New Employees - Beginning Work at the DOE

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Congratulations, and welcome to the New York City Department of Education! We’re excited to have you join us and committed to giving you a positive onboarding experience. This page includes some important steps and useful information to help you start and successfully transition into your new role at the DOE. Please bookmark this page and continue to use it as a reference during your onboarding, and be sure to ask your supervisor or other members of your onboarding support team if you have any questions.

Your onboarding experience will be intensive during the first 30 days while you will complete the necessary steps and learn about the DOE and your new role. The full onboarding experience lasts for 12 months or longer and is part of the ongoing employee experience at the DOE.

Onboarding experience graphic

Getting to Know the DOE

The NYC Department of Education is the largest school district in the United States, with more than 1.1 million students and over 150,000 employees. At the DOE, you will find many opportunities to explore your interests, apply your unique talents, and craft a fulfilling, long-term career amongst the most talented education workforce in the United States—employees in schools, field offices, and central offices.

Now that you have completed the required steps to begin employment, you will receive a wealth of information from the Division of Human Resources and your office. You can also learn more about the DOE at our About Us page and the following pages:

  • Our Vision and Mission—Learn about the DOE’s commitments to equity and diversity, our frameworks for learning, and more
  • Our Leaders—Learn about the people who lead the DOE and its leadership bodies
  • Our Organizational Structure—Discover information about how we work together and where you fit in
  • Our Core Leadership Values—The core values that help clarify our expectations for each other, guide decision making, and shape our organizational culture
  • DOE Roles—Explore the pages in this section that apply to your role for a wealth of useful resources

To begin learning about our practices, initiatives, and policies to promote a culture of inclusion, belongingness, respect, and justice:

Key Steps in Your First 30 Days

During your first day and week, your supervisor, Human Resources Director, and onboarding support team (school leadership if you work in a school) will walk you through necessary paperwork and logistical steps needed to get you fully onboarded at the DOE. As a new employee, you should plan to continue to take time after that to complete essential steps, such as getting your employee ID, enrolling in benefits, understanding timekeeping, and completing the city’s background investigation process. Note that as a new hire, you will have recently undergone the DOE’s internal fingerprinting and background check. All managerial pay plan employees and some other employees will additionally need to file a background packet and undergo an additional, more intensive background check with the city’s Department of Investigations (DOI).

If you are a central, district, or borough/citywide office employee, in your first 30 days, you should work with your supervisor to do the following as part of your onboarding:

  • Schedule a meeting with your HR Director to verify that you complete all necessary paperwork and online forms
  • Discuss your role and expectations with your supervisor and team
  • Meet individually with teammates to learn about how you will work together with them
  • Attend key meetings with your office and partners
  • Have a goal-setting conversation with your supervisor at the end of your first 30 days—start to get familiar by reviewing this overview of the Employee Feedback Cycle (EFC)

If you are a new teacher at the DOE:

As you are learning about the DOE and your new role, please be sure to review the NYC Department of Education Stop Sexual Harassment Act Factsheet. The NYC Human Rights Law protects all individuals against discrimination based on gender, including sexual harassment in the workplace, in housing, and in public accommodations like stores and restaurants. The factsheet aims to address and prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. If you have any questions about this document, please ask your HR Director.

All new employees will need to complete the annual Emergency Response training, which is mandatory for all Department of Education employees and must be completed within 30 days of hiring. This training reviews the procedures used in our schools and administrative buildings if an emergency incident occurs. Finally, take time to review the Chancellor’s Regulation A-830 for the DOE’s policies on anti-discrimination.

City Employment and the Civil Service System

New York City fills many of its positions through the Civil Service Process, guided by the New York State Civil Service Law and intended to ensure that hiring is competitive and fair. The law requires that candidates for most non-teaching government positions in New York City take and pass an exam before hiring. The city hires most employees from a civil service list rather than keep “provisional” employees (who have not yet taken and passed an exam) in those titles.

As a new employee, your offer letter will indicate your civil service title and category (competitive, non-competitive, labor, or exempt). You may be in the competitive category and have a provisional status. If that is the case, you are strongly encouraged to take a civil service exam for your title when it becomes available, and take as many exams as you qualify for (there is a fee for each). You may also be in a title track with exams for promotion—so know your path and stay up-to-date on upcoming exams.

