Teacher Appointment Letter: Format, Copy-Ready Samples and 2026 Labour Code Rules for Schools and Coaching Institutes

What a teacher appointment letter is, and how it differs from an offer or joining letter

Three letters often get mixed up. They do different jobs, and a small institute can combine the first two, but it helps to know which is which.

If you hire quickly, you can skip a separate offer letter and give the appointment letter with a line such as 'Please sign and return the duplicate copy by [date] to accept this appointment.' What you should not skip is the appointment letter itself. When the teacher leaves, the same details go into their experience certificate, so a clear appointment letter makes that later letter easy and accurate.

Is an appointment letter compulsory? What India's labour codes say, as of 2026

The Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (the OSH Code) were made effective from 21 November 2025. The government's press release that day listed 'mandatory appointment letters to all workers' as one of the main changes, against 'no mandatory appointment letters' before.

The legal duty sits in section 6(1)(f) of the OSH Code. The employer must issue a letter of appointment to every employee on appointment, with the information and in the form prescribed by the appropriate government. For employees who were already working without one when the Code began, the letter had to be issued within three months of its commencement. The government's OSH factsheet says the letter specifies the details of the employee, designation, category, wages and social security.

Does it apply to a small coaching centre?

The OSH Code defines an 'establishment' as a place where any industry, trade, business or occupation is carried on in which ten or more workers are employed. So the legal duty clearly applies once your institute has ten or more workers (count teachers, counsellors, office and support staff together). Below ten, the Code may not apply to you, but write the letter anyway: it is the cheapest way to prevent fights about pay, hours and notice, and many states and boards have their own rules.

The exact form of the letter is prescribed by the 'appropriate government'. For a private coaching institute or school this is usually your state government, through its rules under the OSH Code. Check your state labour department's rules for the prescribed form. The format below covers everything the factsheet lists, so you only need to fit it into your state's form if one is prescribed.

Before you write: eight decisions to make

Most problems with appointment letters come from decisions never made, not from bad wording. Settle these with the teacher first.

1. Type of appointment: full-time, part-time, fixed-term (for a session or a course), or guest/visiting faculty paid per lecture. This decides pay, leave, gratuity and how the experience is counted later.
2. Post and subject: for example 'Physics Faculty (Class 11 and 12, JEE Main)' or 'Primary Teacher (English)'.
3. Pay basis: monthly salary, per hour, per lecture or per batch. Write one, not a mix, unless you explain each part.
4. Pay date: the date each month you pay, which must fit the law on timely payment (see the salary section).
5. Hours and days: reporting time, number of teaching hours, the weekly off.
6. Probation: how long, and what happens at the end.
7. Notice: how many days either side must give to end the job.
8. Content and students: who owns notes and recorded lectures, and whether the teacher may take private tuition.

The teacher appointment letter format: fifteen parts, top to bottom

Use this order. It works for coaching institutes, tuition centres and private schools, and it covers what the OSH factsheet lists (employee details, designation, category, wages and social security).

1. Letterhead: the institute's legal name (as registered), address, phone and email.
2. Reference number and date: for example APT/2026/007 from your issue register.
3. Name and address of the teacher, exactly as on their ID.
4. Subject line: 'Appointment as [post]'.
5. Opening line: refers to their application, interview and demo class, and offers the post.
6. Post, category and type: designation, subjects, classes or batches, and full-time, part-time, fixed-term or guest.
7. Date of joining and place of work: the branch, and whether online classes are part of the job.
8. Reporting to: the director, academic head or centre manager.
9. Pay: the monthly amount or rate, its parts (basic, allowances) if you have them, the wage period and the date of payment, and the mode (bank transfer).
10. Social security: PF, ESI or gratuity as they apply to your institute, or a clear line that they will apply when the institute becomes covered.
11. Working hours and weekly off.
12. Probation and confirmation.
13. Leave.
14. Notice, resignation and ending the job; and conduct, child safety, content and confidentiality rules.
15. Acceptance: signature of the authorised person with stamp, and a duplicate copy for the teacher to sign with date.

