Most teachers recognize that the financial benefit of getting to Category 4 as soon as you can is significant.  The salary increase between Category 3 and Category 4 can range from just over $2,000/yr at Step 1 to over $5,000/yr at Step 11.  At Step 11, the difference between Categories 2 and 4 is over $13,000/yr.  In most cases, the short and long term financial benefits far outweigh the cost in time and money invested to achieve a higher Category rating.  The Certification link at the OSSTF Provincial website will provide application forms and contact information.

Getting the right courses and applying to OSSTF for your rating statement is obviously crucial.  To benefit from a change as soon as possible requires that you also be aware of your obligation under the Collective Agreement.  In many cases, you may be entitled to retro-active pay unless you fail to give appropriate notice and submit documentation.  Briefly, you are required to do two things, each with their respective deadline: give notice to the employer that you will be applying for a change in Category (a simple email to Bev Robbins-Teather in HR will do) and then submit the required documentation.

There are three opportunities for a change in grid rate of pay (see Articles 6.05, 6.06, and 6.07 in the Collective Agreement) summarized in the following chart:

Our CA timelines are relatively generous in recognition of the demand on OSSTF Certification to process the high volume of requests they receive, but they are essential to be aware of.  Depending on the time of year, it is not unusual to wait 8-10 weeks or more for a revised Rating Statement.

Although the District Office cannot answer all inquiries or give advice on courses, if you are experiencing difficulties and are concerned about timelines, please don’t hesitate to contact us.