Rules, procedures and what to expect when applying to teach part-time at the University of Ottawa.
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Postings
Postings are normally published at least four (4) months prior to the start of the course. For further information, please refer to Article 5.5 on Postings of the Collective Agreement.
Regular Postings
For courses with predictable enrolment (regular postings), course descriptions are posted electronically about 4 months before the start of the course for a period of at least 30 days. Postings for courses starting in September must not be removed before April 1st.
Irregular Postings
Some postings become available less than 30 days before the course starts. For these irregular postings, the posting period can be reduced to 7 days.
If an appointment is necessary less than ten (10) days before the course starts, the course shall be posted for at least 48 hours before the start date.
All qualified members who have completed the General Application shall be considered to have applied for all postings.
Please note, the requirements presented in job postings cannot be modified without having first been agreed upon by the Association and the Employer (Article 5.5. of the Collective Agreement). It has been brought to our attention that in many departments the requirements have been unilaterally modified by the Employer without the consent of the Association. If you notice any changes in job postings, we ask that you contact us immediately.
Are all postings published at the same time?
No. Departments differ in when they post courses for the upcoming academic year/session and each department may differ in when it posts courses from year to year.
Getting informed and being familiar with when a department posts courses is important:
- postings are typically for a 30-day period, so the time to apply is very limited;
- some departments post descriptions closer to the session start date and some post them much earlier (e.g. in the spring for the Winter session of the next year);
- many departments post courses once rooms have been confirmed resulting in a number of courses being posted at the same time;
Reference : Article 5.5 (POSTINGS) of the Collective Agreement.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the posting notification system for APTPUO members.
By subscribing to the posting notification system, you will receive email notifications when jobs that interest you are posted.
More information about the posting notification system here.
Applications
How many courses can I apply for?
There is no restriction on the number of courses that you can apply for. You can apply for all the courses for which you feel qualified. The electronic application form allows you to apply for more than one course using the same form.
How do I apply?
All applicants must file their applications electronically by going to the link Part-time academic positions accessible from the uOttawa homepage listed under Careers on campus. Note that the link How to Apply Online in the menu at the top left-hand corner includes very helpful information.
Points to note when applying:
- Applicants must specify in order of preference the courses/work that interests them under the Comments tab in the text box, Professor’s availability to teach during the session (Article 5.6.5c).
- Applicants can add all the courses they would like to teach in the same application for a specific academic unit.
- On the main page of the application, applicants must specify the number of courses that they would like to teach during the session respecting the limits of the Collective Agreement (see Question 4).
- All applications shall be accompanied by a complete and up-to-date C.V. It is understood, however, that the Employer shall not refuse to consider an application filed without a C.V. if the applicant had in fact filed one during the three (3) previous
- sessions.
- A history of the applicant’s teaching experience as part-time professor at the University of Ottawa, with the appropriate dates, must be included in any application in order to permit the calculation of seniority.
- Applications are sent directly to the academic unit. You will receive immediate confirmation of your application from the electronic posting system.
- If you don’t receive the confirmation, there is a problem. Contact the Department of Human Resources or APTPUO in such cases.
What do I do if I don’t agree with the number of seniority points noted on the Online Application Form?
Although it appears that a professor can submit changes on this form, Human Resources does not acknowledge any changes made to the Online Web Application Form. If you disagree with the number of points listed, you must send a notice of disagreement that includes your name, employee number, uOttawa email address, and contact information to hracad@uottawa.ca. Please include the association in carbon copy (cc) with your notice of disagreement at info@aptpuo.ca. If possible, send a file with the history of your teaching experience at the University of Ottawa in attachment.
Reference: Article 5.6 (APPLICATIONS) of the Collective Agreement
General Application
What is a General Application?
When applying online, you may notice the title “General Application” in the top left menu. This link is for submitting a general application and does not apply to specific courses. All APTPUO members who wish to submit a general application must do so by April 1st of each year.
A member who submits a general application is deemed to have applied for all courses in the upcoming academic year for which they meet the requirements.
A General Application protects members because it indicates to the academic unit that a member is interested in teaching for the coming academic year.
Because this form is an electronic version, the information requested does not correspond exactly to what is required in principle.
Points to note when sending in the General Application from Part-time academic positions page Apply Without Postings link:
- Select any session
- Select the appropriate Faculty and Academic Unit.
- Indicate the number of courses you wish to teach in a session in the box, Number of Courses you wish to teach during this Session:
- Update your record of employment under Teaching UO and/or Other Teaching tabs
- Submit your application and CV
- Repeat for every academic unit for which you would like to teach
Members are encouraged to provide in writing details concerning the days and times of his/her availability to teach in the coming year at the time they submit their general applications, although both parties recognize that such disclosure of his/her availability is optional and failure to do shall not invalidate the application.
Reference: Article 5.6.4 (GENERAL APPLICATION) of the Collective Agreement.
