Changing schools and holiday pay
This advice is about resigning from your current teaching position. It describes the period of notice a teacher should give their school, and what effect there may be on holiday pay
If you are resigning from your teaching position the minimum notice period is usually two months (STCA 3.11 and ASTCA 2.8). An exception applies for fixed term employees who are in the last two months of their contract: If you are in this situation, you can instead give half of whatever period is remaining on your fixed term contract. All teachers can negotiate for different notice periods- but your employer does not have to agree to this. Please note that parental leave cover positions that are clearly identified as such (and meet the usual requirements applying to fixed term contracts) can be terminated with one month notice.
The more notice a teacher can give their current school the better for the employer. Accordingly, many employers welcome it if you let them know early if you are moving to a new position. If you want to give your school more notice than the two months required, please ensure however that you are explicit about when you want your resignation to take effect to avoid misunderstandings.
The Minister of Education sets term dates for schools that are publicly notified. As an example, for 2026 the Gazette notice outlines that secondary and composite must be open for instruction for 380 half days and schools cannot end the year later than 18 December 2026.
The effective date of a resignation or the end of a fixed term or position must be a day that is normally worked by the teacher and on which the school is open for instruction.
. Accordingly, if you want to start the new school year at a different school, it makes sense to have the resignation take effect at the last day of Term 4 at your school.
Irrespective of whether your notice takes effect at the end of term 4 or at a different time prior to the start of the next school year that you have negotiated with your employer, the holiday pay you receive for the summer break will depend on your work throughout the school year. If you have worked all year, you will get holiday pay that covers the entire summer break. If you have had more than 5 days of LWOP (other than unpaid sick leave) you can expect a holiday pay deduction. Technically, your holiday pay should be paid out on resignation, but in practice if Education Payroll can see that you are starting a new position at the beginning of the next school year, it is possible that your fortnightly pay will just continue seamlessly.
Uncertainty about the timing of a resignation and effective dates are common because of variability in school start dates, so if unsure please contact your field officer.
If you are moving to a new role, it will help avoid problems if your current school notifies Education Payroll that you are transferring to another school.
Make sure that your PPTA membership also transfers to the new school and check your payslip to ensure member subs are active.
If you are moving to a new school immediately after the holidays, ask your current school to inform Education Payroll. This may allow you to continue to be paid fortnightly.
When changing school and moving from one fixed term position to another fixed term position, work with both schools to set suitable end and start dates to minimise loss of holiday pay.
If you suspect that your position should really be permanent, then contact your field officer.
Last modified on Wednesday, 25 October 2023 11:34