Students say fair pay should be advocated for sessional instructors for accessible education
Sessional instructors at the University of Regina (U of R) teach courses, mark assignments, and support students, but their employment is often tied to teaching contracts rather than full-time positions.
Their pay and working hours have become an important discussion at the U of R, particularly as students depend on instructors for timely feedback, academic guidance, and support among the classrooms.
URFA recently distributed leaflets on campus raising awareness about sessional instructor’s job insecurity and short-term contracts. They have also asked students to write better reviews for their sessional instructors to support them, as most students only submit their reviews when they have complaints against a professor.
Pay rates according to qualifications
Under the University of Regina Faculty Association’s (URFA) 2021-2027 collective agreement, sessional lecturer compensation varies according to qualifications and classification. Rates effective from July 1, 2026 range from $8,284 to $10,953 per course.
A sessional lecturer IV with a Ph.D. is paid $10,953 while a sessional lecturer IV with a master’s degree is paid $9,616. A sessional lecturer III who has a master’s degree and has taught 15 three credit hour courses or equivalent is paid $9,284. A sessional Lecturer II who possesses a master’s degree or possesses a four-year bachelor’s degree or equivalent and has taught 12 three credit hour courses or equivalent pay is $8,619. A sessional lecturer I who possesses a bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant professional experience and is paid $8,284. The agreement remains with the current published agreement as of today.
I’ve had many sessional professors that don’t even have the time to talk after class because they need to make it to their other job and that’s frustrating because sometimes, I have a midterm the next day and I really need help, -Molly Brown, a second-year physics student
A U of R professor’s point of view
Matthew Wincherauk, a sessional professor in the Department of English said the biggest challenge is maintaining good connections with students and staying on top of grading and lecturing while also wondering when the next contract or opportunity is going to arrive.
“Preference and priority sessional instructors have more stability, but nothing is guaranteed and often we’re just waiting for class lists to be posted and hope it works with schedules and family responsibilities,” he said.
He also said uncertainty came with short term contracts.
“In my earlier years as an instructor, I always wondered where the next contract would come from because I didn’t have my current level of stability. This would mean taking on whatever contracts I could, including out of town contracts in Swift Current, Saskatoon, Yorktown, and Melville. That inconsistency and need to take whatever is available just adds to the considerable stress that is already present,” he said.
Wincherauk also said it would be valuable for compensation to cover elements of the course that don’t occur during the semester. Instructors have to plan courses weeks (upwards of a month or two) in advance of a semester, which includes making lectures and even recording videos because there’s not enough time during the semester. Additionally, instructors must be available for academic misconduct cases and deferrals that go beyond the semester that they occurred in.
For Wincherauk, one major change would be to start hiring sessional instructors for the academic year, rather than on a semester-by-semester basis.
“With the university transitioning to year-round class registration for students, instructors are behind. I’ve had students ask me what courses and sections I’m teaching in an upcoming semester, and I have to tell them that I’m not sure and that I won’t know for a while, despite the classes being available for registration,” he said.
I think the pay per course needs to be the same so the instructor doesn’t have to find another job and can focus on the class their teaching, -Anna Nakin, a second-year kinesiology student
Student frustrations
For students, the issue extends beyond an instructor’s paycheque. It raises questions on whether instructors have the time or resources to provide the support students need throughout the semester.
“If someone is teaching a full-time course, I think their work should be valued even if their contracts are sessional or not, I think the pay per course needs to be the same so the instructor doesn’t have to find another job and can focus on the class they’re teaching,” said Anna Nakin, a second-year kinesiology student.
For students, access to instructors can make a difference when they are struggling with course material or are trying to improve their academics.
“I’ve had many sessional professors that don’t even have the time to talk after class because they need to make it to their other job and that’s frustrating because sometimes, I have a midterm the next day and I really need help,” said Molly Brown, a second-year physics student.
“I have a sessional instructor and she is practically exhausted working two jobs because the teaching courses don’t pay enough. The professor said ‘I don’t know’ to every single question and didn’t know how to teach because she had no teaching experience,” said a student who wished to remain anonymous.
The issue also raises questions about the university’s responsibility to balance financial pressures with the needs of students and instructors.
“Why is the university raising tuition fees every semester if they are hiring PhD students to teach us?” said Mark Norr, a fourth-year mathematics student.
As the discussion continues, student perspectives highlight a broader question about the support students receive from sessional instructors. Instructors’ contracts may be negotiated between the university and the association, but students experience the consequences of those arrangements through the teaching, feedback, and support they receive.
For students, ensuring that instructors are compensated fairly and have workable employment conditions is ultimately part of a larger conversation about the learning environment the U of R is providing.
