The shortage of staff in schools has become so severe that teachers who are already exhausted are regularly having to fill in other classes, a phenomenon that has exploded in the past year.
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Isabelle (free name*), 31 years old, fights back tears on the phone.
” This year, [le remplacement d’urgence], there are some every week. We are no longer able,” says the young teacher at the beginning of her career in Montreal.
“I can’t correct, I can’t plan. It messes up your day. »
“Emergency replacement” (UR) or “compulsory repair” occurs when a teacher is absent but no replacement is available. It is therefore the other teachers of the school who take turns in the periods when they have no students under their responsibility.
The typical example is that of an elementary school class where the teacher is absent all day. The children will then see the parade of the five teachers. The latter come to the UK when their students are studying English, music or physical education.
Therefore, the work to be done during these times has to be brought home, often in the evenings or at weekends.
7250% increase
In some schools, this growing phenomenon is new, such as the Center de services scolaire Marie-Victorin in Montérégie. In 2018-2019, the UK was only used for 190 periods.
Four years later there are 13,776 RU periods, an increase of 7,250%.
“We have achieved almost systematic use. We find this worrying,” said Jean-François Guilbault, President of the Syndicat de Champlain.
The main reason ? Substitute benches are empty. Due to the shortage of staff, unqualified teachers are also given long-term contracts.
Meanwhile, the process of coming in and lending a hand as a replacement remains just as awkward as denouncing candidates.
“Welcome to the club”
The Journal made a request for access to information at about forty School Service Centers (CSS). Of the 26 who have provided figures, almost all or 23 are using the UK much more than before the pandemic. In 21 CSS, the phenomenon has been on the rise over the past year.
In some places, for example, the number of minutes, periods or even amounts of money dedicated to Great Britain has doubled, tripled or sixfold in four years.
“Welcome to the club,” quips Catherine Beauvais-St-Pierre, president of the Alliance of Montreal Teachers, which had recourses to the UK well before the pandemic.
“But for the last two years it’s gotten worse and worse […] It used to be a variable geometry reality. It’s reality everywhere,” she summarizes.
Of course, the teachers are paid for these extra hours of work.
“I have teachers who tell me that [pendant leurs vacances]treat yourself to trips south with [cet argent] the United Kingdom is so common, says Véronique Lefebvre of the Syndicat de l’enseignement de la region de Vaudreuil.
Less money, more time
Respondents agree, however: teachers would rather forgo that extra money and have all the time they need to do their job well.
On the other hand, if a person refuses to do RU, he suffers a “reduction in treatment”, ie a drop in wages, explains Jean-François Guilbault.
“What we’re seeing more and more often is teachers voluntarily giving up their salaries to better serve their students,” he notes.
For their part, the CSS that answered our questions remind us that the pandemic has made the situation more complex. Also, they have to deal with the shortage as their clientele grows.
For example, the CSS de Montréal has opened 123 new admissions classes since the beginning of the year.
SOME EXAMPLES OF SNAPSHOT
CSS Marie Victorin:
2021-2022 ▸ 13,776 periods
2020-2021 ▸ 8194 periods
2019-2020 ▸ 4997 periods
2018-2019 ▸ 190 periods
CSS Val des Cerfs:
2021-2022 ▸ 3482 hours
2020-2021 ▸ 1050 hours
2019-2020 ▸ 672 hours
2018-2019 ▸ 721 hours
CSS Beauce Etchemin:
2021-2022 ▸ 218,049 minutes
2020-2021 ▸ 71,991 minutes
2019-2020 ▸ 117,916 minutes
2018-2019 ▸ 37,410 minutes
CSS Portages de l’Outaouais:
2021-2022 ▸ 1811 periods + 2315 hours
2020-2021 ▸ 1793 periods + 1314 hours
2019-2020 ▸ 128 periods + 206 hours
2018-2019 ▸ 1 hour + 8 hours
Montreal CSS:
2021-2022 ▸ 26,074 hours
2020-2021 ▸ 20,491 hours
2019-2020 ▸ 9361 hours
2018-2019 ▸ 13,915 hours
The 12 tasks to become a deputy
Aspiring substitutes denounce the insane red tape one must go through to get hired at school service centers, to the point that some decide to give up.