The salary clause: write it so there is nothing to argue about later

Pay causes more disputes than anything else. The Code on Wages sets clear time limits, and your letter should match them. Under section 17, wages for a monthly wage period must be paid before the seventh day of the following month ends. When an employee resigns, is removed or dismissed, the wages due must be paid within two working days. The Ministry of Labour's compliance handbook for employers repeats both rules, and adds that wage slips must be issued to all employees on or before the payment of wages.

If you pay per lecture or per hour, say how lectures are counted (from the attendance or class log), when the month closes, and the payment date. A teacher who can see their own classes in a shared log is far less likely to doubt the payment.

Probation, working hours, leave and notice

Probation

Write the length, what you will look at (class results, student feedback, punctuality, preparation), and what happens at the end: confirmation in writing, an extension once with reasons, or ending the job with the notice stated. A probation clause that never ends ('until confirmed by the management') breeds mistrust. A short student feedback form and a class observation or two during probation give you facts to decide on.

Working hours

The OSH Code factsheet says no employee shall be required to work more than 8 hours in a day and 48 hours in a week, and overtime, with the worker's consent, is paid at double the normal wage rate. For teachers, write teaching hours and other duties separately: for example 'up to 5 teaching hours a day, plus doubt sessions and test checking within the working day of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.' Write the weekly off. If your state has adopted the Ministry of Education's coaching centre guidelines of January 2024, they say a coaching centre shall ensure a weekly off for students as well as tutors.

Leave

List each kind (casual, sick, earned) with the number of days, how to apply, and whether unused leave carries over. The OSH factsheet says workers are entitled to paid annual leave in a calendar year once they have worked 180 days or more in that year, down from 240 days earlier. Maternity benefit under the Code on Social Security is up to 26 weeks (12 weeks for a woman with two or more surviving children) and that chapter applies to shops and establishments with ten or more employees. If your institute closes for vacations, say whether that time is paid.

Notice

Coaching runs in sessions, so a teacher leaving in the middle of a batch hurts students. Ask for a fair notice period from both sides, for example 30 days after confirmation and 15 days during probation, and say that salary for the notice period may be paid instead of notice. Do not write that the institute will hold back earned salary, documents or the experience certificate if the teacher leaves early. Earned wages must be paid on time under the Code on Wages, and certificates simply state facts.

Social security: PF, ESI and gratuity in the letter

The Code on Social Security's First Schedule decides which chapters apply by the size of the establishment. The letter should say plainly which benefits the teacher gets now.

Gratuity is paid at fifteen days' wages for each completed year of service, after at least five years of continuous service for permanent staff. A fixed-term employee becomes eligible after one year of service under the 2026 codes, and the compliance handbook says gratuity must be paid within 30 days of becoming payable. If you appoint a teacher for a fixed term of a year or more, budget for it from day one. The 21 November 2025 press release also says fixed-term employees get benefits equal to permanent workers, including leave, medical and social security, and equal wages.

The PIB release of 21 November 2025 also says employers must provide all workers above the age of 40 with a free annual health check-up. If your institute is covered by the OSH Code, mention it.

Clauses that matter in a coaching institute

School templates miss the things that cause trouble in coaching. Think about each of these and write what you agree.

• Batches and timetable: list the batches at joining, and say that changes will be agreed with notice (for example one week).
• Online and recorded classes: whether the teacher teaches online, records lectures, and who may use the recordings and for how long. If the institute will keep selling a recorded course after the teacher leaves, write it now and decide if the teacher gets anything for it.
• Notes and test papers: whether notes, question banks and tests made for the institute belong to the institute, the teacher, or both.
• Private tuition and other institutes: whether the teacher may take private students or teach elsewhere, and if so, not the institute's own enrolled students. Keep this narrow and fair. A wide ban on teaching anywhere is hard to defend and drives good teachers away.
• Student data and contact: student and parent phone numbers are for class work only, and are not to be copied or used after leaving.
• Results and promises: the Ministry of Education's coaching guidelines say a coaching centre shall not make misleading promises or guarantee ranks or marks. Ask teachers not to make such promises to parents either.
• Qualifications and background: the same guidelines say a coaching centre shall not engage tutors with qualification less than graduation, or hire any tutor or person convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude. Ask for degree copies and a self-declaration, and keep them on file.

