---
canonical: "https://findaskischool.com/help/instructor-availability/shift-swapping-a-detailed-guide"
language: en
last_modified: "2026-10-20T16:05:22.000Z"
---

# Shift swapping — a detailed guide

Shift swaps are linked to upcoming bookings. Open → Pending approval → Approved or Rejected; approval performs the checked booking reassignment, while a claim alone leaves the original assignment in place.

## Quick answer

Shift swaps are linked to upcoming bookings. Open → Pending approval → Approved or Rejected; approval performs the checked booking reassignment, while a claim alone leaves the original assignment in place.

## Shift swapping — a detailed guide

A shift swap asks a colleague to cover a specific upcoming lesson. Start from **Availability → Requests → Shift Swap Board** in the instructor dashboard; the school handles decisions in its **Shift Swap Marketplace**.

## Post an eligible lesson

The board uses the selected profile’s main school. Select an upcoming pending or confirmed booking assigned to you at that school, and add an optional reason. The server takes the date and time from that booking. A lesson with an existing open or pending swap cannot be posted again.

A booking linked to an active group-class participant needs class-level cover arranged by the school. Do not create separate swaps for individual participants in the same class.

## Follow the status

| Status | Meaning | Next step |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Open | Cover has been requested; nobody has claimed it. | A colleague at the school may claim it. |
| Pending approval | A colleague has claimed the request. | The school reviews and approves or rejects. |
| Approved | The linked lesson has been reassigned through the planning checks. | Check the updated assignment and any response it requires. |
| Rejected | The school declined the claim. | Discuss another cover arrangement with the school. |

Historical records may also show cancelled requests. The current instructor board does not offer a general cancel control; contact the school if a posted request is no longer needed.

## What a claim does

The first successful claim wins; another colleague cannot claim the same open request afterwards. You cannot claim your own request. The claim records who volunteered but does not itself check every scheduling or suitability requirement or move the booking.

## What approval does

The school checks the claimant and the linked booking. Approval uses the current assignment rules and checks that the lesson still matches the posted school, instructor, date, and time. If it has changed, refresh and arrange a new request rather than approving an outdated one.

The proposed instructor’s approved licence must cover the full lesson through its end time, even if it is still valid today. A pending renewal does not extend that coverage; choose another eligible instructor or resolve the renewal before retrying.

Successful approval reassigns the booking as part of the same operation. The school does not need to move it manually afterwards. Older swap records without a linked booking cannot use this approval flow; the school should reject the old request and post a new booking-linked one.

## If cover is unresolved

Keep the school informed, especially close to the start time. An open or claimed request is not cancellation permission, a guaranteed replacement, or a payroll agreement. Confirm who will teach and let the school manage student communication and pay under its own arrangements.