“I let go when I didn’t know where to click or who to send what to,” says Léonie*, 37.
The cultural mediator with a bachelor’s degree has experience with young people. She was often available for on-site replacements.
But after three months trying to navigate the hiring process at Center de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM) schools, she’s still unsure if she’s found the right path, says the person who managed the process with the “12 Labors of Asterix” compares. .
“It’s endless steps […] It got too complicated,” said the one who put the project on hold.
Eva*, 30, had almost completed her bachelor’s degree in education when she applied for a temporary job.
“It took four months from the time I applied to the first day of the substitute apprenticeship,” she recalls.
Abitur certificates …
No one disputes the need to verify candidates’ credentials or criminal records, but some steps raise eyebrows.
Almost all School Service Centers (CSS) ask candidates to show their official university, CEGEP… and even high school diplomas, according to a compilation by Le Journal.
File Photo, Adobe
The road is long and winding, sometimes too much, according to candidates, before he can become a replacement.
“I fell,” says Stéfanie*, 60, who has more than 30 years of experience as a qualified teacher in schools in the Capitale-Nationale region.
This autumn she was asked for her certificates when she wanted to switch to CSS as a substitute as a pensioner.
For its part, the CSSDM states that the transcripts will be used for the “salary classification” upon obtaining the contract.
extended team
“It’s a process that takes time,” admits Anne-Lise Gravel, deputy general manager for human resource management. Despite the shortcoming, the CSSDM still needs to ensure that candidates meet the requirements.
“But what we want is that our lists [se comblent] ‘ she assures. Processes are constantly re-evaluated. “We are working on redesigning the user interface. »
The human resources team has been strengthened, although the administrative area has also been affected by the shortage, she adds.
The CSSDM is the only one that granted us an interview for this file.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED IN MOST CSS
- CV
- birth certificate
- Teaching certificate (if applicable)
- diplomas
- high school diplomas
- university certificates
- university certificates
- Evidence or results of language tests
*Source: access to Le Journal information requests
*Teachers and alternates interviewed in this file asked to remain anonymous to avoid reprisals from their CSS.
The same philosophy as for nurses
Experts are concerned about the dramatic increase in emergency cover in schools, a trend based on the same philosophy as that which forces nurses into mandatory overtime (TSO).
“It’s really sad. We are already facing a worrying situation,” says Angelo Soares, Professor in the Department of Organization and Human Resources at UQAM.
The burden on teachers is incomparable to that of nurses, who often do not know when they may be discharged from the hospital due to OSI.
But many speakers see parallels.
“What they have in common: the state is the employer […] And it’s the same management philosophy: do better with less,” analyzes Mr. Soares.
The two networks are also caught in a vicious circle: the shortage forces employees to work more, which exhausts them and pushes some to leave, exacerbating the shortage.
“We are not from the inn,” says Geneviève Sirois, professor in TÉLUQ’s education department, recalling that 40% of permanent teachers could retire by 2030.
In both systems, the employer also tends to make employees feel guilty that children cannot be left without teachers or patients without care.
“Teachers say, ‘If I take time off to go to the doctor, it falls on my colleagues […] I prefer to go to work when I’m sick,” explains Ms. Sirois.
TRAINING CANCELED DUE TO LACK OF REPLACEMENTS
Oftentimes, teachers have to cancel a training course at the last minute because there are no substitutes available to tutor their students.
“How many times I’ve been canceled for training…” sighs Isabelle*, 31 years old.
“And when we [arrive] Going to training makes you feel guilty,” she adds.
For example, at CSSDM, all training was canceled between December 7, 2022 and April 30, 2023.
“It’s a contradiction in terms,” says Catherine Beauvais-St-Pierre of the Alliance des profs de Montréal, since teachers are required by law to complete 30 hours of professional development every two years.
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