Contract Faculty

Contract Faculty Workload Assignment Principles
Contract Faculty Workload Assignment Process Chart

Contract Faculty Q&A

***Questions will be reviewed and updated each semester or as new information becomes available.***

What are the categories of employment for Contract Faculty?

Part Time: Part-time faculty teach between 1 and 6 hours per week. This category is not covered by the Collective Agreement for Academic Employees. The pay schedule for part-time teaching is established by the College and is reviewed on an annual basis.

Partial Load: Partial-load faculty teach more than 6 hours, up to a maximum of 12 hours per week. This category is covered by the Academic Collective Agreement and the pay schedule is determined through the collective bargaining process.
The college and the union have also negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding related to Partial-Load employees.

Sessional: Sessional employees are appointed on a sessional basis for up to 12 full months of continuous or non-continuous accumulated employment in a 24 calendar month period (Appendix V Article 2 of Academic Collective Agreement). Teaching contracts must have more than 12 Teaching Contact Hours (TCH) per week (or equivalent) in order to be considered sessional appointments.

How will I find out that I am being offered a teaching workload?

You will receive your offer of teaching hours via email from your Chair (or designate). You must confirm acceptance of the offer (by email) in order to receive a contract letter.

If I taught this course last semester, will I get to teach it again the next semester, or the next time it is offered?

Contract teaching workload offers are dependent on a number of factors, so there is no guarantee that you will receive an offer for this course in subsequent semesters.
See the next question.

What are the factors that affect the offer of a teaching assignment?

In accordance with the Academic Collective Agreement, contract teaching workloads are developed after the full-time faculty Standard Workload Forms (SWFs) have been assigned and the “unassigned hours” are known. Chairs then make decisions to staff the remaining hours with Contract Faculty by giving priority consideration for Partial-Load faculty according to Articles 26.10 D and E of the Academic Collective Agreement and by using a set of Contract Faculty Workload Assignment Principles. There are also a number of fluid variables that can impact the available teaching assignments for contract faculty, including enrolment numbers, curriculum changes, full-time faculty availability, required specialized expertise, scheduling restrictions and previous teaching experience. The process involves consideration of all factors and development of workload assignments that will provide the best experience for students in the classroom. This dynamic process can be viewed in this Process Map.

When will I receive my contract letter?

Once you confirm with the Chair (by email) that you are accepting the offer of employment, a contract letter will be generated and sent to you, prior to the start of the semester, by the Chair.

How is my rate of pay determined?

Contract faculty are compensated based on the academic work they are doing (e.g. teaching, curriculum development, coordinating), the number of hours being contracted, and their step level. The first time you are contracted to teach, you will be asked to complete a Step Calculation Input Form. This form, along with your resume, will be used to calculate your step level on the academic pay grid.

How is my step level determined?

Initial step placement is based on the Job Classification Plan outlined in the Academic Collective Agreement. The step calculation takes into account relevant formal qualifications (i.e. post-secondary education credentials) and relevant teaching and/or occupational experience. The Chair works with Human Resources to calculate the step level, which then determines your salary level according to the salary schedules for the work you are doing.

What if I have questions about my step calculation or believe it is not accurate?

Contact your Chair initially for clarification. If you believe there may be an error, you may submit an appeal within 30 days of receiving the step calculation. For more information, see HR Procedures.

To whom do I return my signed contract and offer letter?

Contract letters and other related employment documentation should be returned to the Workload Officer listed at the bottom of your contract letter. The Workload Officer will distribute the documentation to Human Resources/Payroll.

I work part-time elsewhere; is there anything I should do?

You should inform your Chair at the time of hire if you are working elsewhere, as scheduling conflicts may be of concern. A Timetable Restriction Form must be completed. The college will work to accommodate restrictions where possible; however, the timetabling process must balance against the best interests of students.

How do I access my teaching timetable?

Login to the myCampus portal. In the left-hand column, under “MY SELF SERVICE,” click “Faculty Centre.” Faculty Centre will open in a new window/tab, and list your classes. Scroll to the bottom of the list, and click “View Weekly Teaching Schedule” to view your weekly timetable.

