How to Become an Elementary Teacher in Canada
Elementary teachers in Canada are educated and certified by their individual provinces rather than the federal government. Teachers certified from Newfoundland to British Columbia are governed by different standards depending on the education's priority level in provincial legislatures. An elementary teacher can expect disparities in annual salaries due to provincial control with the starting salary ranging from $30,341 on Prince Edward Island to $43,653 in Alberta. If you want to teach the next generation of leaders, scientists and educators, you have to understand how to become an elementary teacher in your desired province.
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Instructions
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Print a list of requirements for provincial teaching certification and keep it on hand throughout your college career. Every province has different requirements for degrees held, professional experience and recertification that should be anticipated ahead of graduation.
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Apply to a university outside of your province if you want to teach in another city after graduation. Provincial education departments set higher limits for credentialing teachers from other provinces and countries to ensure equality in qualifications.
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Complete a Bachelors of Education (B.Ed.) after finishing undergraduate studies in art, sciences and math at the elementary level. The length of study varies from 4 to 6 years as students try to complete general educational requirements along with student teaching, internships and education courses.
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Apply for certification through your province's department of education as soon as you are ready to leave the university. While provincial requirements vary, most applicants will need to provide transcripts, syllabi, fees and letters of recommendation before gaining certification. The provincial department will conduct a background check on every applicant to examine employment history and criminal records.
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Reach out to your provincial teachers union after graduation to gain access to benefits, networking opportunities and discounts of teaching supplies (see Resources). Teaching unions, like the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, require annual dues to be pulled from salaries to speak on behalf of thousands of teachers.
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Research graduate courses in administration, library sciences and psychology if you want to increase your annual salary. Canadian elementary schools offer higher salaries to teachers with advanced degrees based on their versatility in the classroom setting. Ask your principal if the school will offer tuition reimbursement for graduate courses to keep more money in your pocket.
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Bolster your odds of finding a job as an elementary teacher in Canada with the help of the Education Canada Network (see Resources). This network pulls listed vacancies from elementary schools throughout Canada and places them in a single list for aspiring teachers. Because religious and public schools are placed under each province's school system, check each listing to see if there is a religious denomination that may conflict with your beliefs.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep a list of recertification requirements with your diploma and transcripts to stay current on provincial licensing requirements. Your province may require classroom visits and frequent reviews of criminal records as part of its certification process. Gain fluency in English, French and a third language if you want to increase your employment prospects as an elementary teacher. Canada offers bilingual education as part of its history of accommodating English and French-Canadian students. The country's growing Chinese and Russian populations make Mandarin and Russian ideal languages to learn.
Resources
- Photo Credit Photo by Eisenvater (Flickr)
