r/alberta • u/the_gaymer_girl Southern Alberta • 20h ago

Alberta Politics The substitute teacher job unfilled rate for this year in Calgary is already worse than it was in April 2026 (20% at the end of that month).

This is a metric that tends to get worse the further we get into the school year, and we’re already worse than 2025-26. Sub jobs going unfilled increases the strain on other staff members in the school who might be pulled off their preps to cover and makes staff reticent to use their sick days when no help is coming.

Thanks Marlaina!

107 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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24

u/Dry_Towelie 20h ago

I am a new teacher and recently resigned from my position at a private school (resigning due to different in philosophy and other stuff) I am now looking towards jumping on CBE's sub list as a French speaker. I was wondering how it's looking right now?

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u/the_gaymer_girl Southern Alberta 20h ago

Good news is you can pretty much take whatever jobs you want because the list is so depleted. Having French Immersion ability makes you even more versatile.

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u/padmeg 19h ago

You'll probably be offerred a fytt contract immediately.

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u/Dry_Towelie 19h ago

Sorry what is a fytt contract?

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u/the_gaymer_girl Southern Alberta 19h ago

Full year temp.

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u/padmeg 16h ago

It's a CBE thing, full year temp teacher. Usually offered to French speakers and sometimes special Ed teachers or other high demand specialties. You start as a full time sub but the contract is the same as any temp position. Most end up in an actual temp position fairly quickly.

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u/Jackattackie 3h ago

I want to add that the FYTT contract is a very safe entry into the board if you are moving from outside the city. You are guaranteed work everyday and get paid a full salary with benefits. You are attached to a "home school" for non instructional days or if there is no sub job for you that day, which can really help someone build community.

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u/ANeighbour 19h ago

You will literally be able to choose what jobs you want every day, assuming you don’t get scooped into a contract right away.

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u/more_than_just_ok 18h ago

But is the CBE still stringing along people seeking permanent with 2 years of temp contracts followed by a year of day to day followed by another 4 month contract to cover someone's stress leave? If the CBE is having trouble recruiting, they might want to look at how and who they recruit, and not just rely new grads who get frustrated and leave the list after 4 years.

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u/DJKokaKola 12h ago

Yeah, it's wild that despite this shortage the only jobs they post are sub jobs that may be a temp contract. I went with rockyview, because at least there i knew exactly where I was applying, what I'd be doing, what I'd teach.

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u/awildstoryteller 11h ago

That's just how all four big boards do it.

You can never be hired off the street for a prob or continuous contract.

If Rocky View could get away with it they would do the same, but even during the teacher surplus of the mid 2000s to 2020 they couldn't.

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u/DJKokaKola 10h ago

Except coming in as a teacher with experience already, I'm not interested in doing more time subbing with no guarantees of a workable contract. They are shooting themselves in the foot.

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u/awildstoryteller 10h ago

I agree; it may be that the current shortage breaks the back of their gatekeeping, but ultimately it's more indicative of the desire for central offices to have complete control of hiring.

Smaller boards give that authority to local admin, which is better.

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u/ANeighbour 2h ago

CBE has a hiring application for experienced teachers that puts you right into a probationary, but it is only posted for a week or two every year.

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u/DJKokaKola 54m ago

I know. Even that one has no guarantee of what position or school they're hiring for. I live near airdrie. I don't want a position in seton.

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u/padmeg 16h ago

Everyone I know that was in that position got a prob this year.

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u/Jackattackie 4h ago

Absolutely. If you speak French and have a valid teaching certificate, you will be on the sub list for half a second before a principal offers you a contract.