I have my teaching contract but cannot see my timetable. Who can help me with this?

You should talk to the Workload Officer referenced on the bottom of your contract letter who will investigate the issue on your behalf.

When will I get my first pay?

You must ensure that your completed New Employee Forms are submitted to the Human Resources Office. Contract faculty are paid two weeks in arrears and depending on when the pay date falls, they may only receive one week’s pay the first time. This also means that contract faculty will receive their final pay two weeks after their contract ends. A Payroll Schedule will be included with your Contract Letter.

My contract reflects that I am paid for the time I spend teaching (i.e. Teaching Contact Hours). What about preparation and evaluation time?

Compensation for preparation and evaluation are factored into the salary schedule, and thus reflected in your hourly rate of pay.

What about vacation pay?

Vacation pay is factored into the hourly rate for part-time and partial-load faculty. Vacation pay is added to the bi-weekly rate for Seasonal contracts.

Am I entitled to pay for Reading/Independent Study/Week 8?

Compensation for Reading/Independent Study week (Week 8) is based on your teaching hours at a standard Week 8 compensation rate.
For contract faculty who teach both halves of a semester, payment for week 8 (using the Week 8 compensation rate for each teaching hour) will be based on whichever 7-week contract is greater. Example: An individual has a 3-hour contract for the first half of the semester and a 7-hour contract for the second half, s/he will be paid 7 hours at the Week 8 compensation rate for week 8.

The Week 8 compensation rate is $21.70/hour.

Will I be compensated for attending meetings?

Some meetings are compensated and others are not. If you are asked to attend a school, program or other meeting called by your Chair or Dean, you will be compensated at the Meeting Rate ($21.70/hour). Informal faculty meetings or volunteer activities are not compensated. If in doubt, check with your Chair.

I am confused about my eligibility for benefits, especially when I transfer between employee groups.

Questions regarding benefits and pension should be directed to the Benefits Administrator in Human Resources, at Benefits@flemingcollege.ca

I am a contract Coordinator. How is my pay determined?

Contract Program and Subject/Discipline Coordinators are paid at the Partial-Load Complementary rate regardless of teaching hours. For more information on the Coordinator model, please see the Coordinator Model HR Procedure.

Why am I receiving multiple contracts?

Your teaching assignment includes multiple start and end dates and our contract system needs to create contracts for each date range in order to integrate properly with other systems (e.g. timetabling and payroll) OR you are teaching in more than one school.

When do I use a timesheet and when do I use an Exception report?

Timesheets are used when hours worked are to be paid that are not reflected on an automatic contract. Your Contract Letter will indicate if you are to be paid through automatic payroll or by submitting timesheets. Timesheets must be approved by the employee’s supervisor.

Exception reports are to be completed by automatically-paid employees (full-time & part-time) when the hours are changed or adjusted from their printed contract. Examples include unpaid time (vacation), sick time, replacing with a different rate or department than the contract, payment for department/school meetings and time for mandatory employee training.

I need to cancel my class. What is the process?

Class Cancellations procedures are guided by Board Policy 2-204. You need to do two things:
1) Notify your Supervisor, preferably by phone;
2) Notify your students via the Class Cancellation Procedure in the Evolve System. This procedure will send a message to all of your students and avoid student frustration and confusion.

Another faculty member filled in for me while I was sick. How is this managed?

Contract faculty must record their absences via an Exception Report that is submitted to Payroll. See instructions on completing this report.

Under what circumstances can my contract be cancelled?

As stated in your contract letter, your employment is for a specific duration and your employment ends according the period specified. Additionally, in the event of lower than expected enrollment, the College reserves the right to cancel all or part of your contract without liability. The College may also cancel your contract for other reasons upon the provision of two weeks written notice.

How do I get a Record of Employment (ROE)?

The Payroll Office will issue a Record of Employment at the end of each contract period and send it electronically to the Canada Revenue Agency. For more information on this process, please refer to the HR website