All UFT pedagogues, including teachers, clinicians, school counselors and school secretaries, as well as paraprofessionals, have the opportunity to transfer to a different school under the Open Market Transfer Plan.

Please note: this article references dates from 2023. The Open Market period for the spring of 2024 will open as of Thursday, April 11, 2024 at 9 a.m. and will close on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024 at 5 p.m.

Members may look for and accept a position at a different school during the Open Market Transfer period.

The decision to transfer to a new school is personal. Perhaps you are looking for a change in instructional focus, program options, a new school theme, a different principal or just a more convenient location.

You can apply to either a school or a vacancy posted at a school. You can find schools and vacancies posted on the Department of Education website during the Open Market Transfer period. More vacancies will be listed on the website after school budgets are released in June. The vacancies posted are revised as positions are filled and principals post new vacancies, so it’s good to regularly check the website. If you are aware of a vacancy at your school that has not been posted, please contact your UFT borough office and your district representative as soon as possible with the details.

Schools can advertise and select staff for all projected vacancies, but a transfer won’t become final until the vacancy is an approved vacancy and the transferring employee has been entered into the Galaxy budget of the new school.

How to apply

The application process is straightforward. You’ll be asked to complete an online registration form. To do that, you’ll have to create a user ID and password. Then you can electronically apply for any vacancies in your current license area.

All qualified teachers, including those in excess, can apply for positions they are interested in. We recommend that in addition to applying online, you follow up by sending a cover letter and resume to the school via email or mail. You can also send a cover letter and resume to schools that have not advertised vacancies, so in the event a vacancy arises, principals will be aware of your interest.

The hiring process

School-based committees made up of supervisors and teachers may interview candidates. Committees are not required to interview all applicants. They will make hiring recommendations, but the final decision rests with the principal. You may also be interviewed by a principal directly, without a committee.

If you’re successful, the hiring principal will enter you into the Galaxy budget and you’ll receive a printed transfer agreement, which both you and the principal must sign. The signed agreement makes the transfer official. Your current principal will be notified by the system at that point. Make your choice carefully, because once you accept a school offer, you can’t transfer again during the same Open Market Transfer period without a release from the new principal.

You don’t need a release from your current principal during the transfer period of April 19 to Aug. 8 to accept a position elsewhere. If you are offered a position after that date, the transfer cannot be completed unless you are released by your current principal. The plan places no limits on the percentage of staff who may transfer out of the same school.

Because there are often many applicants for positions that are perceived to be desirable, it is best to follow up on Open Market online applications by contacting the school directly, in person or via email or a phone call. Upon request, you can also receive assistance from the DOE’s Division of Human Resources at the Teacher Hiring Support Center.

For more information, read our comprehensive Q&A about the transfer plan.