Membership Services Answers Frequently Asked Questions

The notation "degree equivalent" used to appear on my certificate. I noticed that it is no longer listed on my current Certificate of Qualification. Why?

This designation appeared on 1997 and 1998 Certificates of Qualification because it was an entry in teachers’ records downloaded from the Ministry of Education database. Degree equivalence may not appear on Certificates of Qualification because the College enters university degrees only when conferred degree transcripts are received from accredited universities.

Your academic qualifications were deemed equivalent to an acceptable university degree for certification purposes only. However, this equivalence is not listed on your certificate because it does not represent a university degree that was conferred by an accredited university.

I heard that the College maintains a public register containing information about certified teachers in Ontario that is available to the public. Exactly what information about a member appears on the register?

The Ontario College of Teachers Act requires the College to maintain a public register. The public register contains the following information:

• the member’s name

• the member’s College registration number

• the class of Certificate of Qualifica-tion and Registration and any certificates of additional
  qualifications that a member may hold; for example: Certificate of Qualification, Certificate of
  Qualification (Restricted), Supervisory Officer’s Certificate

• the date on which a certificate was issued to a member and, if applicable, the termination or
  expiration date of the certificate

• a list of basic and additional qualifications held by a member

• teacher education program(s) completed by a member

• other academic degrees held by a member

• any terms, conditions or limitations imposed on a member’s certificate

• a notice of every revocation, cancellation or suspension of a member’s Certificates of
  Qualification and Registration.

Additional information may be contained in the public register if a finding of professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity has been made as a result of a hearing by either the College’s Discipline or Fitness to Practise Committee. Subject to any order from either of these College committees, the fact, the date of the finding, the penalty, and any appeal that is pending would be noted on the public register.

Employers and faculties of education who have a password can access the public register online. Members of the College or the public can access the register through computer terminals in the College library or by phoning Client Services.

I have paid my membership fee for the 2000 calendar year and am currently in good standing. I retired from teaching full-time in June but I would like to do some supply teaching this fall. Should I send notification to the College advising that I have retired?

No. In order to teach in a publicly funded school, a teacher must be a member in good standing of the Ontario College of Teachers. Therefore it is best for your membership status to remain in good standing as opposed to retired if you wish to supply teach for a school board in the fall. Once you have retired from both full-time and supply teaching, if you notify the College in writing of your retirement, we will change your status to "retired" and issue you a Certificate of Recognition.