CredentialShield: Educational Contract Risk Assessment Tool

California Teacher Contract / Credential Question – Looking for Advice worried this will cost me my credential

From my understanding, a temporary offer of employment means that you would be serving a temporary position for the school year. It is still 100% a normal teaching contract, but instead of entering under a probationary 1 position, you are only considered temporary. Some districts move their temp teachers over to prob after completing (x) number of years, but my last district had teachers into years 1-6 with no certain date of a permanent position (this was hundreds of teachers district-wide, not just a few). Even if this is a temp contract, you signed it, which means you would be violating your contract by no longer teaching there. Sometimes, you can asked to be released from the contract and 1) the principal might let you out automatically and just look for a new teacher to fill the spot with no consequences or 2) hold you in the position until a replacement can be found then release you or 3) put your teaching credential on hold for a year since you broke contract. My very first teaching gig I signed a contract early summer and then was offered a better position a month later. The principal was furious with me when I asked to be released, but ultimately there were no consequences on my credential and I was let off. Since then, I’ve been very careful on signing anything. I may give a verbal acceptance, but if I am waiting on word from a position that I would prefer, I have typically pushed off signing saying I am out of the region for (x) time. A colleague of mine a few years ago let our principal know her husband was relocating from SoCal to NorCal 2nd semester following a career bump and asked for them to find a replacement for her for when this would occur, contingent on the selling of their house. Principal played off like all was okay, but when the time came, she threatened to put her credential on hold and finish out the rest of the school year. Luckily in this situation, a replacement was found and the Principal had made a few errors in terms of what was deemed appropriate, and ended up giving in to release my colleague. I wish you luck; it’s stressful and it can play out in many ways. It is unfortunate that our profession is so strictly tied to signing contracts with almost zero support for the teachers signing them.