Working in an Educational Setting

At its November meeting, Council concluded work on changes to how members may be contracted while working as educators at post-secondary institutions.

Equity has long excluded members working as educators from the requirement of being signed to an Equity contract, since teaching, even by an Equity member, is not within our jurisdiction. In most cases the division was quite clear. For example, a stage manager, SMing a show at a university, was quite clearly doing a job within Equity's jurisdiction, and expected to be hired under an Equity contract. The same member, however, serving as a coach to a student SM on a university show was quite clearly working in a teaching capacity, and could therefore be contracted under a suitable instructor's contract.

When the Directors, Choreographers and Fight Directors Committee brought the topic forward to Council for consideration, they pointed out that members working in those disciplines frequently had to manage both Equity and teaching responsibilities, e.g. directing a show and also doing a scene study class and grading students on their work.

In these dual-nature jobs, the contracting requirement was frequently a matter of some tension with the school. Existing unions within the educational institution, for instance, might prohibit the hiring of instructors on the contracts of another professional association. Or issues of bonding or prepayment might be administratively challenging for organisations that did not work that way for any other hires. In reviewing the matter, Council elected to open the discussion up to cover all disciplines, so that there would be consistent handling of post-secondary educational contracts for all members. 

Beginning this year, when working within the post-secondary educational sector primarily as educators, members may choose to be hired under either an Equity agreement or a teaching contract, letter of agreement or other document provided by the institution that provides at least the core workplace benefits and protections set out in our policies. We anticipate that this will relieve most of the issues. It will ensure that all members have basic workplace protections, and those members able to use Equity contracts will have access to those additional benefits as well.

Councillors and staff will be preparing an information bulletin on this later in year, but we wanted to give everyone a heads up on the change.