In this article
The role and why you want it
What is an occasional teacher?
An occasional teacher is a teacher employed by a school board to teach as a substitute for a regular teacher or temporary teacher of that board. The Education Act wording, as quoted in a teachers' union guide, also limits how long such a substitute may stand in for an absent teacher: no later than the end of the second school year after the absence begins (Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association guide, 2016-17 edition). Say the term plainly in the interview, then tie it to the day-to-day job.
Why it is asked: a candidate who knows the role's name and limits has done the reading.
Why do you want to be an occasional teacher?
Give one honest reason and one that helps the board. Common true reasons are gaining experience in many schools and grades, flexibility, and a route to permanent work. The union guide itself says assignments can be varied and rewarding and often lead to permanent teaching opportunities, and that you can have input into where and when you work. Then say what you bring: reliability, calm and range.
Why it is asked: boards need people who will accept calls and arrive prepared.
Tell me about yourself.
Use a present, past, future shape under one minute: your certification and subjects now, the classroom experience that matters most, and why this board. End on the role. Knowing how interview loops work helps you plan the rounds. The page on telling your story shows the shape in detail.
Why it is asked: it opens nearly every interview and shows how you organise your thoughts.
Which grades and subjects can you cover?
Answer with your real certification and qualifications, then show range. Boards describe roster openings by division and qualification. A Toronto District School Board (TDSB) hiring page, for example, lists the qualifications by division that each list requires and screens qualifications with the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) before the interview (TDSB hiring page, read October 2026). The OCT is the body that certifies teachers in Ontario. Do not claim a subject you could not teach safely.
Why it is asked: the board matches your qualifications to the calls it must fill.
How flexible is your availability?
State your real windows and how fast you can reply to a call. Occasional teachers are assigned on a casual daily basis through a rotational call-out system, the union guide says, so quick, reliable replies matter more than being free every day. Do not promise what you cannot keep.
Why it is asked: an unfilled absence leaves a class without a teacher.
Before the bell: plans and routines
What do you do when you arrive at a school you do not know?
Check in at the main office, sign in, introduce yourself to the secretary and principal, collect keys, find the classroom, staff room and washrooms, and learn the attendance routine. The union guide lists these steps as the arrival checklist.
Why it is asked: it shows you can arrive and orient yourself without fuss.
How do you prepare before students arrive?
Read the day plan, set up the lessons, find a seating plan or make one, learn the fire drill and lockdown routines, and note students with high needs, allergies or medication. The guide also advises reviewing any behaviour plans so you stay consistent for those students, and finding out about special events in the day.
Why it is asked: the time before the bell decides the day.
What would you do if there is no day plan?
Report it to the office at once, check with a neighbouring teacher, and use a lesson you prepared in advance. The guide says that if a plan has not been left or cannot be found, you will want lessons ready to use. Keep the work useful, age-appropriate and easy to mark.
Why it is asked: missing plans are common, and it tests your backup.
What do you do if you disagree with the day plan?
Follow it as closely as possible. The guide says you may amend it for reasons such as time, safety or your own physical ability, using professional judgment, and must then leave a factual note about the changes.
Why it is asked: it separates judgement from improvising for its own sake.
Knowing it is half the job. Saying it is the other half.
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How do you start with a class that has never met you?
Greet students at the door, state your name, the plan for the day and two or three rules, and take attendance with the class list. The guide suggests name tags made from the class list. Keep your tone calm and your expectations clear.
Why it is asked: the opening minutes set the tone for the whole day.
How do you handle a disruptive class?
Follow the classroom's routines and rules so students see consistency, speak privately to the student rather than in front of peers, and keep the lesson moving. The guide advises avoiding power struggles, never ridiculing or embarrassing students, and praising when appropriate. If the problem continues, call the office early and write down what happened.
Why it is asked: classes test newcomers, and the board wants calm authority.
How do you handle a student who refuses to follow directions?
Give a clear, quiet choice with a consequence that matches the school's policy, and keep the rest of the class working. Do not argue. If the refusal puts safety at risk, send for help and keep other students supervised.
Why it is asked: it tests firmness without conflict.
How do you support students with special needs or behaviour plans?
Find the names and plans before the lesson starts, follow the accommodations the teacher left, and check with the in-school support staff if unsure. The guide notes that it is often difficult to understand individual needs, particularly of students with modifications and accommodations, so asking is expected.
Why it is asked: every class has students whose needs you cannot see on day one.
Safety, boundaries and privacy
How do you make sure students are supervised?
You are responsible for adequate supervision of students in your care, and the OCT says enhanced supervision is needed in higher-risk settings such as technology or shop classes, outdoor education and off-site trips (OCT, June 2025). Say you know where every student is, learn yard-duty and on-call schedules, and never leave a class unattended.
Why it is asked: inadequate supervision is a common factor in the College's conduct cases about student safety.
What are professional boundaries, and how do you keep them?
