teacher

educational assistant

technical support analyst

elementary school teacher

administrative assistant

THAMES VALLEY DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

Pros:
Flexible Work Hours - can set up schedule to receive calls for the schools you want as well as book off whenever you want without needing to tell anyone why, however be prepared to work half days when permanent staff need to go to the board office for training.

If looking to work over the summer - there are opportunities in the Board office.

Con:
Hours: No control of the number of hours you get - can get no hours in a week or you get a Long Term Opportunity (you work the hours of another staff member while they are off (eg. surgery)

Training: There is little to no training for supplies. Be prepared to job shadow prior to entering a school and knowing a secretary prior to going into a school to call on when you are in a pinch will be necessary. Elementary and Secondary school run differently. It's an asset to understand those difference prior to working in one.

Management: Principals aren't the same across the board.

Reviews: Will only get reviewed by anyone when a principal writes you up and will be under HR scrutiny for 4-8 months

Parents and teachers expect you to inherit the brain of the secretary you are replacing as they don't introduce themselves and expect you to give out confidential information.

Environment in each school is quite unique. Some are great to work in as a supply while others you will quickly take off your list.

Can supply in for any secretary, however HR may not recognize your education to be hired in a permanent position.

Working as an EA for TVDSB is rewarding in so many ways. You have the opportunity to meet and build relationships with so many amazing students. Hours of work are good. Monday-Friday, 7.5 hours a day (perm) or 7 hours a day (temp). Full-time contracts are easy to come by and there are always supply shifts available to pick up. Benefits and pension packages cannot be beat, but you have to be a permanent staff to get the benefits. Holidays and summers guaranteed off (unpaid).

Obtaining permanent employment has been difficult for many, however if you are willing to work at schools with a "reputation", often you can move into a permanent position quicker. The choosier you are, the more difficult it is. My co-workers and I started at a "difficult" school and became perm within a year. Don't let bad repuatations fool you. Check schools out for yourself! Step outside of your comfort zone! 

There is no formal training for this position. You are thrown in with very little to no information from the start and have to navigate the system mostly on your own utilizing your own skills and experience. Management is so overworked it is often difficult to get any direction or support. You must go in with a flexible and adaptable attitude. Take advantage of PD opportunities! 

Pay is substantially lower than the other local board. We are not paid what we are worth. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great place to spend my teaching career, to date!

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
So much daily assessment, that it takes away time you would like to spend on instruction, so that they have knowledge, skills & attitudes that they need to score better on those daily evaluations!

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Opportunities abound for PD,  but more time & energy need to be spent on “ bringing learning to life”. 
I always enjoyed creating Egyptian relics, pyramids & walking like an Egyptian,  creating an integrated study. However the minutes spent on Mathematics cut science & social studies times to a minimum. Kids love Science experiments, too, & more emphasis needs to be put onto these life skills subjects! 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
6am to 6pm was a short day! Report cards that keep changing programs took me a minimum of 64 hours for a class of 21!
More time with kids & far less dogma that overrides the karma would be great!
When balanced day was brought-into pur school, it was impossible to go out to lunch ( on 30 -40 minutes to clollaborate with co-workers in a relaxed environment!

What is the best part of working at the company?
Excellent compensation package and job security for contract employees. Surrounded by passionate educators at every level.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Board-initiatives are sometimes disconnected from highest priorities of the local schools. Professional development opportunities frequently need to be pursued on own time, at own expense. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment and culture at TVDSB is highly variable and is influenced most strongly by the school's administrative team and staff. At central office, sometimes there can be a teacher-bashing theme as learning coordinators and coaches are frustrated by slow rate of change. This could be fixed if leadership took as user-centric approach to understanding why good teachers can't always achieve best practices and then worked to remove barriers.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Personally, I started at 7:30 and left after 5:00 with a bag full of marking. Teaching is never part-time and time off-work is never fully your own. If life balance is very important to you, consider alternative careers.

