Site Search:
 
Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today!
Teach English Abroad and Get Paid to see the World!
Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Teaching in Northern Canada territories/reservations
Goto page 1, 2  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> General North America Forum
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
PeterDragon



Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 50

PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 4:27 pm    Post subject: Teaching in Northern Canada territories/reservations Reply with quote

I'm a U.S. citizen. I'm considering enrolling in a Canadian university to get a Canadian teaching license, then using a post-graduation work permit to look for work as an ESL or English teacher in the far North. (For born citizens unfamiliar with how this works, I can obtain a permit to look for work after I graduate, then apply for permanent residency or citizenship if I can find and maintain full time work for 12+ months.)

So my questions:

1) Are the rumors of teacher shortages in Canada's northernmost territories still true, or have job openings up there dried out?

2) Are public schools able to hire properly credentialed non citizens who have residency/work permits?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Symphany



Joined: 10 Aug 2006
Posts: 117

PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:07 am    Post subject: The North Reply with quote

My guess is Pete, that you probably know more than most on this board about the route you're trying to take. What could be helpful is to contact the career centre or an advisor at one or more of the universities that you're planning to apply to and see what they say.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
PeterDragon



Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 50

PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Symphany,

That's going to be my next move when I find the time (swamped this week). I'm also working on contacting the Yukon School Board, and looking up contact information for other remote school districts. Figured it wouldn't hurt to poke around a few message boards as I do my research, though....
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurfetta



Joined: 14 Nov 2010
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 5:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The NWT's department of education came to my university in BC to recruit newly graduated teachers in January. I didn't attend the event but here is the contact person's that was listed in the e-mail that I received about the recruiting event.

Joanne McGrath

Coordinator

Education Operations and Development

Department of Education, Culture and Employment

Government of the Northwest Territories



Phone: �867-873-7458
Fax: �867-873-0338

A friend of mine told me that one of our classmates from my cohort of my BEd walked into the Yellowknife school board office and was put onto the supply list right away. That person then got a contract after a month of supply teaching.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurfetta



Joined: 14 Nov 2010
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 5:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Peterdragon,

Where do you plan to attend university? Teacher certification is done provincially. I looked at the BC College of Teachers website (www.bcct.ca) and found that you need your permanent residency to get certification. (Best call them to make sure that I am right though.)

Then I looked at this site:
http://www.nwtta.nt.ca/en/ProspectiveTeachers_28/

It looks like you need your certification from the province you trained in to get certification to work in the NWT. (There is a contact e-mail listed in that website in the FAQ section. I would contact them and ask.)

Good luck! I hear teaching up north can be very rewarding.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
GambateBingBangBOOM



Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan

PostPosted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 12:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

PeterDragon wrote:
I'm a U.S. citizen. I'm considering enrolling in a Canadian university to get a Canadian teaching license...


You usually (like pretty much always) need to have gone through the education system of the province in which you want to do your teacher certification (for the k-12 system) in order to get into the teacher certification programs.

smurfetta wrote:

Where do you plan to attend university? Teacher certification is done provincially. I looked at the BC College of Teachers website (www.bcct.ca) and found that you need your permanent residency to get certification. (Best call them to make sure that I am right though.)



The landed immigrant (PR) thing is basically for foreign trained teachers (people who already have a k-12 teacher's certificate from Wyoming or wherever) to get their qualification recognized in a particular province.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
PeterDragon



Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 50

PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 5:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Smurfetta,

I just got off the phone with Joanne, and she's going to email me a packet of in-depth information on their certification requirements.

Gamebate--- sounds like there's hope that an American earned teaching certificate could work for me. Do you know where I could find information on what kind of American teaching credentials work int he Canadian system? (PGCE vs. BaEd vs. alternative certification, etc...?)

Nice to see info trickling into this thread, every little scrap of advice helps.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
GambateBingBangBOOM



Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan

PostPosted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 12:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

PeterDragon wrote:

Gamebate--- sounds like there's hope that an American earned teaching certificate could work for me. Do you know where I could find information on what kind of American teaching credentials work int he Canadian system? (PGCE vs. BaEd vs. alternative certification, etc...?)