The coaching guidelines were sent by the Ministry of Education to states and union territories on 16 January 2024 for them to adopt through their own laws, so check what your state has notified. Our guide to the coaching centre guidelines explains them in full.

Conduct and child safety

Many coaching students are minors. Write a short conduct clause: no one-to-one closed-door sessions with a minor, class groups only for class work, respectful language. Under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, every employer must constitute an Internal Committee by written order; complaints from establishments with fewer than ten workers go to the Local Committee set up by the District Officer. The employer must also display the order constituting the Internal Committee. Mention in the letter where the teacher can raise a complaint.

Copy-ready teacher appointment letter template

Copy this into Word or Google Docs, print it on your letterhead and fill in the brackets. Delete any clause that does not apply.

• [Institute name, address, phone, email]
• Ref. No.: [APT/2026/___] Date: [DD Month YYYY]
• To: [Teacher's full name], [Address]
• Subject: Appointment as [Post, for example Mathematics Faculty]
• Dear [Name], with reference to your application, interview and demo class on [date], we are pleased to appoint you as [post] at [institute name], [branch], on the following terms.
• 1. Type of appointment: [Full-time / Part-time / Fixed-term from ___ to ___].
• 2. Duties: teaching [subjects] to [classes / batches], preparing notes and tests, checking answer sheets, doubt sessions, and attending parent-teacher meetings.
• 3. Date of joining: [date]. Place of work: [branch], and online classes from [the institute / home] when scheduled.
• 4. Reporting to: [Academic Head / Director].
• 5. Pay: Rs [____] per month [or Rs ____ per hour / per lecture], paid by bank transfer on or before the [5th] of the following month, with a salary slip. Extra batches beyond those listed in Annexure A will be paid at Rs [____] per hour.
• 6. Social security: [You will be enrolled in EPF and ESI as applicable / Gratuity and other benefits will be given as per the Code on Social Security, 2020].
• 7. Working hours: [9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.], [six] days a week, with [Sunday] as the weekly off. Teaching hours will not exceed [__] a day.
• 8. Probation: [three] months from the date of joining. On completion you will be confirmed in writing. Probation may be extended once, by up to [three] months, with written reasons.
• 9. Leave: [__] days casual leave and [__] days sick leave in a year, and earned leave as per law. Apply for leave [two] days in advance except in emergencies.
• 10. Notice: either side may end this appointment with [15] days' notice during probation and [30] days' notice after confirmation, or salary for the notice period instead.
• 11. Content: notes, tests and recorded lectures made for the institute's courses may be used by the institute [during your employment and for ___ months after].
• 12. Conduct: you will follow the staff rules attached, keep student and parent data confidential, and not promise ranks or marks to students or parents.
• 13. Documents: please submit copies of your degree certificates, ID proof and a self-declaration that you have not been convicted of any offence involving moral turpitude.
• Please sign the duplicate copy to accept this appointment and return it by [date].
• For [Institute name]: [Signature, name, designation, stamp]
• Acceptance: I have read and accept the terms above. [Teacher's signature, name, date]
• Annexure A: batches and timetable at joining.

The brackets show example choices, not legal minimums. Pick numbers that suit your institute and that meet your state's rules.

Worked example: a part-time Physics faculty at a coaching institute

This is an example, with a made-up teacher and institute, to show how the decisions turn into clauses. A coaching institute with twelve staff hires a Physics teacher who will take two evening batches, Class 11 and Class 12, five days a week.