As a occasional teacher with the Thames Valley District School Board I am employed from September to June at various schools in the District. The duration of the job leaves me available for positions at other work places for the months of July and August. As I am in many different schools throughout the year I get a glimpse of new strategies, resources and program information. I enjoy meeting many new students and for the most part the teachers and staff at the schools are very friendly. I have only met a handful of the principals at the schools and the principals that introduce themselves to me always seem to have the most polite students in their schools. The hardest part of the job is getting last minute calls to a school I've never heard of and then trying to find that school on time. The most enjoyable part of the job is interacting with the students and learning what they are interested in and what makes kids these days tick.

I’ve worked at the board since 2022, and in all honesty I would say run. I’m a supply EA now but it was bad when I did accept a contract. Admin guilt tripping you when you’re sick, a lot of gossip within other EA’s and the amount of behavioural issues for students was not fun. I got two concussions and a broke arm in just one year. If you have a difficult parent and admin are scared of them they will do absolutely nothing to help you. I was with the same student for the whole year all day but halfway through I asked to switch it up as I was burning out. Admin did at first but then the parent I had got upset and admin switched me back saying they don’t want to upset the mom. I went on leave a month later due to burn out and them not listening. The pay isn’t too bad but not worth it, you start at 8:45 if you’re a supply and end at 3:45. You get two half an hour breaks that are unpaid and if you’re on contract you get no benefits until you’re permanent. 
During my time I didn’t feel appreciated at all, admin would joke about how EA appreciation day isn’t a thing because they don’t want to acknowledge it. 

I really enjoyed my 38 year career with TVDSB.  The opportunities for transfers and advancement are good.  I started in Finance, and from there worked as a Secretary in the Elementary & Secondary systems.  When I retired, I was an Adminustrative Secretary at a Secondary school.  Typically, the TVDSB hires retired school secretaries as "Casual" employees upon retirement, if they wish to pursue that.  I was looking forward to enjoying this option in retirement, as I was a well-respected employee with an exemplary work record.  This along with my vast experience and positive attitude made me an excellent candidate for the position.  I was denied this opportunity by Human Resources, without explanation.  This was very uncommon, and truly disappointing, as I had so much to offer in this role.  


I was hired as a temporary on-call clerical assistant for the Thames Valley District School Board. My first assignment was to work as a switchboard operator at office in London,On for a period of two months. A full-time employee was on sick leave at the time. I worked from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri. A regular employee looked after the temporary clerical assistants.

The co-workers were fine. I was not given any training prior to taking the assignment. I learned how to operate the switchboard on my own. The office in London is the head office for the Thames Valley District School Board. The hardest part of the job was going to different placements without much training beforehand. The most enjoyable part was going to different placement sites within the school board.

These positions are only temporary. If there is no work available, you are out of a job.

I have worked with TVDSB for a couple years now and my experience has been well-rounded. TVDSB is a place you can grow at your own pace. Jobs are a plenty and the hours are fantastic. You have free training opportunities and the culture is supportive and pro-active. You are protected in everything you do and given room to make mistakes. You can show up as you are in terms of dress code just be appropriate and comfortable. Hardest part of the job is clashing opinions on best care for children and youth. Schools/Teachers often don't value the work EA do and that can be hard to manage. Find a school you align with and you are set. They do move people around a lot if you aren't permeant staff so if you want stability do that ASAP. 

Overall, it was a decent experience. The direct management was excellent—my supervisor was approachable, understanding, and supportive, which made a big difference in my day-to-day work.

The job itself was fairly straightforward and involved repetitive, menial tasks, but it was easy to pick up and not overly stressful. However, the shift schedule could be a challenge at times. Some shifts were long, or the timing made work-life balance harder to maintain. Flexibility in scheduling would have made the experience even better.

If you're looking for a job with clear expectations and good management, this is a solid option, especially if you're okay with occasional tough shifts.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Teacher 6 salaries reported	$88,667 per year
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Technical support analyst 1 salary reported	$30.10 per hour
Elementary school teacher 7 salaries reported	$81,886 per year
Administrative assistant 2 salaries reported	$62,442 per year

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