Your first week at a new job

Congratulations on your new job! The first week is mostly paperwork, training, and learning people's names. Nobody expects you to know everything yet. This guide explains what usually happens, so nothing surprises you.

We checked these facts on October 12, 2026. Follow the links for the latest rules.

Before your first day

Confirm the basics with your manager: your start date and time, the address, who to ask for, what to wear, and what to bring.

In Ontario, employers with 25 or more employees must give you some information in writing before your first day, or as soon as possible after it. This includes the employer's legal name and contact details, where you will work, your starting wage, the pay period and pay day, and your expected hours. Separately, employers covered by the Employment Standards Act must give you a copy of the employment standards poster within 30 days (Ontario mandatory information).

Things to have ready:

Your Social Insurance Number (SIN)
Your bank details for direct deposit
Your work permit or study permit, if you have one
Copies of any certificates, like food safety or first aid

Paperwork

Your SIN

Now that you're hired, your employer needs your SIN for payroll and taxes. Give it to your employer within 3 days after you start work (CRA). If you are allowed to work in Canada but don't have a SIN yet, apply for one within your first 3 days. Then give it to your employer within 3 days after you receive it. You don't have to show your SIN card or confirmation letter (Service Canada).

Service Canada says your SIN is confidential and you should share it only when the law requires it, as it does once you're hired (Protect your SIN). Give it only through your employer's official hiring forms or system, not in a text or social media message. Need a SIN? Read How to get a Social Insurance Number.

Direct deposit

Many employers pay you by direct deposit into your bank account.

BC: Pay can be by cash, cheque, bank draft, or money order. Direct deposit is allowed if you agree in writing, or if a collective agreement allows it (Getting paid for work).
Ontario: Pay can be by cash, cheque, or direct deposit, which includes Interac e-Transfer. The account must be in your name, and you choose it. Your employer can't make you use a bank you didn't choose (Payment of wages).

For direct deposit, you usually need your bank's institution number, transit number, and your account number. You can find them on a void cheque or a direct deposit form from your bank's app or website. No bank account yet? See Opening a bank account as a newcomer.

TD1 forms

You will fill out a federal TD1 form when you start a new job. Your employer uses it to calculate how much income tax to take from your pay. You may also need the form for your province (CRA):

BC: TD1BC
Ontario: TD1ON

The current forms are on the CRA's TD1 page. Your employer will usually give them to you.

A few things to know:

Sign and date each form, and give it to your employer.
Two jobs at once? You can claim amounts like the basic personal amount on only one of your TD1 forms (CRA).
Not sure what to fill in? Read the form's instructions or ask your employer's payroll contact. Don't guess.

Your employer also takes Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions and Employment Insurance (EI) premiums from your pay (CRA). Your pay stub shows each deduction. See How to read your pay stub.

Training

Job training is paid. In BC, training your employer requires for its business is work, and you must be paid for it. A course for a certificate you can use with any employer, like FOODSAFE, is usually not counted as work (BC Employment Standards definitions). In Ontario, time in training that your employer or the law requires counts as work time, including online courses your employer requires (Ontario hours of work).

Safety training comes first.

BC: WorkSafeBC says employers must give new and young workers a safety orientation before they start working. It covers your rights and responsibilities, hazards at your workplace, and safe ways to do your tasks (WorkSafeBC).
Ontario: All workers must complete basic health and safety awareness training (Ontario awareness training). The province's free program comes as an online module, which takes 45 to 60 minutes, or as a workbook. Ontario says employers should deliver this training within the first few days. If you use the online module, save or print your certificate when you finish. A workbook must be printed, completed, and signed (Worker health and safety awareness).

You may also shadow an experienced coworker. Bring a small notebook. Write down codes, steps, and names.

Uniforms and dress code

BC: If your employer requires a uniform, it must provide it at no cost to you. A dress code, like "black pants and closed-toe shoes," is different from a uniform (Getting paid for work).
Ontario: Your employer can deduct the cost of a uniform from your wages only if you agree in writing (Young workers' rights).

Before you buy anything, ask exactly what you need and whether the employer provides it.

Scheduling apps

Many workplaces post schedules in an app or website. Your manager will tell you which one and how to log in.

Turn on notifications, and check your schedule every day.
Learn how to request time off and how to swap shifts. Swaps usually need a manager's approval.
Keep your own record of the hours you work. A screenshot of each week's schedule, plus notes of any changes, helps you check your pay stub.

If a schedule changes and you can't work the new time, tell your manager right away.

Ask questions

Asking questions shows you care about doing the job right. Good first-week questions:

Who should I ask when I'm not sure about something?
When do I take breaks, and how long are they?
How do I call in sick, and how much notice do you need?
When is payday, and where do I see my pay stubs?
Where are the first aid kit and the emergency exits?

When someone shows you a task, repeat the steps back. "So first I count the float, then I sign the sheet?" Our guide to Canadian workplace basics has more tips.

Probation basics

Many employers call your first few months a probation period. It's a time for both you and the employer to see whether the job is a good fit.

Here is what employment standards say about ending a job early on:

BC: If you have worked for 3 months or less, your employer doesn't have to give you notice or compensation for length of service when ending your job (Quitting or getting fired).
Ontario: If you have worked for less than 3 months, you are not entitled to termination notice or termination pay (Termination of employment).

Probation doesn't remove your other basic rights. You still get at least minimum wage, pay for training, and pay statements. Read Your rights at work in BC or Your rights at work in Ontario.

Make your probation count. Be on time, follow instructions, and ask your manager after a few weeks, "How am I doing? Is there anything I should do differently?"

Next steps

Know your pay: How to read your pay stub
Fit in at work: Canadian workplace basics
Still looking? Find entry-level jobs in Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area