Be sure to talk to your supervisor and HR Director, who can let you know your status and eligibility and walk you through the process. Also, learn more using the following resources:

The Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Citywide Learning & Development (L&D) also provides training for New York City government managerial, clerical, professional, and technical employees. Many of the DCAS L&D courses are free of charge. Review DCAS’s catalog of courses, and discuss any that interest you with your supervisor. Also, ask your supervisor about the engagement and development opportunities available to you once your employment is finalized.

Career Pathways for Teachers

The DOE website contains a wealth of comprehensive information custom-tailored to teachers to help you learn more about growing your career at the DOE. This Teachers page is a place to start for general career information for aspiring teachers, current teachers, pre-K teaching opportunities, substitute teaching, and teacher certification. In addition:

  • The Current NYC Teachers page provides an overview of information and links to teaching career resources, including professional development resources, information on becoming a teacher leader, and how to apply to transfer to a different school.
  • The Your Teaching Career InfoHub page will direct you to additional information about salary steps, differentials, and schedules; certification registration, maintenance, extensions, licenses, and Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE); teacher career pathways; and career pathway toolkits.
  • Career Development for Teachers explains possible pathways for teachers who would like to continue to teach while growing their careers, such as the Model Teacher or Peer Collaborative Teacher role. Also, review this information on how to become a teacher leader.
  • TeachNYC.net provides information on certification requirements and pathways to teaching, applying to become a teacher, and what it is like to teach in DOE schools.
  • The Teacher page on the InfoHub and The I Teach NYC website include information about career development and education opportunities, grants and financial support, professional learning, teacher effectiveness tools, and other useful resources.

Other Useful Resources

Take some time to review the information and resources listed below and refer back to them as needed.

HR Connect Resources for New Employees—The HR Connect Web Portal is available to all active DOE employees. Visit the portal and use your DOE login to find answers to human resources-related questions, including health insurance, leaves of absence, salary and more. Depending on your role, search for the following or click these links: New Administrative Employees & Support Staff; Teachers, CSA, and Teacher Line Staff ; or Substitutes (note you will need to first log in to the portal to follow these links).

Information about health and welfare (dental, vision, life insurance, etc.) benefits is linked on the above pages. It is also on the Health Benefits Overview page of the HR Connect Web Portal. For information about retirement benefits, search or find the “Retirement” category, or visit the Board of Education Retirement System (for most administrative employees) or Teachers’ Retirement System (for pedagogical and some administrative employees) website.

If you have other questions or while waiting for your DOE login, you can always call HR Connect at 718-935-4000 from 9 am to 5 pm. Remember, your HR Director is your main point of contact and will guide you through all necessary steps, but the information here should get you started and serve as a convenient reference.

Key Platforms and Systems - The DOE uses several digital tools and resources hosted on the DOE Applications and Systems page. Please ask your supervisor, school leader, or hiring manager which systems will be specific to your role and for assistance if you experience difficulty accessing these resources. Please note that you will need DOE login credentials to access these systems. In the meantime, you can visit the Division of Instructional and Information Technology (DIIT)’s Help Desk page or call 718-935-5100 to get support. Also, review this PowerPoint with step-by-step instructions for resetting passwords, changing security questions, and updating your system profile.

Resources for Teachers and Administrators - This Teachers page on the InfoHub is a one-stop for teacher resources, including links to resources for teaching from home and remote learning, technology resources and support, career pathways and development, and other key links. WeTeachNYC is a searchable library of resources for New York City’s Core Curriculum, culturally responsive and sustaining education, remote instruction, instructional leadership, and more. The School Administrators page directs administrators to comprehensive resources for principals, such as principal updates, Principals Weekly, DOE policies, and the teacher tenure toolkit.

Teacher Support Network - The Teacher Support Network (TSN) is the NYC DOE’s online Job Search portal for many school-based/pedagogical central positions and non-school-based Central Administrative positions. Individuals interested in applying to school-based/pedagogical central positions should create an account at The Teacher Support Network (TSN). Those interested in applying to non-school-based Central Administrative positions should create an account at https://nychb.teacherssupportnetwork.com/Home.do.

Please note, the TSN system has distinct candidate portals. Applicants interested in accessing both school-based/pedagogical central positions and non-school-based Central Administrative positions will have to create a separate account for each portal. The application process is multi-step and varies depending on the type of position. We encourage applicants to read each posting and follow the instructions stated carefully.

If you are a new employee and have questions, please reach out to your supervisor or your Human Resources Director, who is your main point of contact for all new hire paperwork and action items.