Job Discussion Forums

santi84 · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 1317 Location: under da sea

Hello,

I'm interested in hearing about the prospects across Canada for a certified teacher. I am currently completing a BA (Concentration in Writing & Rhetoric) along with a TESL certificate (incorporated within the BA). I plan to complete the teacher certification after that, however I would like to do it in the province that I plan to stay in. I am strongly interested in Quebec (my partner is a native of Montreal however I do not speak French so my ability to work in the public school system would be zilch until I completed a fair bit of language training).

Note: I am not interested in Vancouver at this time. I will be finished my BA/TESL here but after that, we are gone!

Thank you for any advice. This is a major career change for me and I am quitting a decent job in order to pursue my dream. I know it is not easy to get a job in this field but I am willing to tough it out.

Thanks!

chan_konabe · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 7:15 pm Post subject:

Are you considering a post-degree teacher training program in elementary or secondary education? If you're thinking of secondary then which subjects? English? ESL?

santi84 · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 1317 Location: under da sea

chan_konabe · Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 4:54 pm Post subject:

It's easier if you do your teacher training program in the province where you plan to teach. That way, you don't have to worry about the long and complicated transfering process between provinces. However, BC and Alberta have recently signed a Labour Mobility Agreement which will make it faster and easier for teachers to transfer their certificates between these two provinces. Other provinces might be following suit.

If you're planning on teaching secondary English somewhere in Canada then you should read the article below from the Vancouver Sun from February 2008:

Provinces warn of 'critical' teacher surplus

It's a bit of an eye-opener for prospective teachers, but at least it says good things about the situation in Quebec.

santi84 · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 1317 Location: under da sea

Thanks for the information and link. It's a bit of a bleak prospect, luckily I can continue my former career on a part-time basis to support myself until I can obtain full-time employment in the field.

chan_konabe · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 3:37 am Post subject:

It's important that you choose your coursework wisely in your final year. In order to be admissable into a teacher training program, you'll need to complete the proper prerequisites. For example, a BA (English) alone might not be enough for admission into a secondary English teacher training program. You'll need to have taken certain courses - for example, a certain number of Canadian literature, Shakespeare, Young Adult Literature, etc... This is also true for ESL. Certain linguistics courses might be prerequisites for entry into the program.

These prerequisites vary from university to university across Canada. If you're planning on doing your teacher training program in Quebec, I recommend you start researching the admission requirements to such programs in Quebec now. Also, check to see that the courses you're taking now are fully transferable to that university. That way, you won't have to worry about taking any additional prerequisite courses before you're allowed to start the program.

Best of luck!

Jetgirly · Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Posts: 741