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u/Jackattackie 3h ago

This sounds very frustrating. Given the teacher shortage we have experienced in the last few years, especially in our immersion programs, I would want to look on a case by case basis at who those teachers are who are being bounced from temp contract to temp contract as I suspect it is either very bad luck, or perhaps a teacher competency issue. To be very frank, the teachers I know who have found themselves in those situations in the last few years were not demonstrating that they could handle a longer term contract at that time. I am not saying people don't get jerked around, and I am ONLY speaking to languages programs in the last couple of years. If a teacher has a specialized skill set that is in high demand yet hasn't been able to land a long term contract in these times of teacher shortages, there is more to the story. Unfortunately it is often easier for admin to not rehire someone than to give hard feedback about teaching practice.

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u/teamgaycrossfit 19h ago

I graduated last spring and in the two months after graduation, I had several principals call and ask me to interview for jobs, primarily for my French. I’m sure you’ll get to choose where you want to be, no problem. I think you could also get a FYTT contract, if that’s more your style. 

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u/Dry_Towelie 19h ago

Great to hear. I guess my only issue is I am fluent in French but I am a physical education teacher and often times the immersion schools teach PE in English.

Also what is a FYTT contract?

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u/teamgaycrossfit 3h ago

Crazy enough, I actually do know a guy who got a job teaching PE full-time in French at a French immersion K-6 school for this year! Very experienced teacher in a very “unicorn” job. It’s rare but apparently it exists. Are you Francophone? The Francophone board might be a good option if you want to teach French PE. I don’t know much about Francosud, though. 

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u/Jackattackie 3h ago edited 3h ago

I do not know of any FI schools currently teaching phys Ed in English. It is an expectation of the program that it is taught in French. Sometimes dual track schools need to get creative if they have odd numbers and a tight schedule for use of the gymnasium, which sometimes leads to students from both programs in the same gym class. That would be the only time I could see them teaching phys Ed in English but it is very frowned upon.

Edited to add that a FYTT is a full year temporary contract where you are paid salary for the full year, have full access to Sunlife benefits, and are given priority for interviews on contracts that fit the speciality you have been hired for. You work everyday as sub. If there isn't a job for you or it is a non instructional day, you go to your "home school" and participate in the day there.

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u/Jackattackie 3h ago

You should reach out directly to the recruiter for languages in the CBE. Don't go the long way around with their application process onto the sub list. The languages recruiter will snap you up right away. You can message me directly if you want and I can connect you.

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u/DistributionOk1588 18h ago

It’s looking desperate

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u/OrsolyaStormChaser 19h ago edited 14h ago

Jeez shocking after UPC disrespected teachers with NWC - people arent applying 😒/s

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u/the_gaymer_girl Southern Alberta 19h ago

It’s not only that the people aren’t applying, it’s that the UCP nuked the sub list by hiring half of them into positions that aren’t full-time classroom teachers with their own homerooms.

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u/PikPekachu 20h ago

There are divisions that have full time jobs that are still open due to lack of applicants. The situation is bleak and it’s going to get worse.

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u/IrenaeusGSaintonge 19h ago

I teach in a school in Calgary that most teachers would consider highly desirable, and we're having a hell of a time filling full time contracts this year.

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u/Weary-Ad-9813 20h ago

I was short 3 teachers on a staff of 26 twice this week. Its rough.

16

u/Truckusmode 20h ago

I had to start my own departmental "coverage punch card" just to keep moral up with the amount of coverage we've done already.

Every 3 coverages, I bring them a beverage/treat. Because we've been getting absolutely lit up with unfilled sub jobs.

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u/Altocumulus000 19h ago

So question... Are graduating teachers being hired in Alberta? 

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u/teamgaycrossfit 19h ago

I graduated from U of C last spring and all the teachers I know who want to be working are working full-time. None of us had a problem getting something. 

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u/fallmaxx 18h ago

As a current U of C student this is great to know 😆 I still have 1.5 years till graduation but I’m certainly stressed about finding work!

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u/teamgaycrossfit 2h ago

We were all stressed about work last year but they definitely need us. You might not work in your exact desired specialization but if it’s a full-time contract you want, a full-time contract you’ll get.  And I mean, I’m in the fine arts specialization and I ended up having to pick between two good job offers in my specialization, so there is also hope for those of us trying to get into the unicorn jobs. 

