I returned to the UK twice in my working life in an attempt to get something other than EFL in Utter Slobodistan. Both attempts ended in disaster.

From what I understand, the PGCE is accepted in Ontario. I think the PGCE would open up British international schools in other countries. I would want to do that rather than uk classrooms.

I know lots of people drop out of the PGCE and don't get QTS because the whole thing is too traumatic.

My goal would be to teach secondary English, since it would include actual passions and hobbies of mine - reading and writing.

Oh, this sounds compelling. What happened?

Of course I have a negative self image in me saying 'you're lucky to even have ESL, you should be in a McDonald's flipping burgers!' so I try to remember that when I'm down.

I haven't 'run from pillar to post and back again, going in circles with no destination or goal in mind' though, I admit this is a fear of mine. It's one reason why I am hesitant to move back to Japan unless I am more qualified.

Tbh, I'm surprised the OP has managed to find EFL work in Canada. Canada obviously has a lot of ESL residents but I would have thought the competition for those jobs would be tough and most students would want a teacher with a North American accent.

Considering you must have at least a university education to even have been doing what you've been doing for the last few years, I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit there.

Yeah, it wasn't that easy. I just applied to a lot of schools. Most pay you around 20 dollars per hour. But the hard part is getting the hours. And then comes the problem is...do you want the hours? 35 teaching hours per week will give you more money than 25 but you lose your sanity in the process. Many of my days started at 8:00 and ended at 9:30 pm with long breaks in the afternoon where I would nap in coffee shops. I guess this is modern life and plenty of people have it worse!

I didn't get the impression students cared about the accent. Some were really interested in Canadian culture, but not that many? I think you can relate to the students as outsiders looking in better if you are also an expat. I don't know if the students saw it that way. They probably did prefer Canadian teachers.

You would usually be expected to teach all subjects, but specialise in xyz at senior level -- my ex-stepson was a teacher at senior level - he had to teach all subjects, specialised in history and sport (the pdf last page shows you subjects taught at senior level).
https://www.oct.ca/-/media/PDF/Requi..._teacher_e.pdf (opens in new tab)

For UK trained applicants > https://www.oct.ca/becoming-a-teache...united-kingdom

Getting a job in Canada once you have your Ontario Teachers Certification will be a whole different ball game .. https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Teaching_in_Canada and you will be in competition with Canadian educated teachers, who will get preference for jobs.. you will have to start out on the 'supply' list I knew someone who travelled from Hamilton to London every other day, just to get a few hours teaching time and provide for his family.. he was fully qualified (trained in Ontario).. and still struggled to find enough hours to pay his bills. You could consider 'private' (fee paying) schools too.. sometimes easier to get into.

Have you considered online work - remote teaching or similar? https://www.teachaway.com/blog/8-ama...line-from-home
(a blog about working for VIPKID)

If writing is your passion, what about taking on some editing work or content writing - or a social media engagement job - there's stuff out there that could help supplement your income a little, if you decided you wanted to stay after all.. or later if you returned to the UK..

I used to live in Hong Kong (my former husband was a teacher at the English Schools Foundation) and some of my friends there gave Englsh lessons to local Japanese / Chinese businessmen and got paid major money. Some also took on high school students who's parents wished them to have a good level of English.

That's right. Hey, I guess it really is 2020!

Sooo, a somewhat divergent take on your somewhat stalled ESL teaching career...have you looked into--and are you willing to consider--NGO-funded teaching opportunities in less-advantaged countries and/or more remote areas?

A cousin of mine has made a career out of this, at first in Africa, then back into Canada, where he has tended to prefer assignments in indigenous and/or remote areas, like northern AB, or YT.

Not a life many would choose, perhaps, but in the process he's become one of the most grounded and most interesting of my relatives, and he's no pauper as a result either.

that is not normal and surely is not acceptable. Get an MA and head back to Japan, that is my advice.

Sadly it isn't that simple. Because Eikaiwa work can be so unpleasant, there are more post-grad educated English teachers in Japan then there are university and professional level teaching positions to go around. From what I've seen, it tends to be a case of who you know rather than what you know and preference is often given to those with Japanese spouses and children. It's also not uncommon for people to do 3 different jobs and work 7 days per week.

Exactly, an MA is not a magic wand to university gigs. It is often a requirement, but connections matter much more.

The good news for you is that all doors are still open. If you qualify for Canadian PR now then returning to the UK to do a postgraduate course won't make you ineligible. I'm assuming you filed an EOI under Canadian Experience Class?

​​​​​​⠀‹And if you did decide to return to Japan then I'm quite sure the likes of Gaba, Aeon or Interac would bite your hand off.

Have you been back to the UK for many visits since you became an expat? I only ask because you seem interested in returning and pursuing a career in one of the most often underappreciated and even potentially dangerous professions in British society.

Yeah, Canadian experience class. I am just waiting for the fingerprints from Japan to finalise the application.

I went back last time for about 6 weeks in 2017. I was also there in 2016 in the summer and maybe the Christmas of 2014 as well.

I don't intend to be a highschool teacher in the UK. I would use the PGCE to work in international schools abroad, if I did that.