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New Teacher To-Do List

Especially for first-year teachers

  • Join the UFT and create an account on UFT.org. As a union member, you will have comprehensive health benefits, job protections, paid parental leave and superior workplace rights and benefits. Learn more about the benefits of union membership »
  • Enroll in a city health plan. Although you are covered from your first day of work, you must enroll in a city health plan within 30 days of your first day on payroll. 
  • Enroll in COPE. The union's Committee on Political Education enables the union to continue to fight for funding for public education and improvements to Tier 6 of the Teachers' Retirement System. 
  • Store your DOE file/EIS number and your employee ID number in a safe place and make sure you can log in to your employee self-service account on the DOE website. You’ll also need your employee identification number or your EIS number to log in to the DOE’s payroll portal, where you can enroll in direct deposit, see your pay stubs and more.
  • Be sure to carefully review and save the email you received from the DOE’s Department of Human Resources, which records all your current information concerning your New York City license/appointment and New York State certification. Most important, check that it is accurate. If not, be sure to follow the DOE’s instructions right away to correct any errors in the record.
  • Make note of your UFT member ID number located on your UFT membership card or in your UFT.org account. You'll need it when you call the union or sign up for union events and services.
  • Start your personal professional file, either in hard copy or a digital folder, that includes your official DOE appointment/placement email, your fingerprint clearance and your state certification email. Any official emails or records sent to your DOE account should be forwarded to your personal email in case you are ever locked out of your DOE account.

Staying connected with the union

  • It’s easy to stay on top of the latest UFT news. Sign up to receive UFT emails. Throughout the year, we send email to members about important information, including breaking news and alerts about union campaigns. You’ll also begin to receive the monthly New Teacher Bulletin by email.
  • Sign up for UFT text messages and be among the first to be notified about key information such as pivoting to remote in the event of inclement weather or breaking news. Text: "UFT" to 86366 from your mobile phone (standard messaging and data rates apply) or sign up online.
  • It’s important that the UFT has your up-to-date mailing address, email address and phone number so you receive important information about your union rights and benefits. You can update your address on the “My Account” tab on the UFT website or in the UFT Member Hub.
  • Connect with the UFT on Facebook, Twitter/X at @UFT , TikTok at @uftny and Instagram at @UFTNY.

Certification and licensing

  • Make sure you’re on track with your certification requirements. If you have fulfilled your state certification requirements or are close to doing so, remember to apply online for your certificate as soon as possible. Processing your certificate will take at least 16 weeks. Log in to your TEACH account on the New York State Education Department website to check on the status of your application and to see if NYSED has requested additional documentation from you. Read more about teacher certification requirements
  • If you have fulfilled your state certification requirements or are close to doing so, remember to apply online for your professional certificate. No certificate is issued automatically! Check your TEACH online account for the documents you need to submit together with your application fee (which may be reduced if you have a college recommendation). Make copies of everything before you send it in. Mail your packet "Return Receipt Requested" to the New York State Education Department and file the receipt with the copies of your paperwork. Since it takes time to process your application, it's a good idea to complete all your requirements early and apply at least six months before your time-limited certificate expires. Read more about teacher certification.

