OK - before I fork out money to get one of those foreign credential organisations to confirm that my UK BSc really is equivalent to a Canadian 4 year degree I thought I'd ask if anyone had actually had any success with convincing an employer to accept the verdict of one of these organisations? (WES for example?)
Please don't tell me just to suck it up as it's been bugging me for over a year and when it could make $8000 a year difference in my potential full time salary (if I ever got a teaching job) forking out $250 and trying again with the province might just be worth it! Can anyone give me any hope though!?
Thanks
Vicky

Have you looked into the likelihood of getting a teaching job. Jobs are hard to get for Canadian graduates. I know a couple of teachers moving to the US due to the difficulty in getting work.

Hi Vicky,

I am not sure if this will help or be relevant to you, but I thought I would mention it any way.

My Aunt in Alberta has advised us to look into IQAS, which I know is an Alberta specific thing, through the province though, so in my mind is the information companies would recognise as legit. I'm not sure whether other province have this as well, but may be worth looking into.

Hope this helps at least a little.

Tasha

I know it's not going to be easy and will take a while longer but I thought at least while I'm substituting and making contacts (essential here in PEI....) I'd feel that I was doing something!

Also I teach high school math and calculus and am only really looking for part time work so there is some chance eventually I think....

Vicky

Why wouldn't you "invest" $250 to get the credential checked, if it could make such a difference to your earning potential?

And it can be used several times over if you switch employers.

I work in HR and we accept the various provincial organisation's equivalency documents for both staff, and students trying to get into our programs.

Good luck with the job hunting

Hi

My BA was accepted without question, although it is a higher educational institution. I got a job offer very quickly too, and now I have a full time permanent position.

Yes, it can be done; however, I was lucky, right place, right time so to speak, but it's not impossible.

If you definitely want high school, I suggest you get your credentials evaluated; you're very unlikely to be given a teaching job without satisfying the Alberta Education Board.

Goodluck!

An IQAS assessment was a condition of employment for me - they basically gave me a couple of months to get the assessment done and it came back ok. Certainly worth the couple of hundred bucks if it could make that much difference to your salary!

icascanada.ca are slightly cheaper than wes, im waiting for a report back from them, i guessed why not pay the $100 or so im sure it will make a difference, and the best thing you can do is invest in yourself

hamazz

Thanks everyone My main worry is that PEI just won't accept any ruling from one of these organisations...... or do they have to??

They have given me a teaching certificate based on my UK qualifications but lacking that one 'additional' year of study at undergraduate level somehow prevents my PGCE and MEd being counted towards a certificate that would be 2 levels higher, hence the difference in salary

Frustrating!!

Things are different in PEI ...... I'm worried that I'll spend the money but it won't get me anywhere, that's the problem.

Thanks though.

So are they saying your UK Masters doesn't trump a Canadian Bachelors?

Frustrating and Bonkers!

Yep - basically they counted my masters as 30 credit hours to make my three year degree up to a 4 year Canadian degree..... it's all here www.gov.pe.ca/forms/pdf/1445.pdf if you can make any sense of it !

Quick update - heard back from the department of education who told me that it's not worth me getting my degree evaluated as they use their own provincial policies and therefore would not take any notice of an independent evaluation.

Great.....

Hi there,

My husband had a three year bachelor degree from the UK. When he wanted to become a teacher here in BC he had to do another year before he could do the equivalent of a PGCE. It is just the way it is. He had to complete an extra year of a degree, plus a year of teachers college. He is now working towards his masters degree. If he did not do the extra year he would have been paid less. His pay in BC is much greater than his pay would be if he was teaching in the UK. Another point is that he got a full time job immediately. There are jobs out ther; it just depends upon what you teach and what specialties you have.

Unions are the best