School Frequently Asked Questions
Scroll through the items below to learn about common questions and concerns that you might have around working with Senya and the Senya platform. If you don't see an answer that you need, you can explore our Resources pages or Contact Us directly with your question.
Jump to FAQ about:
Substitute Recruiting and Preparation
Invoices, Fees, and Making Payments
FAQ about a School Agreement with Senya
Are there signup, cancellation, or annual fees for using the Senya platform?
No. Schools can sign up with Senya, use the platform, and stop using Senya at any time with no fees. You are only charged for jobs that substitutes complete.
Is our school locked in for a certain time period?
No. There is no length commitment and no exclusivity provisions in the School Agreement with Senya.
Are we allowed to directly hire a substitute from Senya?
Yes! It's great when schools find a substitute who is a good fit for a permanent position. There is a one-time finder's fee of $1,495.00.
How many users can the school add to the platform? Is there a cost per user?
You can add unlimited users (e.g., teachers, administrators) for no cost. You only pay when substitutes fill jobs.
Who pays the substitute teachers?
Senya facilitates the pays for substitutes on a weekly basis; schools also receive invoices weekly, due upon receipt. After 30 days of receipt, the late fee schedule in the Agreement takes effect.
Who sets the pay rate?
Schools set their own pay rates for jobs. Most schools have a set rate for full-day, half-day, long-term, and hourly jobs.
FAQ about Posting and Managing Jobs
Who can post a job at our school site?
Schools can set up job posting in whatever way fits best with their absence management procedures. Some schools have teachers post jobs (absences) on Senya; other schools have a coordinator or other administrative staff member post the jobs after the teacher absence has been approved.
How can we set or change the pay rate for our school?
Only a user with Admin privileges can input or change the default pay rate for your school. To change the rate, go to the Settings tab and click on the School Job Rate Settings item. Here, you can select the school (if multiple campuses) and edit the pay rate fields. Remember to click the button at the bottom to save any changes.
Can we change the pay rate for a single job?
Senya is not currently set up to allow different rates for single jobs as most schools have set rates for full-day, half-day, long-term, and hourly jobs.
The two reasons most schools inquire about a different rate per job are (1) there is a unique job posting that is on a higher pay scale (e.g., substitute school nurse), or (2) schools want to pay subs differently according to the sub's education level.
For either situation, schools can add a bonus amount manually to the job to adjust the pay up. Currently, there is no method to adjust the pay rate down for a single job.
Where can I view notifications about accepted, pending, and canceled jobs?
You can view the status of job postings on the Job Management tab of Senya. On this screen, you can view:
- Today's Jobs - see the status of all jobs today
- Upcoming Jobs - see the status of all upcoming jobs (beyond today)
- Pending jobs - see a list of all jobs that have not yet been accepted
- Accepted Jobs - see a list of all jobs that have been accepted
- Completed Jobs - see a list of jobs that have been completed by substitutes
- Canceled Jobs - see a list of jobs that were canceled
- Unfilled Jobs - see a list of past jobs that were not accepted by any substitutes
How can I attach notes or a lesson plan to a job that is already posted?
Currently, Senya does not have a way to add lesson plans after the job is posted. You are able to send lesson plans directly to subs once they have accepted (their contact info becomes visible), or you can contact Senya Customer Support to have it added to the job. This is a feature that we expect to make available to schools in a future upgrade.
FAQ about Job Cancellations
What happens when a substitute cancels a job that they accepted?
Substitutes must cancel jobs more than 24 hours before the start time to avoid losing eligibility for bonus money from Senya's Tier bonus program. If a substitute cancels, the job becomes available again for other substitutes to view and accept. The job will no longer be visible to anyone who cancels.
What happens when a substitute cancels last-minute?
If a substitute cancels a job within 24 hours of the start time, this is considered a "last-minute cancellation," and the substitute loses their eligibility for bonus money from the Tier bonus program for their next 5 jobs. After a third last-minute cancellation in a semester, the substitute is deactivated from the Senya platform.
Upon cancellation, the job becomes available again for other substitutes to view and accept. Senya adds a monetary bonus (at no cost to schools) to incentivize the filling of the last-minute job.
What happens when a substitute doesn't show up for a job?
Substitutes who do not show up for a job lose eligibility for bonus pay in Senya's Tier bonus program and may be deactivated from the platform. Notify the Senya Customer Support team so that you are not charged for the job. In addition, it is recommended that you block the substitute so that they can no longer accept jobs at your school.
What happens if we make other arrangements for coverage and want to cancel a job?
