British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

Hi, just a quick introduction to all out there.
Name is Damian. 41, wife, two toddlers, (nightmares!), inside leg measurement...etc etc. Currently frustrated by processing times of Skilled Worker Visa applications. Applied last year, so by current estimates another 3 or 4 years to go! DOH! Trying now to explore all other routes to get to Alberta quicker, before I die or go senile, hence getting aboard here. If there are any teachers out there in particular who have made the move, or are trying to, would love to hear from you, or just anybody else who is feeling frustrated, impatient, annoyed, excited, impatient, confused, impatient! Or, indeed, anybody living in Alberta who wants to accomodate a family of four refugees? (kidding about this last part!)
Nice to meet you all
Damian

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

Welcome. I suggest you read the wiki on teaching in Canada. http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Teaching_in_Canada as a start.
(This may depress you as much as SW processing times:()

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

Yeh, thanks for that. I had read it prior to my posting. Doesn't make great reading does it! To be honest i'm prepared to do whatever once I get out there. I hold a bus drivers license for example, but securing employment before I get out there could be a problem. Cheers for that anyhow.
Damian

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

Hi Damian - can't help regarding teaching but have a look at this article - Calgary is coming to London to recruit bus drivers :)


Good luck! J :)

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

Hi Jingle,
Thanks for that. I've already got tickets for the show, but had actually forgotten all about them! I'll be going with cap in hand and pleafull face.
Cheers

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

Hello and welcome to the site.

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

Hello and welcome! :D

I'm also a teacher (upper KS2)... having done quite a bit of research on teaching in Canada it does seem that it's pretty tough to get into... but not impossible, if you're willing to spend several years 'getting your foot in the door'.

Looks like bus driving might be a better bet though! :blink: :lol:

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

Best of luck! J:)

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

I fail to see how anyone, without a huge amount of equity, or unless they are prepared to live with 16 other relatives in the same house, can afford to come to Calgary at the present time, and survive on a bus driver's wages :confused:

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

Hi Damian
We are both teachers making the move to Alberta hopefully late this year/early next. We are almost at the medicals stage of the process now, having applied 2.5 years ago!
The message is that teaching possibilities depend on your qualifications. They accept B.Ed and PGCE but not GTP training. (My hubbie is GTP trained so is now looking for another career!). Even with the accepted qualifications you also need extra semesters of study once you reach Canada. You have to be a PR (permanent resident) before you can try to get a job, and first you need to have your qualifications/experience assessed by Alberta Learning, and they will certify you (or not) to teach.
Once you have the certification, you can get onto supply lists and from what research I've done, you can then start to network a bit (find schools you like and supply teach for them for a year or so). Supply is random days first, then once you've got a bit of experience - not to mention the extra semester study credits you need - you can apply to do long term supply (maternity cover, long term sick cover etc) then eventually apply for permanent jobs.

It was rumoured a year or so back that teachers were due to be in higher demand due to an aging workforce retiring over the next 5 years or so. I don't know if that's happening yet, but you never know. The situation seems to be that it is difficult to teach, but not impossible if you are determined, organised and patient!!!

Good luck with your application. Hope this helps.

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

According to Mrs AX, this rumour was being put about at this side of the country back in 1999 when she graduated with her (first) teaching degree! Fundamentally there has to be some truth in it as the teaching workforce is aging like any other. However, there are plenty, and I mean, plenty of fresh grads from Canadian Universities coming along every year to fill any gaps! I can recall sitting through the teaching class of 06's convocation (where Mrs AX was awarded her second degree) and it felt like there were 300 shiny faced teaching grads in the list before her.;)

It's certainly not impossible to move over from UK as a teacher and teach in Canada but the main issue still remains - How do you survive on a few days substituting a month? The answer is either that you have funds to keep you going or a partner with an income that will do the same. Without either of these scenario's I think the potential teacher immigrant is in for a hard time here.

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

There was an interesting article in the Vancouver Sun from February 2008 on this topic. It's worth reading for anyone considering teaching in Canada, especially English or Social Studies.

Provinces warn of 'critical' teacher surplus

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

I have been making equires the last few weeks about carrying on my teaching career in Saskatchewan now that we are landed. I have been told that they only accept a B.Ed as all of there teachers have the B.Ed qualification. If you have your degree in a specific subject, then it is a further two years of uni to gain you B.Ed. I have found this information out this week, so its as up to date as it can be.

Once you have your B.Ed, its only supply work, then you may get a year contract but you have to be offered a year by the school until you have been doing that for three years, then you are offered a 10 year contract. Nothing here is the same as the UK. I know a lady who qualified as a teacher from the University of Saskatchewan (she is Canadian) and instead of teaching, she is working in an office because she couldn't get a contract!!!! The office job also pays more. Most teachers have a second job as the pay is no where near what it is in the UK.

I didn't know any of this when we emigrated. Please make sure you know exactly where you stand before you think about coming to Canada to teach. I have the option of paying a heck of a lot of money to go back to Uni for two years and do my B.Ed, become a teaching assistant (you still need qualifications for that) or work in an office, which is what I am doing at the moment.

Make sure you have the facts before you come out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

Good morning: Teaching in my home province (Ontario) is a well paid and popular profession (benefits package far outweighs what can be secured in the UK):as a result, competition for jobs is intense. Entry to university education programmes demands high academic standing and experience working with children. When we return to Canada, despite my 15 years teaching experience, I would be hard pressed to secure a permanent contract, and would have to apply for 'certification' if I wanted to teach in another province eg. Alberta, BC . Education is under provincial jurisdiction...expect many differences throughout the country. I enjoyed teaching in Canada...my experiences here in the UK have been infinitely inferior...as a result I left teaching in 2003.

HTH

Canucklehead

Re: British Teacher wanting to move to Alberta
 

Just a note on that - Alberta and BC have recently signed a Teacher Mobility Agreement that came into effect on April 1, 2008. This agreement allows teachers to work in either province without taking additional coursework or training. Also, it ensures that their teaching certification will be recognized in either province without delay.

You can read up more on it here: BC & Alberta Teacher Mobility Agreement