If you look up the province that you want to work in (in your case, territory), then the federation of teachers will probably have information on how a foreign trained teacher can get certified in that province.

The kind of credential that it takes is the kind that allows you a permanent teacher's licence in a particular state. So I guess that's either a year after your degree, or as part of your degree.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
PeterDragon



Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 50

PostPosted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 7:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

GambateBingBangBOOM wrote:


The kind of credential that it takes is the kind that allows you a permanent teacher's licence in a particular state. So I guess that's either a year after your degree, or as part of your degree.


Sounds like alternative certification is probably out then, but I'll check. (A number of states actually allow alternative certification to be as permanent as conventionally acquired licenses. But then, a number of states have low/double standards. Public education in America is in a weird unhealthy headspace....)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
santi84



Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 1317
Location: under da sea

PostPosted: Sun May 01, 2011 3:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a friend (Canadian citizen) currently teaching at a large (rural) high school in NWT. Yes, the rumors of the shortages are true, it is a VERY difficult hard knocks place to work. If you are up to the task though, it's rewarding - but keep in mind that administration and other teachers (those who live there permanently) have all given up hope so just don't have any illusions about having support from anyone if you want to make a difference.

Good luck! I think it would be a great experience.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurfetta



Joined: 14 Nov 2010
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Sun May 01, 2011 4:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

PeterDragon wrote:
Smurfetta,

I just got off the phone with Joanne, and she's going to email me a packet of in-depth information on their certification requirements.

Gamebate--- sounds like there's hope that an American earned teaching certificate could work for me. Do you know where I could find information on what kind of American teaching credentials work int he Canadian system? (PGCE vs. BaEd vs. alternative certification, etc...?)

Nice to see info trickling into this thread, every little scrap of advice helps.


PeterDragon- Great to hear that the contact info was some use to you.

I don't know of any equivalent alternative certification program in Canada. Teacher training is pretty conservative here. When I was overseas, I tried to find a program I could do through distance education but I couldn't find a single program.

I know someone with a PGCE living here in BC and she cannot work as a teacher unless she does some upgrading. However, she did tell me that a rural school board in Alberta was willing to hire her. So, basically, each province is slightly different with I think BC being one of the toughest.

I'd recommend that you do your teacher training in Canada if that is where you want to teach. You will find that you will have less hoops to jump through if you switch provinces/ territories.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurfetta



Joined: 14 Nov 2010
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Sun May 01, 2011 6:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
n
You usually (like pretty much always) need to have gone through the education system of the province in which you want to do your teacher certification (for the k-12 system) in order to get into the teacher certification programs.


Sorry, GamBateBingBamBoom- I'm a big confused by this. Are you saying that the OP needs to have gone through the k-12 system to become a teacher in whatever province that they are interested in? If that's what you are saying then I think you are wrong about this. I had classmates who were schooled in other provinces and abroad.

If you are talking about doing your teacher training in the province that you want to teach in then I would agree with you.

OP- I just had a thought. I've heard about teacher training programs across the border from Ontario. I've read about Canadians going there to do their training and then they were able to get Ontario certification.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
santi84



Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 1317
Location: under da sea

PostPosted: Thu May 12, 2011 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In BC, you can work as a supply list elementary teacher with only 90 university credits as long as you are currently studying to complete your PDP (at least this has been true of my friends there). Not sure if it holds the same for secondary school!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurfetta



Joined: 14 Nov 2010
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Thu May 12, 2011 7:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

santi84 wrote:
In BC, you can work as a supply list elementary teacher with only 90 university credits as long as you are currently studying to complete your PDP (at least this has been true of my friends there). Not sure if it holds the same for secondary school!



I've never heard that you can do this in BC. I could see that someone could get a provisional license to work in rural area. Maybe, that is how your friends were able to work before they completed their program.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurfetta



Joined: 14 Nov 2010
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Thu May 12, 2011 9:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just checked out the BCCT site and a school board can apply for a ketter of permission for a person who does not have a teaching certificate. They can only do this if they cannot find someone who does have a certificate.

Sorry OP- that was totally off-topic. Hopefully, you have found a way to teach up north. Best of luck to you.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> General North America Forum All times are GMT
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

Teaching Jobs in China
Teaching Jobs in China