Adjunct Teachers Programme

The Adjunct Teachers Programme (AJTP) was introduced in October 2004 with the aim of attracting former trained teachers to rejoin the teaching profession. It is meant to supplement the existing Part-Time Teaching Scheme and Relief Teachers Scheme.

The Adjunct Teachers Programme offers 2 types of short-term/ part-time appointments i.e. 1 year contract (Contract AJTP) and a 4 to 10-week commitment (Flexi-AJTP). A mixture of classroom and CCA duties maybe assigned, depending on the needs of the school. Officers on this scheme will be able to adopt more flexible working arrangements, while schools can still be assured of the services of the officer for a defined period of time.

Details of the Contract Adjunct Teachers Programme and the Flexi-adjunct Teachers Programme

Contract Adjunct Teachers Programme

• Employed on contract for 1 year. The contract expiry date would be in May or December, to minimise disruption to the school and the students
• Duties of the contract adjunct teacher are to be arranged between school and applicant
• Eligible for service benefits, except professional development opportunities
• Eligible for full, 3/4, 2/3, or 1/2 workload
• Workload can be changed on a per-semester basis, subject to the approval of their principal
• With effect from Jan 2009, contract adjunct teachers will be excluded from the annual ranking exercise. They will be assessed separately by their Principals for contract renewal.

Flexi-Adjunct Teachers Programme

• Appointed under casual employment scheme
• Employed for a commitment period of between 4 to 10 weeks.
• Commitment hours and commitment period to be agreed upon prior to the commencement of the teaching commitment
• Work hours would range between 7 to 27.5 hours per week, subject to a cap of 75 hours per payroll cycle of 2 weeks
• Will be paid a commitment incentive, subject to committed workload and commitment period
• Not eligible for any civil service benefits, eg medical benefits, vacation leave, maternity leave, etc.
• Flexi-AJTs come under the full CPF Scheme, and contributions from both employer and employee at the prevailing rates will be made.

Expected Duties of Adjunct Teachers

Adjunct teachers can be assigned a mix of duties. The workload can be pure teaching, pure co-curricular activities (CCA) or a mixture of both teaching and CCA, depending on the needs of the school. Schools should arrange mutually suitable duties with the selected adjunct teachers.

Eligibility

Applicants applying to be Contract Adjunct Teachers must be ex-MOE teachers, or retiring/retired teachers. They are subjected to the same appointment requirements and conditions applicable to our local contract teachers.

Applicants applying to be Flexi-Adjunct Teachers must be registered as relief teachers first, and must be trained teachers.

Application

Contract Adjunct Teachers

• Candiates are to apply direct to the school they are interested in. Download the application form here (334kb .xls).
• Application processing time is about 4 weeks.
• Applications received in term 2 would be considered for appointment in term 3. Applications received in term 4 will be considered for appointment in term 1 the following year.
• MOE is the formal approving authority for Contract Adjunct Teachers

Flexi-Adjunct Teachers

• Required to register as relief teachers online via the Relief Employment Management System (REMS) portal. You will require a valid email account for creation of a user account to access the system.
• Once your application has been approved, you will receive a letter of registration and you will be listed in the registered candidate database. Please note that you have to be actively engaged in assignment (i.e. not without assignment for more than one year) if you would like to remain registered on the scheme.
• Principals are the approving authority for the appointment of former trained teachers on the Flexi-AJTP. They may continue to appoint former trained teachers as normal relief teachers if they do not need to utilise the Flexi-AJTP.

Salary Payment Procedures

Contract Adjunct Teachers will be paid monthly salaries, which will be pro-rated for partial workload.

Flexi-adjunct teachers will be paid the hourly rate and on a fortnightly payroll cycle. Additional hours of work beyond the total committed hours will be paid at the hourly rate, capped at a maximum of 75 hours (inclusive of committed hours) per payroll cycle of 2 weeks. The payment of commitment incentive will be included in the next payroll cycle following the end of the commitment period.

Benefits

Contract adjunct teachers will be eligible for leave, medical, and dental benefits. Officers on partial workload terms will enjoy pro-rated remuneration and benefits.

Contract adjunct teachers are also eligible for the Learning and Development Scheme (LDS), but should note that their years of service will restart upon their resignation or retirement from permanent establishment. Hence, they will be eligible for $400 per annum.

Like all other contract teachers, contract adjunct teachers will not be eligible for the CONNECT Plan.

Officers who successfully renew their contracts would receive a re-engagement bonus of 0.75 month. Those within the same substantive grade would also receive a standard increment (pro-rated for partial workload), up to the max of their respective substantive grades. The standard increment may also vary depending on market conditions, but would generally be pegged at a lower quantum than the increment given to permanent GEOs.

Contract Adjunct Teachers Programme at a Glance

Contract AJTP
Eligibility	Former trained teachers who resigned from Service Trained retiring/retired teachers on CPF scheme Trained retiring / retired teachers on pensions scheme (early retirees may apply after a 1-year period)
Tenure	1-year contract
Annual Ranking	Separate Assessment for contract renewal
Promotion	Not eligible for promotion
Performance Bonus	Not eligible for Performance Bonus
Re-Engagement Bonus	Eligible for Re-Engagement Bonus
Increment	Standard Increment1
Workload	Full, 3/4, 2/3, or 1/2 load
Service Benefits	Full service benefits except professional development opportunities
CONNECT Plan	Not eligible for CONNECT

Resignation

Contract adjunct teachers who intend to resign from service have to give at least one month’s notice in writing or pay one month’s total emoluments in lieu of notice.

