Converting from Temporary/Term to Reg-in-Temp, and more
I’m a new faculty member, on a temporary contract. When will I get a regular contract? When will I get a continuing contract?
A very common sequence of contracts is Temporary (also known as Term) contract for at least two years, then Reg-in-Temp contracts for any number of years, then either Regular contract or Continuing contract. However it is possible to be hired into a Reg-in-Temp contract, or straight into a Regular contract.
Each department has a base budget that defines the amount of permanent, ongoing work in that department. Faculty with base-budget work will have either a Regular 3-year contract or a Continuing contract. It is also possible to have a fraction of ongoing work, i.e. not full-time.
Temporary contracts are assigned in two situations: i) to replace Regular or Continuing faculty with ongoing work who are on leave, or ii) when the College considers that the work is not expected to be ongoing. Article 10.3.5.1 states that "Temporary contracts will be reviewed at the end of one (1) year to determine appropriateness for conversion to a regular contract." Contact your Department Chair and/or an LFA steward if you have questions about the temporary nature of your work. It is advisable for you to track your own contract and work history as you progress - see the table below for an example.
Faculty on Term contracts are paid out for their vacation, and vacation pay is included on each paycheque. The typical instructional Term contract is four-months long, and Term faculty can work back-to-back contracts for up to 25 months straight before they convert to a Reg-in-temp contract.
A Regular or reg-in-temp contract means that you receive paid vacation time; regular faculty work 10 months and take 2 months vacation over a 12 month period. Regular instructional faculty normally take vacation and do non-instructional duty (NID) in their non-teach term. Instructional Reg-in-Temp contracts are usually six months (four months instruction, plus one month non-instructional duty, plus one month vacation) or 12 months (eight months instruction, plus two months non-instructional duty, plus two months vacation).
Your initial contract type depends on the nature of the work that you have been hired to do. If you are replacing someone who resigned or retired, or if the department has expanded, then your initial contract will probably be a Regular contract. If you are replacing someone who is on leave, then your initial contract will likely be temporary.
Non-instructional departments such as the Library, Counselling, TCDC and Educational Technology typically give initial Reg-in-temp contracts for temporary work, rather than Term contracts, for operational reasons. Their work tends to run year-round and be less tied to the semester season than instructional departments.
When will a Temporary instructor get a Reg-in-Temp contract?
If you work at least quarter-time on Term contract for at least two semesters per year for two 12-month periods within a five-year period, and any evaluation(s) you completed have been satisfactory, then your next contract will be Regular-in-a-Temporary-Vacancy, commonly referred to as Reg-in-Temp.
This contract type means that your work is still temporary replacement work, but your working conditions will change. You will now get paid vacation time, and instructional faculty get some paid non-instructional duty time, but your contract will still have an end-date because there is no ongoing work for you. Usually Reg-In-Temp contracts are either 6 or 12 months in duration. If additional work becomes available, a 6-month contract can be extended. However, there is no guarantee that your Reg-In-Temp contract will be extended or renewed – it all depends on what work is available.
The table below shows an example of the contract conversion and evaluation schedule for an instructor who:
- Started as a Temporary term instructor in August 2018,
- Has worked both part-time and full-time since then,
- Converted from Temporary term to Reg-in-Temp contract status at the beginning of their 3d year at Langara,
- Has satisfactorily completed 2 Temporary and 2 Reg-in-Temp evaluations and has now completed their evaluations, and
- Does not yet have permanent, ongoing work.
In this example, the evaluation schedule follows the Collective Agreement timeline without any errors or delays - be aware that those delays can sometimes occur.
| Calendar year | Spring term Jan-Apr | Summer Term May-Aug | Fall term Sept-Dec |
| 2018 |
Start Aug 1, with 1 month prep before classes |
<-- Start of first 12-month period on Temporary contracts |
|
| 2019 |
Teach 1 section, Temporary 4 month contract |
End of first 12-month period on Temporary contracts --> No available work, no contract |
<--Start of second 12-month period on Temporary contracts Teach 1 section, Temporary 4 month contract 2nd Temporary/Term evaluation |
| 2020 |
Teach 1 section, Temporary 4 month contract |
End of second 12-month period on Temporary contracts --> No available work, no contract |
<-- Start of first year on Reg-in-Temp contracts |
| 2021 |
Teach 2 sections, Reg-in-Temp contract 1st Reg-in-Temp evaluation - either this term or previous teaching term (must be completed 4 months before the end of the 1st year) |
End of first "probationary" year on Reg-in-Temp contracts --> First Non-Teach term with 2 sections (i.e. half-time) NID & paid vacation time off, Reg-in-Temp contract |
<-- Start of second year on Reg-in-Temp contracts Teach 4 sections, Reg-in-Temp contract |
| 2022 |
Teach 4 sections, Reg-in-Temp contract 2nd Reg-in-Temp (final) evaluation - either this term or next teaching term (must be completed 8 months before the end of the 3d year) = final evaluation. |
End of second year on Reg-in-Temp contracts --> Second Non-Teach term with 4 sections (i.e. full-time) NID & paid vacation time off, Reg-in-Temp contract |
<-- Start of third year on Reg-in-Temp contracts Teach 4 sections, Reg-in-Temp contract
|
| 2023 | Teach 4 sections, Reg-in-Temp contract |
End of third year on Reg-in-Temp contracts --> Third Non-Teach term with 4 sections (i.e. full-time) NID & paid vacation time off, Reg-in-Temp contract
|
<-- Start of fourth year on Reg-in-Temp contracts Teach 4 sections, Reg-in-Temp contract* * unless permanent, ongoing work is assigned |
When will you get a Regular contract?
As soon as ongoing work is available, the department should recommend that the College assign it to a qualified person. Work is assigned to a qualified department member, with part-time Regular or Continuing faculty considered first, and then Reg-in-Temps considered prior to Term instructors.
When will you get a Continuing contract?
After the equivalent of 36 full-time months on Regular or Reg-in-Temp contracts, if the work is ongoing and if your two regular evaluations have been satisfactory, then your contract should be automatically converted to Continuing. The important point to note here is that the work must be ongoin.
In some instances, faculty members remain on Reg-in-Temp contracts for more than 36 full-time months because they are replacing someone who is on leave and who has the right to return, or because the work they are doing is deemed by the College to be temporary. Contact your Department Chair and/or an LFA steward if you have questions about the temporary nature of your work.
Questions?
If you have any questions about your contract, working conditions, evaluations, benefits, or anything else, don’t hesitate to contact the LFA stewards at [email protected].