FAQ

Who to Contact Questions

• Who can I contact if I have a question?

  Call us at 416-423-3600 or email [email protected]. Social media can be helpful, but the best source of truth is your Union.
• I have a problem with my payslip, who can I call?

  Call Payroll at 416-395-9642. The OTBU Handbook📄 has a full contact list.
• I have a question about benefits?

  Contact Benefits at 416-395-9642. Refer to the OTBU Handbook 📄 for more information. Try both phone and email for best results.

Resources & Documentation

• Where can I find a copy of the OT Handbook?

  You can find the OT Handbook 📄.
• Where can I get a copy of the Collective Agreement?

  Please check the Documents & Forms section for the Collective Agreement 📄.

Profile Updates & Job-Related Procedures

• How do I update my OT profile?

  1. Log on to your SmartFind profile. Under ‘Schedule’, check ‘Locations’ and ‘Classifications’.
  2. If locations or classification codes are missing, log in to the TDSB Staff section and go to ‘Employee Services’. Under ‘SmartFind Express’, select ‘Teachers/Occasional Teachers’.
  3. Download the ‘Occasional Teacher Profile’ PDF. Add any additional locations and codes.
  4. Email this form to [email protected].
  5. If you have difficulties, contact the SmartFind Teaching Dispatch Help Desk at 416-338-4747 Ext. 2, or the OTBU office at 416-423-3600.

• What is the sequence of the job callout?

  1. Specifically requested by school
  2. School’s preferred lists by subject/grade
  3. School’s priority list (not by subject/grade)
  4. OT’s preferred schools/zones by qualified subject
  5. OT’s preferred schools/zones by willingness to teach the subject
  6. OT’s preferred schools/zones regardless of subject

• Why do I receive calls for which I am not qualified?

  You may be on a school’s priority list, or SFE may call you if no subject/grade-qualified OT is available. The decision to accept these jobs is yours.
• Can schools request me?

  Yes, if not restricted as a condition of employment. Schools can request you by:
  – Personally contacting you to be pre-booked (the school should enter the job in SFE immediately)
  – Entering the job into SFE and specifying you as the requested OT. Accept or decline the job immediately.
• How do I do my OT Renewal?

  Members should have received an email from the TDSB about renewing their place on the Occasional sometime near the end of May/start of June. To remain on the OT list, you are required to complete the online renewal at www.tdsb.on.ca . YOU MUST RENEW ONLINEThe online renewal form will be on the TDSB website starting June 1st.

  1. Go to www.tdsb.on.ca
  2. Click on Staff at the top of the page
  3. Log in with your account
  4. Click on the TDSBWEB link on the Welcome to the MyTDSB page
  5. Click on Employee Services, follow through to forms

  If you experience difficulties logging in, contact the Client Services Desk at 416-395-4357, option 5.

• What happens if I do not renew to stay on the OT list and the deadline passes?

  If you failed to apply to be reinstated to the OT Roster by the July 30th deadline or did not complete the minimum of 20 days required to remain on the Secondary OT roster, you will be removed from the OT roster.You can apply for Reinstatement before the end of July.After July 30th, starting August 1st, you then have to apply through Recruiting.

  The OTBU Handbook found on the homepage in the Documents & Forms section has information on who to contact.

Incident Reporting & Safety

• What should I do if I experience an incident at work or feel bullied?

  Download and fill out these forms:
  Safe and Caring Incident Reporting Form- Part1 📄
  Bullying and Harassment Form 📄
  Concern Form 📄
  Only the OTBU receives the Bullying and Harassment Form. You may send the other forms at your discretion.
• What steps can I take if someone assaults me at work?

  Please report it to the Principal and call your Union.
  The OTBU Handbook (on the homepage in the Documents & Forms section) has a section on what to do. See Appendix A.
  OT Handbook 2022-2023 📄
  Definitions:
  Workplace Violence includes physical force, attempts, or threats that could cause injury. Assailants can be students, co-workers, parents, guardians, or visitors.
• Do I have the right to refuse unhealthy, unsafe work?

  Yes. The law protects employees from discipline if they refuse unsafe work under Section 43 of Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.
  Steps:
  1. Report the problem.
  2. Ensure student safety.
  3. Remain in a safe place.
  4. If you still feel there are “reasonable grounds” to refuse, contact your representative or a government inspector.
  5. Contact the District Office.

Occasional Teacher Information

• What is an Occasional Teacher?

  The Education Act defines an occasional teacher as someone employed by a board to substitute for a teacher or temporary teacher who is or was part of the regular teaching staff.
  Occasional and Contract teachers share many common traits: both should be certified, pay dues to OSSTF, contribute to the Teachers’ Pension Plan, and be responsible for curriculum and teacher testing.
• Do Occasional Teachers have rights?