Rights and benefits

  • Have you enrolled in the UFT Welfare Fund? The UFT Welfare Fund provides your prescription drug, dental, optical and other benefits that supplement your New York City health plan — but this is separate from your health plan enrollment. Enroll in the UFT Welfare Fund online and upload the required documentation. Save receipts for any prescription drugs you purchase so you can be reimbursed once your enrollment is processed. You can also view benefit information, related forms and lists of participating providers.
  • All teachers have five preparation periods a week and a duty-free lunch period each day. You should be scheduled for no more than three consecutive teaching periods and four consecutive working assignments in a day. Speak to your chapter leader if your program does not follow contractual guidelines to try to informally resolve the issue or determine if a grievance should be pursued. Learn more about teacher programs
  • If you are a new teacher without prior teaching experience, you are entitled to school-based mentoring by an experienced teacher so you get the support you need, ideally from the first day of school. The mentor should be an experienced classroom teacher, coach or lead teacher, ideally in your subject area. The mentor will provide a minimum of two periods a week of confidential, nonevaluative and nonjudgmental support. If you have not been assigned a mentor, speak with your chapter leader or UFT district representative. If you have any questions or concerns, contact your chapter leader.
  • As a new teacher, you should be thinking about tenure. First, be sure you know your tenure date by asking your payroll secretary or principal. Next, confirm that your license code matches the subject and level in which you are teaching. In New York City, tenure is granted in your license appointment area, and those pieces of information must match. Learn about the tenure timeline and how to prepare your portfolio at a tenure workshop, which you can find on the UFT events calendar. If you don’t see a tenure workshop scheduled, ask your chapter leader when the next one will be.
  • Are you covered by a New York City health benefits plan but also covered by a non-city health insurance plan of your parent, spouse or domestic partner, or through other employment? During the fall transfer period, you may enroll in the Health Benefits Buy-Out Waiver Program, which allows eligible city employees to receive an incentive payment for waiving their city health coverage. To enroll, log into your NYCAPS employee self-service account.
  • Did you recently get married, have a baby or add or drop eligible dependents? To cover new dependents, update your personal information. Both the UFT and the DOE require you to submit supporting documentation (such as a marriage license) if you are adding beneficiaries. Notify the UFT Welfare Fund by filing a Change of Status Form electronically within 30 days of the event. To notify the DOE, log on to your Employee Self-Service account.
  • Don't forget to designate your beneficiaries. Your designated beneficiary with the Teachers’ Retirement System is entitled to your accumulated pension contributions with interest, any Tax- Deferred Annuity contributions and possibly a death benefit. It’s important to keep your beneficiary information up to date with the UFT Welfare Fund, the Department of Education and TRS as your life situation changes (for example, if you get married or divorced or have children).
  • If you or your partner is about to give birth or you are planning to adopt, you can attend one of the union's free, virtual Pathways to Parenthood workshops to learn about your paid parental leave benefits. Visit our Parental Leave section of the website to learn more about this benefit and to register for an upcoming workshop. 
  • Check the Know Your Rights section of the UFT website for more information about union rights and protections. 

Salary and finances

  • All new teachers are required to file a salary step application. If you have previous paid, full-time teaching experience and/or related nonteaching experience, you may qualify for salary credit, which can raise your wages significantly — up to 7.5 years of salary credit — bringing you to Step 8B. All newly appointed teachers must supply this information to the DOE using their online salary step application. You will be assigned an “equated date” once the DOE's Office of Salary Services processes your application for the salary step. This equated date allows you to move up on the salary schedule twice a year. You will automatically advance to the next salary step each year: once on your equated date, and again on March 1. If you do not submit the salary step application, you will automatically be placed on the lowest salary step, 1A, and move only on March 1 each year. You must fill out the salary step application within six months of your appointment date in order to receive any retroactive salary step payment. After your application is processed, the DOE will send you a certificate of salary status via email informing you of your salary step and equate (anniversary) date.
  • Enroll in the Tax-Deferred Annuity (TDA) program. It’s a good idea early in your career to start making voluntary contributions to a Tax-Deferred Annuity, which allows you to save additional money for your retirement. Taxes are deferred on your TDA contributions until you withdraw the money as income.
  • Are you concerned about paying back your student loans? The Student Debt Relief Program, an exclusive member benefit brought to you by the UFT, runs webinars every month to inform you about federal loan forgiveness programs and help you navigate your options. The Student Debt Relief Program is exclusively for UFT members to help guide you every step of the way. Register for an introductory webinar to learn more.
  • See the salary section of the UFT website for DOE salary schedules, the current payroll calendar and more. 

Observation and evaluation

  • If you have not yet been granted tenure, you can expect to receive one formal observation and three informal observations this school year. (If you received a rating of Ineffective or Unsatisfactory for the last school year, you will receive one formal and four informal observations.) Learn more about teacher observations
  • Your initial planning conference with your principal or their designee must take place by Oct. 25. If you haven’t had your conference by then, speak to your chapter leader. See other important dates and deadlines regarding teacher evaluation. 
  • See the Teacher Evaluation section of the UFT website for additional information about observation and evaluation. 

Professional development

  • LearnUFT courses for Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) credit are available in the UFT's borough offices and online. Browse the course listings and register. (Remember that you need to begin collecting CTLE hours only once you have earned your professional certificate.)
  • The UFT has a partnership with local colleges and universities to offer reduced-cost master’s degree programs and graduate coursework that can be applied toward a salary differential. Registration information is available at www.uft.org/courses.

More union benefits

  • Did you know that the UFT’s Member Assistance Program (MAP) provides short-term counseling at no cost to in-service UFT members by professionally trained mental health staff? MAP is confidential, professional and supportive. For more information, call MAP at 212-701-9620 or email mapinfo@uft.org; services are provided by appointment only. MAP also has a 24/7 helpline for UFT members. If you are in crisis, experiencing distress, need resources or a referral, our counselors are available for UFT members 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-866-UFT-FOR-U.

Miscellaneous

  • Need a form or application? The UFT website has a wealth of useful forms — UFT, DOE and even New York State forms and applications. Go to UFT Forms to access or print forms pertaining to leaves, salary, Workers’ Comp, special education and much more.