Agreement letters for teachers are essentially formal employment contracts for teachers that specify the conditions of employment between a teacher and any educational institution. It is a legal document that binds the teacher and the academic institution for the employment of the teacher. This article elucidates on the important terms of a teacher agreement that every teacher must take into consideration before signing the employment agreement with the institution.
This article will be talking about teacher agreements, the important components of such agreements and the purpose behind drafting of such components. This article shall also draw attention to the difference in teacher agreement letters and their terms, depending upon the type and form of education imparted by such a teacher.
While working at a new job is thrilling and exciting, a teacher must always bear in mind that a contract is legally binding. Before binding oneself to such a legal agreement, it is important to understand the terms and clauses that are incorporated in such an agreement. These agreements contain significant provisions that affect the teacher’s rights in the workplace.
Whenever a teacher has been presented with an employment agreement for a term of one year or more, there are certain important clauses that must not be overlooked by a teacher while signing the agreement. Some of the clauses are as follows:
Employment Period is one of the most significant clauses in a teacher agreement as it enumerates the period of employment for the teacher. It also stipulates the type of employment to be practiced by the teacher. The teacher could be employed on a full-time basis or half-time basis. In some universities, teachers are hired on a trial basis or for a trial period which ranges from a period of 1 (one) month to 6 (six) months, during which the university could terminate the contract without compensation.
This clause must specify the date of validity and applicability from the date of signing the contract until the length of expiry, which is usually 1 (one) year from the date of signing the contract for the first time. Based on the performance provided by the teacher, the university administration may offer a renewal of the contract.
This clause stipulates the hours of work to be performed by the teacher in a week, i.e., Monday-Friday, depending on the type of employment. The Right to Education Act, 2009 mandates a minimum of 45 working hours per week for a teacher , including preparation hours. The number of hours may vary if the teacher is employed on a part-time basis or as a substitute. The teacher must recognize the optimal hours required to for the school operations and endeavor to accept the minimum number of hours.
This clause enumerates the list of responsibilities/duties that are to be performed in the school/college/university by the teacher. Due care must be given while reading this clause as some schools/colleges/universities allocate such responsibilities which are not within the expertise of the teacher. As some colleges/schools/universities have prevalent vacancies for the post of a specialized teacher, for example, an English teacher or a Music teacher, the colleges ask such existing teachers to fill in such vacancies to save money at no extra cost or compensation provided to such teachers.
This clause also gives a detailed list of duties that a teacher may have to perform during her tenure in that school/college/university. Some of the duties and responsibilities that may be mentioned in the agreement are as follows:
The teachers must carefully read all the responsibilities and duties before signing the teacher agreement.
This clause lists the grounds for termination of a teacher. It is one of the most important clauses in a teacher agreement. The teacher shall be generally responsible for all the students taught under her/him and based on the performance of her/his students the teacher is evaluated by the Board of Trustees of the school/college/university. This clause lists all the reasons for the termination of employment of a teacher.
Some of the reasons for the termination of a teacher are as follows:
This clause lists the amount of salary or employment fee a teacher is likely to get per month. The average fee or salary package for a teacher range from Rs. 22,000-50,000 in India . It could be more as well, depending on the type of employment, designation, place of employment etc. This clause shall stipulate the day of payment to be made each month. It shall also provide for overtime rate/wages in some cases.
Along with salary packages, the agreement shall also contain several benefits like insurance, housing, airfare, transportation, years of experience etc. For example, a teacher with 2 years of prior experience will be given a higher salary as compared to a fresher. The agreement shall also be subjected to increase in pay of salary on the date indicated in the agreement. Being an employee of the school, the teacher may also be subjected to employee provident fund scheme and pension scheme benefits.
Most educational institutions prohibit full-time teachers to work in another place without the permission of the owner. This shall also include private tuitions conducted by such teachers after school/college. While this is found to be very common in India, it restricted by many educational institutions. Hence, it is advisable to carefully read this clause before signing the agreement.
Extracurricular activities are generally defined as those voluntary activities sponsored or sanctioned by a school that supplement or complement the school’s instructional program but are not a part of it-for example, student government, interscholastic athletics, service clubs, drama and French clubs, and many others. This clause consists of various duties that a teacher is required to perform in addition to her to regular duties of teaching the students. Such duties/activities shall include, participation in quarterly teacher/staff meetings, conferences, including those prior to and following the school’s regular academic year and participation in all school activities including sports, drama, clubs, educational trips etc.
Teaching jobs and other jobs in school often work differently than other type of jobs. The type of teaching agreement depends on the type of teaching imparted by the teacher. The agreement could be job specific- for example, there could be a Music Teacher Agreement, specifically for music teachers. It shall consist of terms which shall be well-matched to a music teacher.
In the same way there could be an exclusive teacher agreement for school teachers or college professors. These agreements shall differ based on the term of employment of the teacher. The teacher could be employed on a part-time basis or on a probationary period and accordingly the agreement would be altered to form a Part-Time Teacher Agreement or a Probationary Teacher Agreement respectively.
Each teacher agreement varies according to the term of employment and the kind of subject taught by the teacher. While a teacher agreement is truly an employment agreement at best, the clauses catalogued herein must be inspected must inspected thoroughly by the teacher before signing the agreement.
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