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FE4 On Contract

*New* FE4 On Contract
Pilot Project Winter 2025

On this page:

 

Eligibility Criteria

For the Winter 2025 term, ISA will be piloting the option of On Contract Fourth Field Experience placements for students who meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Student has received proficient or exceeding on all PCs on FE3 Summative Report

  • Minimum CGPA of 3.5

  • The contract has a start date that is similar to the start date of the regular FE4. Contracts should not conflict with the scheduled intensive co-requisite courses as no accommodations will be possible for intensive pre-requisite courses.

  • Please note that Student Teachers who have repeated FE3 are not eligible for FE4-On Contract

  • FE4 on-contract should be at a different school than FE3. Requests for the same school must be reviewed by ISA for pre-approval.
  • K/Elem students should have experience in all cycles through their field experiences by the end of their program. Their FE4 contract should cover any missing cycles. Please reach out to your placement coordinator if you are not sure what is required.

 

Procedure and Considerations:

 

  • Only contracts in Quebec schools will be considered for FE4.
  • Student should mention on their FE4 Placement Form that they wish to complete FE4 on contract (or reach out to their placement coordinator if the form is already complete.)
  • Student must submit CV to their Placement Coordinator.
  • Student Teachers are responsible for finding and securing their own contract arrangements (including but not limited to ensuring they are properly hired by the school/school board).
  • Student Teachers will be responsible for securing a CT or an Admin at the school where they are employed to evaluate them throughout FE4.
  • Please note that the FE3 Supervisor may be contacted to verify if the student would be a good fit to complete their FE4 on contract.
  • Note that this pilot “On Contract FE4” is better suited for students who are only missing FE4 to complete their degree requirements provided that they meet the eligibility criteria.

Please note that in the case of dismissal, FE4 students who are using a paid contract to fulfill their field experience requirement should note that the employment relationship with the school board/school remains separate from the academic relationship with McGill. For example:

  • FE4 is concluded by McGill because the student is missing pre-requisite courses; the student remains employed as a teacher at the discretion of the school
  • FE4 is concluded by McGill because improvements outlined in a Competency Improvement Plan (CIP) have not been addressed; the student remains employed as a teacher at the discretion of the school
  • FE4 is concluded by the school board/school; the ISA Director will decide the outcome of the EDFE course

 

Ready to apply? Send your CV and intent to obtain a contract to your placement.education [at] mcgill.ca (subject: FE4%20On%20Contract, body: Good%20day%2C%20%0AI%20would%20like%20to%20obtain%20a%20contract%20for%20my%20FE4.%20Please%20find%20attached%20my%20CV.%20%0A(If%20TESL%20please%20let%20us%20know%20which%20school%20boards%20you%20would%20be%20applying%20to.)%0A) (placement coordinator)!

 


Winter FE4 Off-Cycle Deadlines

  • Deadline to notify Placement Coordinator of intent to obtain contract for FE4: Last Friday in October

  • Note that you may be asked to meet with the ISA Director for approval of your eligibility.

  • Deadline to submit all contract documentation to Placement Coordinator for validation: Second Friday of December

 

Intent to Obtain Contract Deadline

While we appreciate that some contracts may only be available late into the Fall term, we require your notice of intent by the Last Friday in October to provide our Placement Coordinators with adequate time to find and confirm placements for those not seeking a contract. We also are not able to find and “hold” a placement for you while you look to obtain a contract, because of agreements with our partner schools. For these reasons, contract requests after the deadline cannot be considered. We suggest you notify us of your intent to obtain a contract only if you are certain you will be able to obtain a contract that meets the Ministry requirements (see below).

 

Change of Plans

If you notify your Placement Coordinator that you are seeking a contract, ISA will not search for and secure a placement with a Co-operating Teacher (CT) for you. If at any time between notifying your Placement Coordinator that you are searching for a contract and the contract validation deadline (Second Friday of December), you decide that you no longer wish to seek a contract or are unable to obtain a contract, it is your responsibility to notify your Placement Coordinator of this change of plans, so that a placement may be sought for you. Please note, depending on when you notify your Placement Coordinator, you may have a delayed start to your placement.

Contract Validation

Failure to submit your contract for validation by the deadline stated above may result in a delay to your start date and a subsequent extension of your end date. If the delay is significant, you may not be able to use the contract towards your FE4 placement. Please remember that all contracts must specify your teaching schedule and must contain enough subject area teaching hours to satisfy the Ministry requirements within the appointed term. For detailed Ministry requirements for contract validation, please see below.

