Supply teaching — known as occasional teaching in Ontario, substitute teaching in some western provinces, and casual teaching in others — is one of the most accessible entry points into Canadian K–12 education. In the current hiring climate, it's also one of the fastest paths to a permanent teaching position.

With school boards across Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta reporting critical shortages of supply teachers, the demand for qualified occasional teachers has never been stronger. This guide covers everything you need to know to get started.

What Does a Supply Teacher Do?

Supply teachers step in when a regular classroom teacher is absent. Assignments range from a single day to months-long Long-Term Occasional (LTO) contracts covering extended leaves.

Day-to-day supply: Follow lesson plans left by the classroom teacher, manage the class, take attendance, and keep students on track for the day.

Long-Term Occasional (LTO): The most valuable assignment type. LTO contracts typically run 4–10 months and cover medical leave, parental leave, or sabbaticals. LTO teachers often take on full teaching responsibilities including lesson planning, assessment, report cards, and parent communication.

LTO positions are your most direct path to permanent employment — they allow you to demonstrate your teaching ability to administrators who can hire you, and many boards give internal LTO teachers priority consideration for permanent positions.

Requirements by Province

Ontario

• Certification required: Yes — valid Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) certificate
• Application: Apply directly to each school board's HR department; most use Apply to Education
• Police check: Vulnerable Sector Screening required (allow 6–8 weeks)
• Pay range: $230–$280/day for occasional teachers; LTO positions paid at the appropriate grid step
• Key fact: Ontario boards maintain separate occasional teacher collective agreements through the Ontario Teachers' Federation (OTF)
• Browse Ontario supply teaching jobs

British Columbia

• Certification required: Yes — BC Teacher Regulation Branch certificate
• Application: Most districts use Make a Future — BC's central teacher job board
• Police check: Criminal Record Check through the BC Ministry of Education
• Pay range: $220–$270/day; varies by district
• Key fact: BC has a formal Teacher on Call (TOC) designation — you apply to be a TOC in each district separately
• Browse BC supply teaching jobs

Alberta

• Certification required: Yes — Alberta Education interim or full certificate
• Application: Apply directly to each school board; many use Apply to Education or board portals
• Police check: Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector required
• Pay range: $240–$290/day; Calgary and Edmonton boards at the higher end
• Key fact: Alberta has a high volume of supply teaching opportunities due to its growing population and teacher shortage
• Browse Alberta supply teaching jobs

Saskatchewan

• Certification required: Yes — Saskatchewan Professional Teachers Regulatory Board (SPTRB) certificate
• Application: Apply directly to school divisions; STF maintains a supply teaching resource
• Police check: Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector
• Pay range: $180–$240/day; rural premium available in many northern divisions
• Browse Saskatchewan supply teaching jobs

Manitoba

• Certification required: Yes — Manitoba Teaching Certificate
• Application: Apply to each school division directly
• Police check: Criminal Record Check with Child Abuse Registry Check
• Pay range: $175–$230/day
• Key fact: First Nations and band-operated schools sometimes have different requirements — contact the school directly
• Browse Manitoba supply teaching jobs

Nova Scotia

• Certification required: Yes — Nova Scotia Department of Education Nova Scotia Teaching Certificate
• Application: Apply to each regional school board
• Police check: Vulnerable Sector Check required
• Pay range: $155–$210/day
• Browse Nova Scotia supply teaching jobs

New Brunswick

• Certification required: Yes — NB Teaching Certificate (English or French stream)
• Application: Apply through the NB Department of Education portal
• Police check: Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector
• Pay range: $150–$200/day
• Browse New Brunswick supply teaching jobs

How Supply Teacher Pay Works in Canada

Most Canadian school boards pay supply teachers a flat daily rate set by collective agreement. Unlike the US, where pay varies widely by district, Canadian supply teacher rates are largely standardised within each province through union negotiations.

Key factors that affect your daily rate:

• Province: Alberta and Ontario generally pay the most; Atlantic provinces pay the least
• LTO vs daily supply: LTO assignments are paid at a grid step (often step 1 of the permanent teacher salary schedule) — significantly more than daily supply rates
• Qualifications: Some boards pay certified teachers more than non-certified supply staff (rare in Canada — most supply teachers are fully certified)

Can you earn benefits as a supply teacher?

In Ontario, occasional teachers represented by the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and OSSTF have access to benefits through OTIP after meeting qualifying thresholds. In other provinces, benefit access for supply teachers varies by board and collective agreement — check with your local teachers' federation.

How to Get On a Supply List

Step 1 — Get certified in your target province

This is non-negotiable for most boards. Check the regulatory body for your province (see table in our certification guide).

Step 2 — Get your police check done first

Vulnerable Sector Screenings take 4–10 weeks in most provinces. Start this process before you even apply to boards — it's the most common bottleneck.

Step 3 — Apply to every board within your commuting range

Unlike permanent positions, supply lists are maintained per board. Apply to all boards geographically accessible to you. In the GTA alone this might mean applying to TDSB, TCDSB, York Region, Peel, Halton, and Durham simultaneously.

Step 4 — Use the right platform

• Ontario: Apply to Education
• BC: Make a Future
• Alberta: Board portals or Apply to Education
• Other provinces: Direct to board HR departments

Step 5 — Be available, be early, be reliable

Supply teacher dispatchers (or automated dispatch systems like Aesop/Frontline) fill positions from early morning. Teachers who answer quickly and accept assignments reliably get called more often — and get better assignments over time.

From Supply Teaching to Permanent Employment

The pathway from supply to permanent is well-worn in Canada:

Seniority matters. In Ontario, LTO experience accumulates seniority points that affect hiring priority for permanent positions. The longer your LTO record with a board, the more competitive you become for permanent roles within that board.

Principals hire who they know. A principal who has watched you handle a difficult class for three months is far more likely to recommend you for a permanent position than a stranger on paper. The supply list puts you in front of principals regularly.

Internal postings first. Many Ontario and BC boards post vacancies to their occasional teacher lists before advertising publicly. Being on the list means you see these postings earlier.

Browse Supply Teaching Jobs Now

• All supply / occasional teaching jobs in Canada
• Ontario supply teaching jobs
• BC teacher on call jobs
• Alberta supply teaching jobs
• Saskatchewan supply teaching jobs
• Manitoba supply teaching jobs
• Browse all provinces

Requirements listed are current as of March 2026. Always verify current requirements with your provincial teaching regulatory body or teachers' federation before applying. Links to provincial regulatory bodies: OCT (Ontario) | BC Teacher Regulation Branch | Alberta Education | SPTRB (Saskatchewan) | Manitoba Education