1. Type: part-time, because the teacher teaches only two batches. The letter says 'Part-time Physics Faculty (Class 11 and 12)'.
2. Pay: a fixed monthly amount for the two batches, paid on the 5th of the next month, with a salary slip. A third batch, if added, is paid at an hourly rate written in the letter.
3. Hours: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Friday. Weekend tests are optional and paid per test.
4. Probation: two months, with one class observation in each month and a student feedback form at the end.
5. Notice: 15 days during probation, 30 days after. Mid-session exits are discussed, not punished by holding salary.
6. Content: notes made for the batches can be used by the institute for the rest of the academic year; the teacher keeps their own earlier notes.
7. Private tuition: allowed, except for students enrolled at the institute.

Notice what the letter avoids: no 'salary as discussed', no blanket ban on teaching anywhere else, no penalty for leaving, no promise of results. Each line answers a question that would otherwise turn into an argument in month four.

How to issue the letter, step by step

1. Interview and demo: use a structured interview (our list of teacher interview questions and answers helps) and a demo class with real students.
2. Agree the terms in person and note them on one sheet: type, pay, date, hours, batches, notice.
3. Prepare the letter from the template, with a reference number from your letter register.
4. Have it checked once, the first time, by your accountant or a lawyer who knows your state's labour rules. After that, the template only changes when the law changes.
5. Print two copies on letterhead. The authorised person signs and stamps both.
6. Give both to the teacher on or before the joining day. They sign the duplicate with the date and keep the original.
7. Collect documents: degree copies, ID, bank details for salary, photographs, and the self-declaration.
8. Take a joining report: a one-line letter from the teacher saying they joined on that date.
9. File the signed duplicate, joining report and documents in the teacher's file, paper or digital, and enter the details in your staff register.
10. Set up pay: add the teacher to payroll with the agreed date, and start wage slips from the first month.

The compliance handbook says registers such as the attendance register cum muster roll and the wage register can be kept on paper or electronically, and records must be kept for five years. A digital file per teacher with the signed letter, any changes in writing, attendance and slips makes the end of service as easy as the start.

Changing the terms later

When pay, batches or hours change, do not rewrite the original letter. Issue a short letter ('With effect from [date], your monthly salary is revised to Rs ____. All other terms of your appointment letter dated [date] remain the same.') and get it signed. A teacher's file should tell the full story in order.

Once the letter is signed, the work moves to batches, attendance and pay. On Sikhami, coaching institutes and tuition centres get a free LMS with classroom batches, attendance, fees and receipts, so the classes you agreed in the letter are the ones you track. Teachers get a free profile and can connect with institutes. See Sikhami for institutes.

Common mistakes, and how to avoid them

For teachers: what to check before you sign

• Is the post, type and subject correct? A full-time job written as 'guest' will hurt your experience record later.
• Is the salary written as an amount, with a payment date and a salary slip?
• Are your batches and hours listed, and is extra work paid?
• Does probation have an end date and a clear outcome?
• Is the notice period the same for both sides?
• Who owns your notes and recordings, and for how long?
• Is there a penalty, bond or blank ban on teaching elsewhere? Ask for it to be removed or narrowed before you sign.
• Keep your signed copy, all slips and any letters of change. They are what your next employer and your teacher resume will rely on.

When this format is not the right one

This guide is for private coaching institutes, tuition centres and private schools hiring their own teachers. It is not the right format if you are a government or government-aided school, where appointment letters follow the state's service rules and recruitment orders; a college or university, where the regulator's and the university's rules decide pay scales and terms; or a large group with an HR team, which will already have a policy-based contract reviewed by lawyers. A home tutor hired directly by a parent is not an employee of an institute, so a simple agreement on fees and timings is enough. If you are unsure whether the labour codes apply to your institute, ask your state labour department or a lawyer before you rely on this template alone.