If you elect to submit your contract past this deadline, you agree that the ISA will not look for a placement for you for the term in which you are registered to complete an FE4 placement, and you will then only be able to do your Field Experience if you have a suitable contract by the start of the Field Experience. Take note that if after the deadline, you elect to continue finding a contract, you risk the chance that you will not be able to do your Field Experience (and graduate, if this is your last term) if:

  • you do not secure a contract in time for the start of the Field Experience OR

  • the contract does not meet Ministry requirements OR

  • the school does not agree to the terms in the Letter of Agreement (see below)

Employers

Contracts can be with English school boards (excl. TESL), French school boards (TESL only), or private schools and must meet the Ministry requirements (see below). Those wishing to complete their contract in a French School (other than TESL) need approval from the ISA Office. Student teachers (Excl. TESL) are not permitted to complete both FE3 and FE4 in a French setting

Career Services in the Faculty of Education

The ISA Office's Student Teaching team will not facilitate your search for paid teaching contracts (e.g. make inquiries on your behalf to schools about possible paid contracts), and will only validate that a contract meets the course, program, and Ministry requirements for the Field Experience. You are invited to contact the career.education [at] mcgill.ca (Education Career Advisor) for any questions regarding general job search, CV/cover letter preparation, job opportunities in Montreal, substitute teaching application procedures, etc. You can also visit the Career Services section on the ISA website to get more information on topics such as volunteering opportunities, professional development and French proficiency requirements.

Documentation Required

In order to validate that your contract meets the Ministry Requirements, please send your Placement Coordinator the following information and documentation by the ISA Office's noted deadline:

  • Name of the school

  • A copy of your teaching schedule

  • A copy of your contract

  • The name and e-mail address of the individual with whom we can verify that the information provided is accurate (usually the principal, VP or hiring manager)

  • Letter of Agreement signed by both you and the school administrator

  • The name and position of the person who will be evaluating you throughout your Field Experience

  • Your CV

 Letter of Agreement

Student Teachers who pursue a paid contract for their Field Experience must sign and have the Administrator of their school sign ISA's "Letter of Agreement Pertaining to Paid Contracts for Field Experiences Taken as Part of McGill University’s Bachelor of Education Program" prior to the start of their contract/Field Experience. A Student Teacher's ability to use a paid contract for their Field Experience may not be approved without this signed Letter of Agreement. Links to download a blank PDF of the Letter of Agreement are provided below.

  • Lettre d'entente (français) (Coming soon!)

 

Ministry Requirements

Hours: The ISA Office values equity and flexibility and tries its absolute best to make a reasonable contract opportunity meet our requirements as we understand the importance and value that a paid Field Experience offers students. As such, if you receive an offer that does not exactly meet the weekly hours of teaching in your subject area (see below), your Placement Coordinator can look to extend your Field Experience dates to make up some hours, if it is feasible to extend and still meet the graduation approval deadlines.

Subject: A valid teaching contract must have a significant majority of the workload in the student's specific program subject area (i.e. Secondary (ELA, Social Sciences, Math, or Science), TESL, Music or Physical Education).


FE4

In order for a paid contract to be eligible for recognition as FE4 Field Experience the contract must meet the following requirements:

  • K/Elementary students: Must secure a teaching contract at an elementary school

  • PIF students must secure contracts according to their program requirements.

  • Secondary (ELA, Social Sciences, Math, Science) Students: Must be in the secondary school sector*

  • TESL and Physical Education students: Ideally is in opposite level (elementary or secondary) of FE3

  • Minimum of 245 Field Experience hours (280 for Phys.Ed.), all of which must be completed in the appointed semester (i.e. Winter) and distributed based on the table below

  • A certain number of hours must be completed in the student's assigned subject area (e.g. Social Sciences, TESL, etc.) and other task areas in order to comply with QC Ministry of Education requirements for teacher certification:

 

 

DISE Minimum

Area

112 hours (approx. 16hrs/week)

Subject area workload (i.e. teaching)

84 hours (approx. 12 hours/week)

Unassigned tasks in subject area (Prep/correction)

49 hours (approx. 7 hours/week)

Presence and/or other in-school duties

 

KPE Minimum Area
128 hours (approx. 16 hours/week) Phys.Ed subject area workload (i.e. teaching)
96 hours (approx. 12 hours/week) Unassigned tasks in subject area (prep/evaluations)
56 hours (approx. 7 hours/week) Presence and/or other school duties

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