Are you searching for how to become a teacher in BC? Do you want to know the requirements for becoming one?
There has been a high demand for teachers in BC over the years, and about 1500 job opportunities were reportedly available in the northern province of BC, the recent years have undoubtedly seen an increase in job openings.
While job openings are available for those in the province and out of the province, you can’t work without a certificate. The job requires a teacher certificate, post-secondary transcripts, and some other requirements. This article will help you see the requirements, and know if you are.
To become a BC teacher, you have to have a Bachelor’s degree in Education first or a Post Graduate degree, a Ministry of Education and Child Care teaching certificate. Requirements may also differ according to the country you completed your Bachelor’s degree.
The Best Steps on How to Become a Teacher in BC
In Public schools and First Nation schools, there are many teaching positions available. Teachers that have completed the application can work from anywhere in the world as there are now virtual private schools.
They are often paid hourly, and the pay can be discussed. The following are steps you should take while applying for a teaching job opportunity in BC.
1. See if you are a good fit for teaching
Before you apply for a Teacher Education program, you have to be sure you are a good fit for teaching. You also have to know if you are good with children since you’ll be teaching them, what you will specialize in, and the expectations attached.
Teaching can be rather stressful if you are not a good fit for it or do not have the interest, so before applying for a teacher education think it through.
You have to consider the pay, the commitment, the hours, and the workload. Research shows that a third of the percent of teachers stop working in five years.
If you have not had any experience in teaching, you can try looking for volunteer opportunities where you can work with children or teenagers.
Teaching is more of a calling than a profession, and it will cost you your time. Teaching is something you should think through to avoid earnout or having to quit at the end. Teaching will also require communication on both ends
2. Determine what subjects you want to teach
Although there are two categories of teachers – the generalists and the specialists, you can determine the subjects you want to teach.
Specialists often pick between Mathematics and Social studies( this includes a wide range of subjects). You can, therefore, pick the subject you want to specialize in.
If you are a specialist, you can only pick between the two options.
You can determine what subjects you want to teach by thinking about the subjects you were passionate about as a student, and the subjects that appealed to or interested you the most. Understand the subjects you are best at, and work around that.
You have a high tendency of teaching something you are passionate about. This does not mean that you should not teach subjects that are available as most core subjects are often not demanded in school districts.
Teaching a subject you are very good at will be relatively easy for you, but you can as well teach available subjects.
You can find out from teachers with experience, you can also ask yourself what subject you would study when you are not busy. If you are interested in teaching multiple subjects to older children, you will have to have multiple teaching licenses. This will be very easy if you have a degree already, obtaining multiple might just involve you taking a few classes.
3. Determine the grades you want to teach:
Pre-teachers are to pick between two options, the K-12 classes or the Secondary school. This is a very important decision to make as teachers will be taught according to the options they pick.
While considering the grades to teach, you can put the salary and the curriculum into consideration. Which grade level pays better, or which range of subjects do I prefer. It can also be the age range of children you have had experience dealing with.
If you have had experience with younger children and would want to teach them, you can pick the K-12 or Kindergarten class. If you are interested in teaching a specific subject, you can pick between elementary/secondary school and high school.
4. Apply to a university
BC teachers are required to have completed a Bachelor in Education program. This program is run for four years. In the four-year program, the pre-teacher are taught what they will teach.
They are divided into two categories; the generalists and the specialists. The generalists are teachers who teach in elementary/middle school, while the specialists teach in Secondary schools.
The generalists are exposed to a wide range of subjects for them to teach across subjects, unlike the specialists who mostly pick between two subjects.
You can however decide to apply for a course that represents the subjects you will like to teach, and then apply for a post-degree in education. You have to also graduate from a BC-approved post-secondary institution.BC wrote out a list of BC approved you can pick from.
5. Complete your first post-secondary degree:
One of the required documents for the application for a teaching certificate is transcripts. This is your academic report over four years.
To get, and be considered for the teaching certificate, you have to have completed your first degree. Only students who have completed a relevant Bachelor in Education degree coursework will be considered for certification unless in cases where a letter of permission is assigned.
6. Complete your BEd program and practicum
Your practicum reports and BEd transcripts are very important documents. Applicants are required to submit transcripts and practicum reports.