Flexi-adjunct teachers who intend to resign from service have to give 24-hour notice. However, to minimise disruption to the school, flexi-adjunct teachers are strongly advised to give one-week notice where possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are retired ex-MOE teachers eligible to apply for AJTP?

   Officers who retired on CPF scheme are eligible to apply for AJTP. Pensionable officers who have been granted early retirement on optional age may be considered for Flexi- AJTP if their registration is approved. In line with PSD’s guidelines, they may apply for the Contract AJTP 1 year after their retirement.

   Ex-MOE teachers who have been granted early retirement based on medical or disciplinary grounds are not eligible for re-employment under the Contract AJTP. They may be considered for Flexi-AJTP if their registration is approved.

Contract Adjunct Teachers Programme

2. Can a non-Singaporean / PR apply to become a contract Adjunct Teacher?

   Yes, only if the interested applicant is an ex-MOE teacher. If the applicant has not previously taught in MOE, he/she is advised to apply online through Foreign Recruitment Unit.

3. What is the difference between standard increment and merit increment?

   Merit increment for permanent teachers is pegged to market conditions and individual performance, hence officers who perform well can look forward to greater increments. Standard increment for contract adjunct teachers would be pegged to market conditions and substantive grade, but at a lower quantum in comparison to the increment for permanent GEOs.

4. Are Contract AJTs eligible for the Learning and Development Scheme?

   Contract adjunct teachers are eligible for LDS, but should note that their years of service will restart upon their resignation or retirement from permanent establishment. Hence, they will be eligible for $400 per annum.

5. I am currently a secondary school teacher. Can I switch to teach in a primary school under the Contract AJTP?

   The re-appointment and deployment of trained teachers, including contract adjunct teachers, is guided by MOE’s organisational needs. Like permanent teachers, contract adjunct teachers will be deployed to teach at the level of instruction that they are trained in. While we would like to accommodate individual preferences, there is in reality a greater need for teachers in secondary schools / JCs, as compared to primary schools. In this respect, we do not deploy former Education Officers (both permanent and contract adjunct teachers) who are secondary-trained to primary schools.

Flexi Adjunct Teachers Programme

6. How do I check the status of my online Relief Teacher Application?

   To check the application status, please login to the Relief Employment Management System (REMS) portal. You are required to login using the user ID (typically your NRIC/Passport Number) and the password that was sent earlier to your email account.

7. Under what circumstances would the flexi-adjunct teachers be paid the commitment incentive?

   Commitment Incentive will be payable if:

   • the Flexi-AJT fulfils the total committed hours within the commitment period;
   • the Flexi-AJT has been terminated by the school because the service is no longer needed;
   • the Flexi-AJT has completed at least 90% of the total committed workload as stipulated in the Letter of Appointment, at the end of the commitment period provided the absence is on medical grounds. Such absence should be supported by documentary evidence ie medical certificate/report which should be filed for audit purpose.

   In drawing up the agreement, it is important to take into consideration public holidays and days where lessons are unlikely to be conducted in determining the working hours for the whole commitment period. This is to ensure that the Flexi Adjunct teachers can fulfil their commitment and be paid their commitment incentive.

   The additional hours of work beyond the committed hours will be paid at the hourly rate and this will be capped at a maximum of 75 hours per payroll cycle (inclusive of the committed hours).

8. Under what circumstances would the flexi-adjunct teachers not be paid the commitment incentive?

   Commitment Incentive will not be payable if:

   • the Flexi-AJT terminates his service prior to the end of commitment period;
   • the Flexi-AJT has been terminated by school due to poor performance;
   • the Flexi-AJT works less than the committed hours as stipulated in the letter of Appointment unless the absence is on medical grounds as stated above.

9. What are the hourly rates and frequency of payment?

   The hourly rates for the flexi-adjunct teachers range from $11/hr to $36/hr. Similar to relief teachers, the Flexi-AJTs will receive their salaries twice-monthly.

10. Are flexi-adjunct teachers paid for lunch breaks, public holidays, scheduled school holidays or Sundays?

    No, they are paid for actual work hours only.

11. What are scheduled school holidays?

    Scheduled school holidays refer to Youth Day, Teacher’s Day, the Day after National Day and Children’s Day (for primary schools only).

12. Do flexi-adjunct teachers qualify for overtime payment?

    No, additional hours of work beyond the committed hours will be paid at the hourly rate and this will be capped at a maximum of 75 hours (inclusive of the committed hours) for every payroll cycle.

13. Can flexi-adjunct teachers work for more than one school in any one day?

    No, they can be appointed by one school at any one time.

    If they complete the required committed hours before the commitment period is up, they are still considered to be under employment of the current school, i.e. they cannot be appointed by another school until the end of the commitment period with the current school.

Footnotes:

1. Officers with the same substantive grade would receive a standard increment (pro-rated for partial workload), up to the max of their respective substantive grades. ↵