The earlier you cancel, the better it is if a substitute has accepted the job. This gives the sub a chance to potentially help out another school on that date. If you cancel within 10 hours of a job's start time, or turn away a sub who arrives because she or he is no longer needed, your school will be charged for the job since this puts a burden on the substitute, who has scheduled the day around the job. In this circumstance, Senya recommends finding a way to use the substitute's help around the school since you will be charged.
What happens if we dismiss a substitute early? What happens if the dismissal is due to misconduct?
If a substitute is dismissed early because they are no longer needed, or they have a prep period to end the day, your school will still be charged the full amount of the job's rate. If a substitute is dismissed early due to misconduct, contact Senya's Customer Support team. In most circumstances, labor laws apply, and the substitute will be paid (and the school charged) a prorated amount for the percentage of time worked.
FAQ about Substitute Recruiting and Preparation
How does Senya recruit substitutes?
Senya's recruiting team builds connections with a variety of community members who are interested or experienced in education, including retired teachers, parents, and education college students. Senya actively recruits throughout the school year, keeping a robust pool of freelance substitutes to provide coverage for schools.
How does Senya prepare substitutes for working with schools and students?
Through Senya's onboarding process, applicants are taken through the steps to meet all state requirements, such as fingerprint-based background checks. Additionally, all applicants have a video meeting with a Senya representative to discuss their background and experience as part of Senya's consideration to offer a contract.
As independent contractors, substitutes are ultimately responsible for their own preparation and skillset; however, to participate in Senya's bonus pay system, substitutes review a number of preparation materials on important topics, such as safety, classroom management, teaching strategies, and special education. Substitutes also review policies for working in schools, such as professionalism, appropriate conduct, mandatory reporting laws, and many more. Nearly all freelance substitutes on the platform opt to participate in the bonus pay program, completing all the preparation and development materials.
How does Senya retain substitutes?
Senya has a great record of retaining substitutes because of our amazing partner schools, user-friendly app, and unmatched customer support team. In addition, Senya's Tier Bonus Program incentivizes and rewards substitutes for receiving high ratings from schools and for working more jobs each month. Substitutes can earn bonus pay for every job when they meet the program benchmarks. Schools are not charged any additional money; Senya simply gives back to our hard-working substitutes, and this encourages them to continue filling jobs. Senya also offers bonus pay for those last-minute, difficult-to-fill jobs, which benefits both schools and substitutes.
FAQ about Rating Substitutes
Where can we rate substitutes?
School users can rate substitutes by going to the Rate Substitutes tab. Note that you have 2 weeks after a substitute completes a job to submit a rating before the option closes.
What happens if we don't rate a substitute?
When schools do not submit a rating, substitutes are given a default top rating.
We love a substitute and want him/her to return for future jobs. What do we do?
Fantastic! Go to the Substitutes tab, search for the substitute by name, and click the heart icon or favorite button to add the sub to your Favorite list. When you post jobs, you can click the box near the bottom to send jobs to your Favorite list.
We do not want a specific substitute to return to our school. What do we do?
If a substitute is not a good fit for your school for any reason, go to the Substitutes tab, search for the substitute by name, and click the circle-backslash icon or block button to add the sub to your Blocked list. When you post jobs, they will no longer be visible to any subs on your Blocked list. For serious issues regarding a substitute's conduct, please contact the Senya Customer Support team.
FAQ about Invoices, Fees, and Making Payments
Where can we view and pay invoices?
Senya sends invoices weekly; the invoices are sent through QuickBooks and include a link for you to pay via ACH. Senya also accepts check payments, but ACH payments are preferred for faster processing. You can view all open invoices by going to the Invoices tab; this tab is only available for Admin users.
We think an invoice is incorrect. What do we do?
Contact Senya's Director of Client Success, Rachel Nigri, at office@senya.app for any issues with billing.
How long do we have to pay an invoice before it becomes late? What if we make a late payment?
Invoices are issued weekly and are due upon receipt. After 30 days of receipt, the late fee schedule on the Agreement takes effect.
What is the breakdown of all possible charges and fees?
Schools do not pay any signup, annual, per user, or cancellation fees. Schools only pay for services used.
- job rate + 35% for each completed substitute job
- charge still applies if a school cancels on a sub less than 10 hours before start time or turns a sub away because they are no longer needed
- any bonus amounts that the school manually adds to jobs (bonuses are not included in the 35% calculation)
Less common charges:
- late fees on the balance for late payments on invoices
- one-time $1,495 finder's fee when hiring a sub for a permanent position
