Job Discussion Forums

[andyroo732]

I'm wondering if anybody knows what qualifications are usually needed to teach in one of the university ESL programs in Ontario.
I'm currently teaching in a university in Japan and have 10 years teaching experience (Korea - 3 years, Canada - 2 years, Japan - 5 years). I recently renewed my contract teaching at a university in Japan for 4 years, but I am hoping to return to Canada after that. I am starting to look into what experience and qualifications are needed to teach in Canada so that I can improve my chances of teaching at the university level.

I have seen that a TESL Canada certificate seems to be important these days. I haven't applied yet, but I feel I would be able to get a Professional Standard Three [Permanent] certificate. I have completed a TESL Canada Recognized TESL Training Program with a practicum and have an MA in Applied Linguistics (distance education) from an Australian university. As well, I have enough teaching hours for level three.

I will have taught at the university level in Japan for 6 years once I return home to Canada. Would my qualifications and experience be enough for a university position in Canada? How important are giving presentations or publishing articles?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[santi84]

I'm in British Columbia, not Ontario, so I'll give some general input about the current situation in Canada.

At smaller universities, university-colleges, or colleges, you may be able to get a position, but they tend to prefer more Canadian experience than just two years. Is your Canadian experience at a university?

There's nothing wrong with your qualifications but there are a lot of people with even more. A distance MA is not a problem here. Your problem will be your lack of Canadian university experience.

Are you set on Ontario (family?) or are you interested in other Canadian locations?

Good luck

[andyroo732]

Thanks for the information. I would prefer teaching in Ontario to be closer to family. I had a feeling that I would have to try getting some part-time work at a university and slowly work my way up. That's why I'm trying to save up some money in Japan before coming back to Canada. My teaching experience in Canada wasn't at the university level, so I can only get upon arriving back in Canada and trying to get some part-time work.
It's good to know that my distance MA will be alright.
Thanks again.

[cassava]

Andyroo 732:

If you want to teach at the university level in Ontario, you will need to have at least a PhD in your area of expertise. Of course, it is far better to have a PhD, substantial research, and the academic reputation of being a rising star.

It is also worthy of note that the kind of courses that you taught to students in foreign universities probably do not exist in Ontario. When foreign students arrive here, they have to possess the skills in English that will allow them to undertake university work without difficulty. ESL is not on the table.

The only university that might have special programs for foreign students is Brock University. I suspect that such courses might be taught on a part time basis and might be geared to recent immigrants who are heading to community colleges. My information might be dated, so check for yourself.

If you were to obtain most of the trappings of potential university professorship (PhD plus peer-reviewed publications plus "star" status), then you could apply to a Department of Linguistics which is seeking a tenure-track professor. If you have youth on your side and you can fend off the host of Canadian post-docs, out-of-province Canadian profs, superstars from foreign universities, who will all be also seeking the position, then you just might be lucky enough to get an interview.

[santi84]

cassava,

Here in B.C., the university-colleges and colleges offer ESL ranging from true beginner to TOEFL-prep level. I understand that an actual university (ie. UofT) is out of reach for the PhD-less OP, but do those programs exist in Ontario as well?

Another option for OP if he is interested would be Quebec (assuming he wants to be closer to eastern Ontario). I'm doing a lot of calling/investigating because I'm moving to Montreal in the next few months and he would be in high demand at a CEGEP and possibly some of the universities (I suspect McGill and even Concordia would require a PhD but UQAM etc. may not). I've been making some phone calls and the level of French required for well-qualified ESL instructors is erm, "flexible"

[cassava]

Santi 84,

I believe that the type of courses that you have mentioned probably do exist at the community college level in Ontario. However, I can't think of any university here that offers them on a permanent, full-time basis. Nevertheless, it is quite possible that some ESL courses are offered on a part-time basis in evening or summer sessions in some universities, but such courses would be sporadic and probably taught by sessional teachers rather than by full-time professors. The B.C. situation, because of various linguistic and socio-cultural factors, has always been different from Ontario's.

In Ontario, the Feds are trying to move away from funding ESL classes at certain levels. I don't know if you heard that SISO, the organization that deals with settling new immigrants, has had its funding slashed and that the LINC (second-language teaching) program has been seriously damaged.

If the OP has his mind fixed on returning to Ontario, then he should aim at a job at the community college level. Competition for these jobs is fierce because there is a glut of teachers on the market. Nevertheless, if the OP can offer some other subject, especially something of a technical nature, along with his ESL qualifications, he might stand a chance of getting a job offer.

Quebec is a different kettle of fish, and the OP would need to speak fairly good French in order to get a job teaching ESL in a CYGEP.

ESL teachers returning from overseas jobs to resume their career in Ontario usually face massive problems. Their qualifications and experience are often discounted. A few get jobs, others are left to fend as best they can.

[santi84]

Thanks for the information. I've been on maternity leave so I've been a bit out of the loop and it looks like Ontario is more grim by the week!

[andyroo732]

Thanks cassava for the info. I was actually aiming towards the language schools that the universities are running that don't offer credit courses. My university in Japan sends many students to the Queens School of English for a semester for study-abroad opportunities and I know some other universities are doing this as well. It was more this level of teaching that I was aiming for as opposed to being a regular professor in a linguistics department.

[ntropy]

Queen's SOE only requires their teachers to be TESL Canada certified. Actually, they say TESL Ontario.

Easiest to start with the summer programs when they recruit extra staff. They advertise on the school website and on TESL Ontario and TESL Canada web sites. If you do well and someone in the regular programs is moving on, you may get a chance with the courses the rest of the year.