Professional boundaries are the limits that keep the relationship between a teacher and students professional. The OCT advisory applies to all certified teachers and advises declining student friend requests, not exchanging private messages or personal contact details with students, using only employer-authorized technology, avoiding unnecessary touching, and not giving students gifts in a preferential way (OCT advisory, approved October 2020).
Why it is asked: the College treats boundary violations as professional misconduct.
What would you do if a student told you something that worried you?
Listen calmly, do not promise to keep it secret, and write down what was said in the student's words. If it gives you reasonable grounds to suspect abuse or neglect, report it yourself, immediately, to the local children's aid society. The OCT says the duty is immediate and you cannot rely on anyone else, a principal included, to report for you (OCT duty-to-report advisory, revised June 2018). Then follow the board's protocol and tell the principal.
Why it is asked: you may be the only adult who hears it.
How do you protect student privacy?
Share information about students only with staff who need it for their care. Do not photograph students or post about the school online, and do not discuss one student's behaviour with another's parent. Refer parents to the regular teacher or the office.
Why it is asked: a substitute sees records and conversations that are not theirs to share.
After the day and the long-term list
What do you leave for the regular teacher?
A factual note covering what was taught and not finished, helpful students, absent or late students, notes from parents, money collected (sealed and handed to the office), topics that were hard, any disruption such as a fire drill, and, if you changed the plan, why. The union guide lists these items and says to be truthful but positive.
Why it is asked: the note shows professionalism and decides whether you are asked back.
How do you move from daily work to a long-term assignment?
Explain how your board fills long-term work. A long-term occasional assignment is a placement that fills an extended absence, not a single day. The seniority rules in older guides came from a regulation revoked on 29 October 2020. Since March 2021, boards hire under Policy/Program Memorandum 165, February 2021, on qualifications and merit, with an equal chance for every certified teacher to apply. The TDSB, for example, takes long-term applicants from its occasional list who are in good standing with the OCT, or by online application (TDSB, read October 2026).
Text description of the diagram
- A board such as the TDSB pre-selects occasional teachers by screening qualifications, an interview and a reference check.
- Since March 2021 boards fill long-term work under hiring policies based on Ontario's hiring memorandum: qualifications and merit.
Why it is asked: boards want people who will grow into the long-term work.
Tell me about a time you handled something unexpected.
Use the situation, task, action, result (STAR) structure from the STAR method. Pick a modest true example such as a plan that changed at the last minute, say what you did first and what you would change. For the other roles in this family see the substitute teacher questions.
Why it is asked: the job is made of unexpected days.
What questions do you have for us?
Ask how call-outs work, how long-term postings are announced, what support the office gives on the day and who to contact in an emergency. More ideas are in questions to ask the interviewer.
Why it is asked: your questions show how seriously you take the work.
How these interviews are run
Hiring steps differ by board. The TDSB, for one, describes a pre-selection process with an initial screening of OCT qualifications, an interview and a reference check (TDSB hiring page, read October 2026). Ontario's hiring memorandum asks every board to use structured evaluation criteria and questions that prevent interview and selection bias, and to give candidates constructive interview feedback on request (Policy/Program Memorandum 165, February 2021). Guides written before October 2020 describe seniority-based interviews for long-term work under the revoked regulation, so check your board's current posting and collective agreement.
Text description of the diagram
- Occasional teachers are assigned on a casual daily basis through a rotational call-out system.
- Long-term occasional assignments fill extended absences and are filled by application and interview under each board's hiring policy.
Prepare one short true story for each theme, a one-minute introduction and two questions of your own. For wider technique read how to answer interview questions and the behavioral interview hub.
- Occasional teacher is Ontario's term for a substitute teacher employed by a school board.
- Arrive early, read the day plan, and have backup lessons ready.
- Supervise every student, keep professional boundaries, and report a suspicion of abuse yourself, at once, to the children's aid society.
- Leave a short, factual note for the regular teacher.
- Know the path to the long-term list and check your board's current rules.
Sources
- Elementary and Secondary TDSB Occasional and Long-Term Occasional Positions — Toronto District School Board (page shows no date; read 2026-10-24), 24 Oct 2026
- Elementary/Secondary - Occasional Teaching/Eligible to Hire — Toronto District School Board (page shows no date; read 2026-10-24), 24 Oct 2026
- Policy/Program Memorandum 165: School board teacher hiring practices — Ontario Ministry of Education (issued 22 February 2021, effective 31 March 2021), 22 Feb 2021
- Duty to Report: Professional Advisory — Ontario College of Teachers (approved 4 June 2015, revised 7 June 2018), 7 Jun 2018
- Professional Boundaries: An Advisory for Ontario Certified Teachers — Ontario College of Teachers (approved by Council 1 October 2020), 1 Oct 2020
- Your College and You, June 2025 — Ontario College of Teachers (June 2025 issue), 1 Jun 2025
- Essential Information for Occasional Teachers, third edition — Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (2016-2017 edition), 1 Jan 2017
