receive maternity and parental benefits or caregiving benefits during both teaching and non-teaching periods, as long as you qualify for these benefits.
Sickness benefits
You may be able to receive sickness benefits, as long as you qualify for these benefits. However, if you're teaching in primary, secondary or other schools, to receive sickness benefits in non-teaching periods you must also meet any of the same conditions required for regular benefits, which are:
- Your teaching contract ends
- You teach on a casual or substitute basis
- You qualify with employment from non-teaching work
Additional resources
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