In the volatile context of the current teacher shortage, casual teachers are in high demand. But they are also more likely to experience changes in their bookings as schools struggle to manage daily absences and changes to whole school organisation.
Here is what every casual teacher needs to know about bookings.
What if I am employed for less than a full day?
Casual teachers are sometimes engaged to fill a vacancy for less than a full day. In this case, they will be paid on an hourly basis (that is, the daily salary divided by six).
What is the minimum length of a casual engagement?
The minimum time a casual teacher can be engaged to fill a vacancy is two hours.
Where a casual teacher is employed to teach face-to-face for two hours and this teaching crosses recess, the casual teacher is paid an additional 15 minutes for the recess.
Where a casual teacher is employed for less than a full day but the period of vacancy falls over the lunch break, the salary paid to the casual teacher is the total time at the school less half an hour (as the halfhour lunch break is unpaid).
What happens if I am late to work because of short notice from the school?
If a school does not give adequate notice to the casual teacher on the first day of a vacancy the casual teacher is entitled to a full day’s pay if reporting within 30 minutes after the normal commencement time for that school.
What happens if I report to a school only to find that when I arrive my services are no longer required?
A casual school teacher who reports to a school for duty on any day on the basis of a request by an authorised officer and is then advised that their services are not required, is entitled to receive payment for half of one day’s pay at the appropriate rate. Ensure you sign on and have your claim signed before leaving.
Casual teachers are vital to the operation of every school. Due to the current teacher shortage casual teachers may be employed in a school to fulfil a range of teaching tasks and related responsibilities, including on occasion to maintain duty of care by providing minimal supervision for groups of students when there is not enough available cover to maintain continuity of teaching and learning. Regardless of a school’s situation, no teacher, including casual teachers, should be required to teach outside the Award.