QTAD Q&A

Experienced senior teacher

Those of you who applied for the experienced senior teacher classification should have received notification by email as to whether you were successful or not by the end of the week commencing 14 July.

If you were unsuccessful, there is no appeal process. However, you will be able to apply in the next round in 2015. Unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to obtain feedback from the panel chair.

I have been employed on contracts since July 2012. However, due to a change of residence (and region) at the beginning of this year, I only received a contract part way through term 1 – my current contract started 17 February 2014 and is for the full year. I’m due to have my baby in August. Will this affect my eligibility for paid maternity leave?

To be eligible for paid parental leave, you must be a permanent, temporary, full-time, part-time or long-term casual employee of the department and have met the qualifying service period of at least 12 months’ continuous service at least once.

This service is to be unbroken, or may be inclusive of paid and unpaid leave, which is credited towards service. For temporary employees, your continuity of service with an employer is not broken if the employer re-employs you within three months of the termination of the previous contract.

Therefore, based on your service history, it is the QTU’s view that you have met the requirements for the 12 months of service as prescribed under the paid parental leave directive (http://tinyurl.com/k4rcrm2).

As a temporary teacher, you can only be paid maternity leave during the period of your current contract, i.e. as your contract is for the full year, you could only take paid maternity leave up to the last day of the school year.

You could consider taking the full semester off by taking a combination of full and half-pay maternity leave, e.g. eight weeks full pay + six weeks half pay, thus a total of 20 weeks paid leave for the full semester. Paid maternity leave is paid during term time only. If paid leave is spread across a mid-year vacation, the vacation is paid (at the substantive rate) in addition to the maternity leave.

Further information see the QTU information brochure on parental leave at www.qtu.asn.au or contact QTAD on 1300 11 7823.

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 119 No 5, 18 July 2014, p27