Membership Services Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why did the College charge a full
membership fee for 1997 when services were only
provided for six months? Why doesn’t my
membership fee cover the school year instead of the
calendar year? Did the College inform members the fee
was only valid through December?
A: The College was not
granted the authority to collect membership fees
until May last year. While your 1997 fee was not
collected until the spring or summer, it covered all
of 1997’s activities, including the election of
the first Council in February.
Your
Certificate of Qualification is your licence to teach
in Ontario’s publicly-funded schools. It is
issued annually after fees have been paid and
verified and is valid for the calendar year.
Membership fees will now be collected at the
beginning of each year.
The College has
informed members a number of times that membership
fees cover the calendar year, including a story in
the May ’97 edition of Professionally Speaking.
Q: If I don’t pay the College
membership fee what will happen?
A: Your membership in the College
will be suspended. Suspended members are not eligible
to teach in any publicly-funded school in Ontario. As
well, you will not be able to contribute to the
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP). You will
also not be able to buy back the time in the OTPP for
the period you were suspended.
If you decide
to reinstate your membership later, you must pay a
$100 reinstatement fee, plus that year’s $90
membership fee.
Q: I’m going on maternity leave.
Do I need to pay $90 to maintain my College
membership?
A: To contribute to the
OTPP while on leave or LTD, or to be eligible to buy
back the pension time in the future, you must keep
your College membership in good standing. Only
teachers as defined by the Education Act can
contribute to OTPP – and that means a member in
good standing of the College.
If you teach
for any period of time during 1998 in a
publicly-funded school, you will need a paid-up
membership. And if you’re only out of the
classroom for a year it’s cheaper to pay your
membership this year than a reinstatement fee next
year.
Q: How do I know if my employer will
deduct my fee this year?
A: If you are employed by
a school board, private school where you are a member
of OTPP, or a provincial school, your membership
should be deducted from your pay. If you have not
noticed a $90 deduction from your pay cheque, contact
your employer to ensure they’re making the
deduction. Most occasional teachers do not have their
fees deducted by payroll and are invoiced directly by
the College.
Q: My employer deducted my membership
fee from my pay. Why did I get an invoice?
A: Every member who
didn’t pay through payroll deduction last year
was sent an invoice in January 1998. If you were not
employed by a school board or independent school
where teachers contribute to the Ontario
Teachers’ Pension Plan in 1997, then you would
have paid your fee directly. The College issued 1998
invoices based on 1997 records.
If you’re
sure your new employer deducted your membership fee
from your pay for 1998, you can ignore the invoice.
Q: Why do teachers need to supply
proof for an old qualification (for example, an AQ)
if the College has the Ministry of Education and
Training’s records on file?
A: The Ministry of Education and
Training
(MET) files were transferred to the College in paper,
microfilm, microfiche and electronic formats. We
check all these formats for official transcripts and
recommendations. If none are available we will ask
you to provide us with proof from the granting
institution so we can update your file.
Because the
information in the MET files did not affect
classification or seniority, many teachers
hadn’t advised the ministry of additional
degrees over the years, so the College has no record
of them. QECO and OSSTF Certification do not exchange
files with the College, so you can’t assume that
because you told one of them, the College will know.
Q: I sent in corrections to be made to
my certificates last year. Why haven’t I
received any updated information in return?
A: Corrections to 1997
certificates will be reflected on your 1998
certificate, which you’ll receive in the spring.
The College will be issuing certificates of
qualification annually to members in good standing.
Q: When will I receive my 1998
certificate?
A: We’ll start
mailing them in March, once we have received payment
for your 1998 membership fee. After that,
certificates will be mailed as membership fees are
received.
Q: With the amalgamation of school
boards, I need to know…can I teach "this
subject" with "this
qualification…"?
A: The Ministry of
Education and Training is responsible for Regulation
298, which deals with the requirements to teach
particular subjects. For more information, call
MET’s policy branch at (416) 325-4336 or contact
the MET office in your area. They are listed in the
blue pages of your telephone directory.
