Job Discussion Forums

[Taj]

used their experience teaching abroad to get into a teachers college?

I'm really curious as to this process. Whether it has worked out for people in the past. I am planning to get my bachelor of ed. and right now I'm weighing my options as to whether to teach abroad now and hope it gets me into a teachers college or teach after I have the certification.

Hope someone has some insight to share with me

[saint57]

I graduated from Ryerson University with honours. In 2003, when I applied to OISE I got denied because I didn't have any experience. I went to Korea then China. In 2005, the only B.Ed program I applied to was OISE. This time I got accepted. I just finished my final internship about two weeks ago. I'm really glad I didn't get accepted straight out of university because I probably would have failed. The experience I gained abroad helped me a great deal. Not only did it help me during my practicums, but it also helped me with the course work. 90% of the course is reflection. I had so many experiences to reflect on. It was relatively easy. I highly recommend teaching abroad for at least one year before entering a B.Ed program. Three weeks from today I'll be teaching in Malaysia in an Ontario high school program.

[ls650]

Well, since the majority of the posters here aren't Canadian....

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

My advice:

1. Try to get into a B.ed first (you don't mention what level, and that is definately important), if there is any way you can afford it. There is no point in not trying because depending on your situation overseas, it may really not be very similar to teaching in the regular k~12 system in Ontario.

2. In the (apparently) unlikely event that you do not get accepted, think about doing one of the TESL certificates through UofT or Brock or Carleton etc. (the university ones will probably look better on an eventual application into a B.ed). The deadline to apply isn't until after the results come back from the application to a B.Ed. (this isn't a coincidence). That will give you a MUCH, MUCH better experience profile for a later application to a B.Ed than just going overseas and working at an eikaiwa or hogwan. Also, you would be going into it already being able to get the ESL add-on (highly desirable in TO).

3. If at all possible, try to get experience directly applicable to the level you'd like to teach in the k~12 system. I'm in the JET programme. For what you want to do, it'd be pretty much perfect experience. I've also taught teenagers in a langauge camp (getting into JET itself isn't all that easy, you pretty much need relavant teaching experience, especially if you don't have extensive overseas experience). Your placements during a TESL certificate will be teaching adults.

4. Keep an open mind. Many, many of the people who graduate from B.Ed programmes in Ontario don't actually teach in Ontario, or burn out after just a few years. Those who teach overseas (and there are many of them) often find that they are missing a big chunk of information that they need (Second language acquisition, advanced grammar other linguistics info) because a B.ed (with virtaully any teachable) does not teach the same things as the TESL certificates (that's why a B.Ed won't get you certified with TESL Ontario). I'm not saying don't do a B.Ed, but the TESL certificates in the universities always have a focus on eventually doing the MA in Applied Linguistics and then teaching at the university level. Your experience during your placements (especially if you do a placement in ESL classes at your university), the subject matter and your experience overseas may cause you to decide to teach ESL/EFL instead k~12.


I'd applied to B.ed programmes throughout Ontario and been turned down when I appled to TESL certificate programmes in Ontario. I did a university TESL certificate specifically in order to get a better experience profile, and by the time I finished I was very, VERY undecided as to whether to try to get into an MA in Applied Linguistics to teach ESL at a university or to try again to get into a B.ed. (I ended up taking a bunch of extra courses to get a second teachable, but one that is actually relevent to teaching ESL- I took extra courses in History. My first teachable was English and my degree is a double major in English and Music History, so fit right in there and history is also relavant for teaching immigrants who want help with understanding the citizenship tests materials- I also did the CDN citizenship test- I was born in the uK and my parents didn't get citizenship- and just doing all of your schooling in Canada will not give you everything you need to pass the citizenship test. You need to know the text they give you, the practice questions are pretty hard, and then the test itself is ridiculously easy. It's pretty much just testing your knowledge of English or French if you've read the text and understood it at all). Now, I'm in my thrd year on JET and have been offered to stay on for a fourth and fifth year (elementary postion).

Oh, keep in mind that although what I've written may sound all great and relavent and all (and it IS what I did), but I am talking about doing a TESL programme that is the same length as a B.ed before even going overseas to teach, so that takes a lot of time, and is also very expensive.

[saint57]

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

And that's uofT. Many people who apply to B.Ed programmes in Ontario don't apply there, because they don't have the minimum requirements.

I read oce that the immediate rate of success (so discounting the waiting list) throughout the province is something like 10% of applicants. Most people apply to every school where they meet the minimum requirements (UofT's min req's are high- that's why 40% of their applicants are getting in at the Int/Sr division), and and if they get in one, chances are they'll have been accepted to another. They then pick and somebody on the waiting list is upgraded.

It's bad enough that there are a few universities in Buffalo and around New York State that offer B.Ed programs speciafically for Ontarians who want to teach in Ontario.

Now that they got rid of the looming teacher shortage by getting rid of retirement (so people who like their jobs- those that have really good ones- won't retire), then I guess not being able to get into teacher's college is not such a big problem, as far as the province is concerned (if you want to be a teacehr, then I guess for the majority of us, it's a case of 'that'S too bad! Maybe you could teach employees how to sell crap while being a manager trainee at Future Shop or Chapters'. Many of the people who finish B.ed programmes are ending up using about 0.00000001% of their training as Nova drones. For some people JET isn't much better.

[sultansofping]

[2 over lee]

Why must Canadians always mention Canada?

[saint57]

[ls650]

[Justin Trullinger]

Oy! Is that an insult? Well if you come down here, I'm gonna get drunk and punch you!


Justin