  Yes. Occasional teachers who pay union dues are members like other teachers and have the rights and responsibilities spelled out in their collective agreement.
• What should my workload be?

  A casual occasional teacher should not be assigned more than 1.0 FTE. The ideal workload for a full-time assignment is 3.0 periods plus 0.5 period for other duties. A daily OT can be asked to do a full period on-call. Contact OTBU if you are regularly assigned full-period on-calls.
  An LTO teacher assumes the duties of the absent teacher and is bound by their workload provisions.
• How many consecutive days as an OT do I have to work before it becomes an LTO?

  Ten. After ten consecutive days, the job is considered an LTO and is made retroactive. Contact your O.A.

Scheduling Conflicts & Job Management

• What happens if I fail to work 20 full-time equivalent days during the school year?

  From the Collective Agreement:
  Collective Agreement 📄
  The Board may remove the name of any OT who has not taught at least 20 full-time equivalent days in the school year.
  A copy of the Collective Agreement can be found on our homepage, under documents.
• What happens when SFE calls me for a job and I already have a job booked for the same day?

  SFE didn’t make a mistake. You’re being called because your previously accepted job was cancelled, and the new job offer reflects this cancellation.
• What happens if I already have a job for tomorrow and the school I'm at today asks me to stay?

  Sometimes a situation may arise where a job may be extended. When a job is extended, it may conflict with a previously accepted job. It is recommended that the occasional teacher remain in the current job to ensure the continuity of the student’s program.To extend the current job, the occasional teacher must cancel their previously accepted job as soon as possible.
• What should I do if I receive a late call?

  The Board must try to have a fully qualified teacher in every classroom. The Dispatch System will continue to call for an occasional teacher even when the students have already entered the class. However, if you are considering accepting a late call, be prepared to leave immediately. Always consider distance and travel time. If you live in Pickering and the job is in Etobicoke, leave that job for someone who lives closer.
• What do I do if I do not want to work for an extended period?

  If you are planning to be unavailable for more than a two (2) week period, you need to complete a Miscellaneous Leave Form (See Appendix F), also available on the TDSB Occasional Teachers website.You need to block yourself on SFE and make the following choice: “Do you wish to be called for future jobs?”If yes, SFE will continue to call you for jobs beyond your unavailable period.

  If you are planning to be out of the country, make sure you click that you do not want to be called for future jobs; otherwise, your voicemail may fill up with SFE messages.

Long-Term Occasional (LTO) Assignments

• How to apply for an LTO?

  
  

  Applying to Posted Long Term Occasional Teaching Assignments

  LTO job postings are available online and posted for four business days.

  How to Access LTO Job Postings and Application Forms

  1. Go to the TDSB website: www.tdsb.on.ca
  2. Select Staff and then proceed to log in (see page 19 for login instructions)
  3. Once logged in, select Employee Services
  4. Click on the Job Postings link on the left
  5. Then click on Long Term Occasional

  You may select and sort job postings by panel, all zones, or individual zones. To view more details for an individual posting, click on the Job Titles highlighted in green.

  Application Submission

  Send a completed application package to the school principal for each LTO job posting. Refer to the job posting for specific submission details.

  After Being Hired into an LTO Position

  • Once hired, the school is responsible for creating a job (usually 3-4 weeks) on SmartFindExpress until the LTO assignment is processed. This ensures that the occasional teacher is paid promptly and does not receive calls for other work.
  • If you create jobs in SFE for an absent teacher on sick leave and then put the teacher “on leave,” all future-dated jobs will be cancelled in SFE. Monitor this to ensure the system creates a vacant job to pay the occasional teacher until they are set up as the LTO.

  10th Day of the Assignment

  • On the 10th day of the assignment, the school must submit paperwork to Employee Services to have the Occasional Teacher set up as an LTO.
  • If you receive a cancellation call for a job in SFE where you have been working towards your 10-day status, check with the school regarding your status. The teacher you are replacing may have been put on leave, causing all future-dated jobs to be cancelled.
  • Once the LTO appointment is set up and the LTO’s name appears under the school list in SmartFindExpress, the school must advise the LTO to block themselves on the SFE dispatch system for the duration of their assignment. If not, the LTO will continue to receive phone calls for work.
  • Information on how to block yourself is available in the Quick Reference Cards at the back of this Handbook.

