QTAD Q&A
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 127 No 8, 2 November 2022, page no. 25
I plan to retire at the end of this year. Am I entitled to receive summer vacation pay and do I need to attend the student free days?
If you are completing the teaching year, you should terminate employment as of the last day of the summer vacation, i.e. 18 January 2023, in order to ensure payment for the entire summer vacation. Whether you attend the student free days in January or not will have no impact on your entitlement.
I worked full-time in Semester 1 and have been on paid maternity leave at half pay from the beginning of Term 3, which will carry into 2023. What happens over the summer vacation period?
When on parental leave, you are entitled to a pro-rata payment for the Christmas vacation to reflect the proportion of paid leave and time worked during the preceding year. Even if the paid leave (paid parental leave and/or long service leave) was taken at the half-pay rate, you are entitled to the equivalent full-time pro-rata Christmas pay.
For permanent teachers, entitlement for the summer vacation period is based on the number of school days worked during the school year (including paid leave). Remote schools attract an entitlement of 33 days’ vacation. All other schools are entitled to 28 days’ vacation. Leave loading entitlement will be paid in December.
Formula: Number of days teaching service, multiplied by 28 (or 33 days) vacation, divided by the number of days in the school year.
Teachers on pay suspend over the summer vacation (leave end date last day of the holidays) will be paid their entitlement as a lump sum payment in December.
I have been on maternity leave most of the year (a combination of paid and unpaid) and am due to return in Week 10 Term 4. Will I receive the full summer vacation period?
Returning to work one week prior to the summer vacation period will not necessarily make you eligible for the full summer vacation period. Any period of unpaid special leave (special, study, maternity, etc) without pay for a continuous period of more than 30 working days within the school year precludes a permanent teacher receiving the full summer vacation.
Formula: Number of days teaching service (paid leave), multiplied by 28 (or 33 days) vacation, divided by the number of days in the school year.
Please note: Supply days worked do not count towards the summer vacation calculation.
I am a classroom teacher who has been acting as head of department in Term 4. How is my summer vacation pay calculated?
Teachers who are performing higher duties immediately before the summer vacation (i.e. the end of Term 4) will be paid a higher duties amount for the annual leave period (the first four weeks of the summer vacation period). The higher duties rate will also be payable for the three public holidays and the concessional day. In total, a period of 24 days.
When there is a variance to FTE hours, pro rata rules will apply.
For teachers engaged at schools that have a seven-week summer vacation, the entitlement is 29 days (25 days annual leave + three public holidays + concessional day).
For any enquiries relating to your summer vacation pay entitlements, please contact your local payroll office, or call QTAD on 1300 11 7823.