Teacher FAQs
Can I work as an Educator in a school environment without a BC Teaching Certificate?
As an Educator, you can only work in Coquitlam with a BC Teaching Certificate.
Do you require a Criminal Record Check?
Every School District employee is required to receive a clear Criminal Record Check for the vulnerable sector.
Will I be required to provide employment references?
You will be required to provide at least two (2) teaching references.
How do I apply to a teaching position if I am a Teacher but work outside of Coquitlam?
If you are a teacher in a generalist area at the elementary, middle or secondary levels, you would follow the steps to apply as a TTOC. If you are a Teacher in a specialty area such as qualified French Immersion, Mandarin or counselling some exceptions may apply. Contact the
Human Resources Department for further information.
As a TTOC, what is my priority for spring postings?
As a TTOC you are a P4 (priority 4). When positions are posted the applicants are considered in priority order. If a teacher that is priority 1-3 is not successful, the administrator would start looking at the P4 teachers that have applied. See below for an excerpt from the collective agreement that explains the priorities in more detail.
Filing Vacant Positions -
The Board agrees that vacancies shall be filled by teachers in the following priority.
First Priority:
Teachers designated for priority transfers because of school reorganization or declining enrolment.
Second Priority: Teachers returning from a leave of absence; teachers on the recall list pursuant to Article C.20.4; teachers on continuing appointment applying on a posting as per Article E.21.1.d.
Third Priority:
Part time continuing contract teachers who apply for a posted position which would increase the time of their appointment.
Fourth Priority: Teachers who hold a temporary appointment who are on the district teacher-teaching-on-call list; other applicants from the bargaining unit; and external applicants.
What is the difference between a part time leave and a partial medical leave?
A part time leave and a partial medical leave are different articles in the collective agreement, with different language and different processes. They are not interchangeable. A teacher “applies” for a Part Time leave per the collective agreement below:
Collective Agreement Article C.23.2.a. “A teacher with a full time/part time continuing appointment to the teaching staff of the district may request a part time assignment, specifying the fraction of time requested, and the length of time for which the part time assignment is requested (term, semester, year) not to exceed one (1) year. The Board shall not unreasonably refuse such a request”.
Part time leaves are applied for during a specified time of the year.
A Dr. “recommends” a Partial Medical Leave for an employee who is medically unable to work. This leave will end at the end of the current school year. Therefore, if your Dr. is recommending that you are medically unable to work next school year, you will need to submit medical documentation after June 30th. Our department will send correspondence to you prior to June 30th indicating your current medical leave and requesting new medical documentation for the next school year. Medical documentation is required regardless of whether you are continuing your medical leave or returning to work.
What is my TQS category?
Education Assistant FAQs
Can you share what opportunities SD43 has for new hires?
SD43 is hiring Casual EAs for our dispatch pool on an ongoing basis. We are always interested in meeting with qualified applicants. There have been many new permanent EA positions added to our sites this year. Our casual EAs can expect to be called out almost every day. EAs can choose to maintain casual status or post into permanent or temporary positions very quickly. SD43 also runs a Summer Learning program that EAs can post into, supporting our students in a 3 or 6-week program in July and August.
How many hours do EAs work in SD43?
Most of our EAs work in Permanent 30hr positions. We do have a small number of 20hr spots. All EAs who hold a Permanent, Temporary or Backfill position will work an extra 60 minutes/week. These minutes come from our LIF (Learning Improvement Fund), the spirit of the fund is to PREP for students, to MEET as a team and to COLLABORATE with the teachers whose classes we support. This makes our EAs 31 or 21hr/week employees.
What makes SD43 different from other districts?
SD43 has many opportunities for new employees and each site enjoys its own unique sense of community. However, what I truly believe makes SD43 different from other districts are the supports that are in place for our EA population. Our district has recognized the invaluable work that EAs do, they are faced with new challenges daily and are driven to ensure our students are supported in the very best manner. Our district has created 3 EA Leadhand positions to support and mentor both our new and experienced EAs. These positions fill a multitude of needs; from 1-1 mentoring, supporting site specific issues to providing ongoing training both in schools and at district Pro D events. These Leadhands are the "Go To" people for our EA population. SD43 has 1 EA Facilitator; this position was created to provide peer to peer support with a focus on our students with Autism. Our EA Facilitator works with the IST – ASD team (Inclusion Support Team – Autism Spectrum Disorder). SD43 also has an EA Manager to support the work of the district's EA population, the Administration of our 70 sites, our HR and H&S departments. This
EA Support Team boosts the districts hardworking EAs and the goal of ensuring our students get the education that they deserve. The creation of these roles benefits the daily work of our EAs and promotes further growth and development.
General Employee FAQs
Where might we be able to find or request a letter of employment?
If a letter needs to have salary info in it, a request should go to Payroll at
payroll@sd43.bc.ca. If it is simply a verification of employment with NO salary information, then it is done by HR and can be requested through
HumanResources@sd43.bc.ca.