  For Half-Time LTOs

  • If you have been hired as a half-time LTO, you must block yourself off by modifying your daily availability.
  • If you are a half-time LTO who works every other day, follow the same procedure under daily availability and block the days you are unavailable.
  • If you are a half-time LTO who works every other day as an occasional teacher, remind the schools where you work as an occasional teacher that they need to split your full-day job into two half-day assignments for two different days.
  • Adjusting your daily availability in SFE will need to be done every week.

  After Your LTO Ends

  Once your LTO has ended, it is your responsibility as the Occasional Teacher to ensure that you are available again on the SmartFindExpress system to receive calls for daily work.

• What happens when I accept an LTO and also have future occasional teaching jobs?

  You need to cancel all occasional teaching jobs that you accepted prior to getting your LTO.
• How do I make sure my LTO salary is correct?

  Correct Placement on the LTO salary grid requires:

  1. Your most current rating statement and rating statement covering letter
  2. Recognized teaching experience

  If you do not have an up-to-date rating statement or proof of recognized teaching experience, you need to:

  1. Complete the online Letter of Intent form (see Appendix D – “sample” Letter of Intent) via the TDSB website under Employee Services/Forms/Occasional Teaching/ Change in Salary – Online Letter of Intent, for QECO if you do not have a rating, before the end of the LTO.
  2. Change in Salary – Online Letter of Intent

  You need to complete the above online Letter of Intent before the end of the LTO to receive pay retroactively. If you do not submit the Letter of Intent online before the end of your current LTO, your new rating statement will be effective on your next LTO.

  A. Qualifications (Rating Statement)

  1. QECO Statement of Evaluation
  2. Your LTO salary placement will be at Category A1 until you send a copy of your QECO Statement of Evaluation to the Employee Services, Occasional Teaching Records.
  3. Salary adjustments are subject to the provisions of Bill 115.
  4. Secondary – OSSTF Certification Rating Statement
  5. Your LTO salary placement will be Group 1 until you send a copy of your QECO statement to the Board.

  B. Proof of Recognized Teaching Experience

  1. Provide evidence that you were certified to teach during those times.
  2. Provide proof of teaching experience with any school board or ministry-inspected private schools.
  3. Contact previous boards to request a statement of teaching experience on official board letterhead showing employment start and end dates (day/month/year) and whether contract or LTO, full or part-time experience.
  4. Letters from school principals or staff will not be accepted for salary credit. Contracts and Records of Employment will not be accepted.

• I am an LTO, and I have a question. Who do I call at the TDSB?

  Please check the TDSB website for the most up-to-date list of OT Department employees.
• How are Daily and LTO pay rates different?

  Short-term (Daily) Occasional Teacher pay rates are established through negotiations with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (representing the Elementary Occasional Teachers) and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (representing the Secondary Occasional Teachers). It may take one or two pay periods to see changes to pay rates.A Long Term Occasional Teacher will be paid according to their appropriate grid placement (recognized teaching experience and qualifications) by their Collective Agreement. Long-term Occasion pay will be retroactive to the first day of the assignment. The annual salary on the salary grid is divided by 194 (representing the number of school days in a school year). The long-term occasional teacher is paid 1/194 of the annual grid rate for each day worked (including applicable professional activity day(s).All Occasional Teachers are paid by direct bank deposit every 2nd Thursday according to the pay schedule. Pay is always 2 weeks in arrears. Direct deposit requires the completion of an authorization form and a voided cheque.

Membership & Reinstatement

• What about my experience with another Board?

  Experience with other Boards does not count.
• What about EI benefits and OTs?

  Because Occasional teachers are not contractual, you may be eligible to apply for Employment Insurance when work is not available, i.e., March Break, Winter Break, Summer holidays, etc.There are minimum hours required for these applications. If you are applying for maternity leave, it requires a minimum of 600 hours.When work is not available, the Board automatically sends the Record of Employment forms electronically to Service Canada from the Board’s HR office.

  To start your application, log on to www.servicecanada.gc.ca .

  Please direct all inquiries to Service Canada.
  Follow the links:
  My Service Canada Account
  Access your Employment Insurance information
  Employment Insurance
  Employment Insurance for OSSTF Members 📄

  The OTBU Handbook found on our homepage in the Documents & Forms section for Benefits.

• How do I reinstate my membership?

  To reinstate your membership, you will have to complete the Membership Reinstatement form and pay an additional penalty fee.You can also email, mail or fax your signed Membership Reinstatement form to renew your Certificate of Qualification and Registration to the OCT. Allow up to four weeks to return your membership status to good standing.Link to the Membership Reinstatement Form 📄, or you can contact the OCT.

Additional Notes

The OTBU Handbook, available in the Documents & Forms section on our homepage, contains SFE information.