How long did it take for your contract to be ready?
I was hired almost two weeks ago, and last week on Wednesday, I received the call from HR stating that they had all of my information, and that they would be calling me back when my contract was ready to be signed. Now it's almost another week later, and other people who got the initial phone call on the same day as I did and others who were hired after me have already gotten their call to go in and sign. I'm thinking that I'll give them a call tomorrow if I haven't heard anything by the end of the workday to see where it's at, but I really don't want to harass them about it... It just sucks because we had to have signed the contract by Aug. 25 to get the first paycheck (next Friday), so now I have to budget BIG time until I get double paid at the end of September.
Re: Q for teachers
I don't think I would care as much either, but it seems to be tightly linked to when I actually get my first paycheck...
You *should* care! Until you sign that contract you aren't employed by them. When you do sign that contract make sure that the date on it is back dated to your first official day with them. If not that could potentially bite you in the seniority factor. It depends how your district does seniority.
Call HR tomorrow morning. They, of all people, know the importance of a contract.
Also, read through your contract when you get it. Last year they made a salary mistake with mine and I'm glad I caught it otherwise it would have been a mess. They also didn't give me credit for my previous years teaching until I brought it to their attention and referenced where it states in the contract that I should get credit. So just take a few minutes and check to make sure it's all correct before you just sign.
Good luck!