Teaching English in Canada

The following comments are from teachers who have taught, or are currently teaching, in Canada. If you are a teacher and have some advice to share, please add it here.

Shannon on 18 February 2007

quote The Canadian ESL job market varies from province to province depending on local demand and provincial licensure, certification or accreditation standards. The very large majority of teaching positions require candidates to be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, although limited-term exchange or sponsored arrangements can sometimes be made.

Those planning to teach students in the regular provincially-funded school systems (kindergarten to Grade 12) need to qualify for provincial teaching licenses or certificates administered by provincial Ministries of Education in collaboration with provincial Teachers Federations and Colleges of Education.

Such licensure or certification requires at least a B.Ed. degree or postgraduate credential in Education, depending on the province and subject specialization. Immigrant teachers who earned their credentials in their home countries are usually required to take supplementary coursework in their new home province before qualifying for a provincial license or certificate. The Canadian Federation of Teachers facilitates some international teacher exchanges; teachers who are approved for exchanges are not required to meet the usual provincial requirements. Adult programs will accept a more diverse range of education and training, but most reputable programs in Canada seek degreed individuals who have taken TESL/TEFL training in university-based programs or in other types of programs that meet the certification or accreditation expectations of TESL Canada or one of its provincial affiliates. Information about standards can be found at the website of TESL Canada which links to the sites of the provincial associations and which lists training programs that have been examined and found to meet or exceed TESL Canada's own standards.

Generally speaking, training equivalent to CELTA is the absolute minimum that will be accepted by reputable Canadian employers; in many locations, especially in Ontario, employers can and do insist on much more. There are exceptions, but the exceptions are hard to find and usually are either desperate for staff (this happens most often in rural locations which don't always have enough students to run regular ESL classes) or not regarded as reputable in the larger community (be very careful to check out urban employers who are willing to accept under qualified teachers, especially if such employers are private businesses rather than government-funded programs).