This leaves you with a high chance of being picked. You have to have studied a course that relevant to the line of education you are going into. Practicum reports are given mostly in post-degree teacher training programs.
7. A post-degree program
You are required to go for a post-degree program. The post-degree teacher education program runs for a half year. It includes the course work before the teacher certificates are handed out, and a period of practicum.
These programs are often a year or two long. The training period focuses on education, conduct, experience, and competence. The Teacher’s Council reviews each student and sees if they are competent and suitable for the job. The training period aims to raise teachers that are up to the required standard.
Based on their academic performance, their preparation as teachers, their relevant teaching experience, and their readiness for working with children, applicants are evaluated.
This post-degree is for students who have completed their university education, and want to work as teachers or receive teacher certificates.
The program is designed to build qualified teachers. Students are to pick between the elementary focus and the secondary school as their coursework will be trimmed to accommodate this.
Graduates will be recommended for “professional certification” by the Teacher Certification Branch (TCB) at the BC Ministry of Education after completing the program.
Any position in a BC public, independent, or BC offshore school requires this credential. International students take English Proficiency, and they are to meet the required points. All students are to graduate with a minimum CGPA(Cumulative Grade Point) which may differ from institution to institution.
8. Teacher Certificate:
A teacher Certificate is required. This is very important, and you’ll have to apply for one. Documents required for submission include:
- A completed COQ (Certificate of Qualification) form
- Official university transcripts.
- Certified transcripts and letters of recommendation from the post-secondary institution where you completed your teacher education program
- A criminal record check
- Documents of identification, like Identification Card or other documents of identification.
- Reports from Practicum
- Application fee
All the documents listed above have to be in English, and the application form for teacher certification is not free, applicants have to pay $395.
You also have to keep checking your application process if you have been accepted or rejected. If you are rejected, you can reapply. Practicum is often done in ten months or higher.
A practicum is a practical session. Pre-teachers are required to teach for some time. Before applying for a teaching certificate, you have to check if there is a specific application for the country where you completed your teacher education program. Applications might differ from country to country.
You should also be mindful of what you post on social media, details like this may not be overlooked. A letter of permission allows a person without a teaching certificate to work, however, this is only given out in unique conditions.
It can be given out if a certified teacher is not available, both the applicant and the school owner are required to submit an application form. However, an uncertified teacher can only teach for a year. The application fee for a letter of permission is $200 or more if it requires translating.
9. Check your application status:
After submitting your documents, your application will be placed in a queue to be evaluated. The amount of time you will have to wait depends on the number of documents that are to be evaluated.
You have to check your application status from time to time to ensure that you are up to date with the application process.
You have to be sure you read the requirements properly as documents may be required to be submitted in a particular format, failure to submit the documents in the required format may result in a delay in your application processing. You can email BC if you have difficulties with filing your form, or have a question to ask.
You have to submit your application in time to avoid delay in your application processing, it is advised to submit the documents you have before you get the remaining ones.
You can also email them if you discover that the information you submitted was incorrect. You will be asked to resubmit your document if you did not include all the required documents or information.
Checking your application status regularly will help in cases where you did not submit all the required documents or information, you can email them and get the correction done in no time.
While waiting for a response, do not take other courses, as BC will assign the courses you will take to you. Taking courses that will not be assigned to you, in the long run, will result in a waste of time.
10. Find a teaching job:
You can look up schools that need teachers, there are often councils that teachers looking for jobs can join.
These councils or programs alert job seekers if there is a job opportunity for them. You can also find job opportunities on the official job boards of British Public schools. Requirements may differ from country to country, so you will have to find out the requirements if you do not live in the province.
You may face a delay because of the time it takes to do the processing of applications, it is advised that you start with your registration even if you don’t have all the required certificates.
You can update your application whenever you get the required documents. Not only can you find teaching jobs on the job boards of schools, MakeAFuture sends job alerts for teaching jobs available in different provinces.
Conclusion:
Applying for a BC teaching position is not as difficult as it may look, although the wait time may be a problem for most people, you can try it out.
As I have mentioned earlier, you have to keep checking your application status so as not to miss important information, or forfeit your employment based on submitting incorrect information.
you can get a job without a license by tendering a letter of permission, the application form is a little expensive, and you can only work for a year. What are your thoughts on these Steps on How to Become a Teacher in BC? Please let us know in the comment section.