Appointment Procedures
The steps in the hiring process are as follows:
Step 1: Applicants shall be rated according to their qualifications, and the requirements specified in the posting.
Step 2: Applicants who are considered qualified will be hired based on their category for that particular course.
- Category A is intended for applicants possessing all of the required qualifications and experience and fulfilling the language requirements.
- Category B is intended for applicants who possess the requirements, who fulfill the language requirements, and who have taught the posted course as a regular part time professor at least three times with a cumulative average of at least 4 in the answers to the questions stated in 5.7.2.1 b); it being understood that the cumulative average will be for all the most recent A reports for this course to a maximum of 5.
- Category C (does not apply to 1st and 2nd year courses) is intended for a sole applicant who fulfills the language requirements and who clearly possesses uniquely superior qualifications to those of any other applicant and is consequently recognized as an expert in the field.
Step 3: If applicants are considered equal after Step 1 and Step 2, then the highest number of seniority points determines who is offered the position.
Reference: Article 5.7.1 (GUIDELINES) of the Collective Agreement
Does having the highest number of seniority points guarantee that I get the position that I applied for?
Generally, courses are granted on the basis of total seniority points, provided that the applicant has the necessary qualifications to teach the course.
However, the category system, (Category A, B, or C) that recognizes and promotes demonstrated teaching ability and long service at the University, allows an applicant of a higher category in a course (Category C being the highest) to be offered the position before another applicant with more seniority points. Refer to the Collective Agreement: Appointment Procedures (section 5.7).
How do I know what category I have attained for a course?
You can check with your department or consult the hiring report.
What do I do if I think I should be in a higher category for a particular course?
If you think that you qualify for being in a higher category for a particular course because of superior evaluations from your students, contact your department.
Hiring
How do I know if I have been hired for a course?
You must continually check your uOttawa email account. For regular postings, the assignment of courses to applicants is usually completed within 30 days following the end of the posting period. For irregular postings, assignment of the courses is completed within 48 hours after the end of the posting period.
What do I do to accept an offer?
As stated on the offer, you must confirm the acceptance of a contract for teaching within five (5) working days of receiving the assignment.
What happens if a course that I am interested in is posted after I have already accepted other courses?
In this case, you will have to go to your department chair to discuss if changing courses is possible.
Limits in course assignments
You can teach up to the same number of courses that are equivalent to 15 credits in two consecutive sessions. In other words, teaching 3 three-credit courses in the Fall session and 2 three-credit courses in the Winter session would be acceptable, since 5 x 3 credits = 15 credits.
If you teach non-credit courses, you cannot teach more than 340 hours in the same academic year.
Reference: Article 5.9.3 (LIMITS IN COURSE ASSIGNMENT) of the Collective Agreement.
Hiring Report and what to do if I didn’t get the course I was qualified for.
The Hiring Report is normally posted 30 days after the start of the term.
If you applied unsuccessfully for a course, you can review the report and the successful candidate’s category and seniority points. If you believe that the hiring process was not respected, you can contact the Association by replying directly to this email or by emailing us at info@aptpuo.ca.
You have 20 business days from its date of publication to file a complaint.
Cancellation of Contract or Posting
Cancellation by the Employer
The Employer reserves the right to cancel or combine courses where the enrolment is 17 students or less when it comes to credit courses and 25 students for non-credit courses.
If you have accepted to teach a course that has been offered to you in writing, you will receive one seniority point and:
- if the cancellation occurs later than 21 days after written acceptance of the appointment 10% of the contract;
- if the cancellation occurs within 21 days of the contract’s start date,15% of the value of the contract shall be paid should the member never have taught the course. If the member has taught the course before, 10% of the value of the contract shall be paid;
- if the cancellation occurs after the start date of the contract but before 50% of the teaching has been performed, 50% of the value of the contract shall be paid. If cancellation occurs after 50% of the teaching has been performed, the full value of the contract shall be paid;
- For language courses only, if the cancellation occurs within 5days of the contract’s start date, 15% of the value of the contract shall be paid should the member never have taught the course before. If the member has taught the course previously, 10% of the value of the contract shall be paid
Cancellation by a member
A member wishing to cancel a contract for a course or other work must so advise the chairperson in writing twenty-one (21) days before the beginning of the course or work in the summer and fall sessions and twenty-eight (28) days before the winter session, barring extraordinary circumstances, for example :
- Moving to another city;
- Obtaining a full-time position;
- An illness that prevents the member from completing the required duties; or
- Another valid reason.
A member failing to comply with these provisions loses three points from his or her seniority point total accumulated prior to the cancellation and the Labour-Management Committee will be informed.
Accepting a part-time position in another institution in the region does not constitute an extraordinary circumstance with respect to this provision.
Reference: Article 5.11 (CANCELLATION OF CONTRACT OR POSTING) of the Collective Agreement.