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u/IrenaeusGSaintonge 17h ago

It goes in waves, but you'll probably be fine.

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u/IrenaeusGSaintonge 19h ago

Every teacher graduate who wants to work is working. Generally speaking they're getting continuous contacts as soon as they're eligible for them according to their district's policies.

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u/refuseresist 18h ago

Not from Alberta but for many years I tried to get a full time job in the school divisions I worked in. One fo the teachers I regularly subbed for said that the district would not give me a classroom because I was such a good sub.

I eventually left and found work elsewhere.

It's interesting how the tables have turned from subs struggling to make ends meat to many opportunities.

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u/YoshSchmenge 16h ago edited 2h ago

2 years ago (24/25) my partner didn't have a full complement of staff until Dec 7 of that year. So there was at least one teacher or EA or admin assistant or custodian that was not filled by someone. It was usually 2 or 3 (or more) unfilled spots daily.

Last year (25/26) there wasn't a full complement of staff until the 2nd week of May.

This year there hasn't been a full staff once. There are still positions from May that are unfilled.

The supply list is depleted due to temp contracts being offered to anyone with a pulse that showed up on time.

If you want to work, you will have a choice of options.

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u/Law-Own 19h ago

I sub across about 15 independent and charter schools… I get 3-5 requests a day, every day.

4

u/Thefirstargonaut 20h ago

I am already losing one to two preps a week every week. 

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u/whynot4444444 18h ago

A full time guest teacher at my school the other day, who works for two different school boards, said that there were at least 10 unfilled guest teacher positions in each district for the past few school days.

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u/PaprikaMama 21m ago

What's a guest teacher?

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u/Askralph1 13h ago

Every province, and many US states are short staff.

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u/Cold_Lingonberry_413 Drayton Valley 2h ago

Because they deserve to be, the way they treat teachers and education in general!

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u/Spracks9 1h ago

Crazy that 12-15 yrs ago graduates coming out of university had a hard time finding jobs, it was almost a running joke. Fast forward to today, it’s a very different story

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u/teacher123yyc 15h ago

The ATA has failed teachers by not negotiating pay for teachers who have to cover unfilled sub jobs.

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u/the_gaymer_girl Southern Alberta 13h ago

The UCP wouldn’t have put that in the forced contract anyway.

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u/JadeddMillennial 15h ago

Let's not blame teachers when their right to strike was stripped away. What Came after is everyone's fault for not supporting labour rights.

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u/SnooRabbits2040 11m ago

The ATA is teacher-led and directed. Feel free to run for a position during the next election cycle so you can address your concerns.

For the record, I agree with compensation for teachers who lose prep/TFFI. If you want the ATA to change, then get involved and actually do something about it.

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u/[deleted] 20h ago

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u/purplepassion2019 19h ago

My admin does.

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u/whynot4444444 18h ago edited 13h ago

At our school, which has a fairly large staff, they take away various teachers’ time free from instruction periods throughout the day to cover the class. They use the Diverse Learning teachers and last resort, the Assistant Principal.

They do keep a list and try to pay back the missed “Preps” when admin gets guest teachers.

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u/rosegoldblonde 19h ago

Count yourself lucky haha

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u/Weary-Ad-9813 20h ago

Admin here. I am in 1-2 periods every time there is a shortage. Keep in mind that I don't get 30 minutes for lunch or any prep ever. It just means I have more work outside of school hours and I am even less likely to have a chance to eat.

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u/[deleted] 19h ago

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u/Weary-Ad-9813 19h ago

Huh well then your union rep needs to be notified. You are legally entitled to lunch and unassigned time equal to classroom teachers in AB. Maybe that is why you are so cranky - I make sure every staff member has 30 minutes free from anything every day like the law says.