A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is unavailable because of illness or other obligation. While "substitute teacher" is the generally used phrase in the United States, Canada and Ireland, supply teacher is much the most common term in the United Kingdom (though the term is also used in Canada), and relief teacher is used in Australia and New Zealand. There are also various other terms which may be used in a particular region (such as teacher on call in the Canadian province of British Columbia).