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FAQs – School Employees

I am a school employee. Am I eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits during a recess period?

Yes, if any of the following are true for you:

You earned enough money from a non-school job in the base period to qualify for a claim. A base period is a specific 12-month time frame we use to check if you earned enough money to qualify for a claim.
You do not have reasonable assurance to return to work after the recess period ends.
Your job depends on enrollment, funding, or program changes.

If my school employer tells me during the recess period that I won’t have a job when the next term starts, can I get benefits during the rest of the recess period?

Yes, because you’re unemployed through no fault of your own.

You must still meet all other eligibility requirements to qualify. When you tell us about the job loss, we will check with your school employer to make sure they canceled the job offer. You may also be able to get backdated benefits for the days you were unemployed but believed you had reasonable assurance to return to work. This depends on the type of work you did.

At the end of the school term, I was given a return-to-work date for the next school year. Before the term began, my job was cut. Can I get benefits?

Yes.

What is the difference between a school employee and a school-supportive employee?

A school employee is employed by the school.

A school-supportive employee works for a company that provides services to a school but is not employed by the school itself.

Am I eligible for backdated benefits?

Yes, if you are a non-professional school employee, or school supportive employee, and meet all of these conditions:

You requested to backdate your benefits within 30 days of the new school term starting.
The school laid you off.
You were not previously denied benefits for anything other than reasonable assurance to return to work.
You certified for benefits during the recess period.
You met all eligibility requirements during the recess period.

I’m a substitute teacher. My school employer offered me a job for next school year or term. However, I didn’t receive a specific date to return to work. Can I still get benefits during the recess period?

Usually, no. Schools don’t have to give substitute teachers a specific return-to-work date to show that there is a reasonable assurance to return to work.

If the school employer offers you work for the next school year or term under the same conditions and you accept, they assume you will return.

Before I applied for benefits, my last day of work was at my part-time job with a non-school employer. I also work for a school employer who offered me a job when the recess period ends. Am I eligible for benefits during the recess period?

If you have reasonable assurance to return to your school job, you are not eligible to get benefits based on your school wages during the break.

But if you earned enough money from your non-school job to establish a valid claim, you might qualify for benefits based on those wages from your job, as long as you meet other eligibility requirements.

My job offer for the next year or term depends on enough students enrolling, getting enough funding, or program changes. Am I eligible for benefits?

Yes. You don’t have reasonable assurance to return.

You can get benefits if you meet all other eligibility requirements, no matter if you are a professional, non-professional, or school-supportive employee at a public or nonprofit school.