Teachers Teaching On Call

On-call and Substitute Teaching Careers

A teacher teaching on call often referred to as a TTOC, is a casual or substitute public school teacher of various subjects from Kindergarten to grade 12.

Being a TTOC is an entry point to securing a permanent contract position in many urban districts. Often permanent teaching positions are filled from the districts’ TTOC list. Being a teacher on call is a great way to experience different classroom environments within a flexible work schedule.

Certification and Qualification Details

Most TTOCs in BC are certified by the Ministry of Education’s Teacher Regulation Branch.  In districts where recruitment of TTOCs is more challenging (i.e. rural districts), non-certificated people may be hired.

In cases when a certified teacher cannot be hired, a letter of permission may be obtained. These letters of permission allow an individual to teach within the system for up to one year without their certification.

TTOC Salary

Teachers Teaching on Call (TTOCs) are paid on the salary scale at 1/189 of their category classification and experience to a maximum rate at Category 5 Step 8 for each full day worked. TTOCs are also paid an additional compensation of $11 over the daily rate in lieu of benefits unless they hold a contract simultaneously.

The following salary grid is an example and is based on data from May 2019. Salary scales differ between school districts, and the actual amount received will depend on the district of employment.

Remote and Rural Allowance

There are some additional allowances paid to some teachers in certain districts. In many districts, allowances are paid to teachers who hold positions of special responsibility, such as department head, head teacher, a teacher in charge, or teacher coordinator.

In addition, teachers in some districts are paid a remote and rural allowance to aid in the recruiting efforts of districts in remote communities and to recognize the difficulty of working in a remote community. The allowance is approximately $2,947 per FTE annually as of July 1, 2023. Teachers teaching on-call (TTOCs) are not eligible to receive this allowance.

Check out the Salary Finder tool to view districts’ individual salary grids.

Training and Educational Programs

To prepare teachers for the classroom, teacher education programs include theoretical coursework and an in-school practicum experience component. The length of training to prepare a teacher for the public school system ranges from one to two years, depending on the program.

Start your substitute/on-call teaching career by enrolling in a teacher education program at one of these BC universities.

Employment Opportunities

Find on-call, substitute, and replacement teacher jobs on Makeafuture.ca under the ‘teachers and administrators’ position category.

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