Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

Sorry they won't care. Everyone here has a M.Ed., they all get them as it bumps up their pay. We used to churn them out like confetti. All they had to do was take some pass/fail workshops and write some ill-defined and methodologically unsound "research" paper of a 25 to 30 pages which I'm sure most knocked them out the afternoon before.

You'll have to take courses here to satisfy you have the appropriate understanding of Canadian history and values and you'll still have be very lucky indeed to get a full time position here as you're not Canadian.

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

Not sure what citizenship has to do with this. If you're counting on financial support from the govt. then you may be in for a bit of a shock. You may qualify for a student loan, but it has to be paid back.

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

You are right to say PR is required to get a BC teacher certificate.

As Atlantic Expat says below, experience as a SENCO in the UK is not recognised here in BC.
I disagree about the salary.
The starting salary here at Category 4 (which is what the TQS gives you if you are given a Conditional Certificate by the BC Ministry of Education) is around $42K.
You may get experience points for your years in the UK but NOT necessarily. It will depend on which School District hires you.
4 years of experience doesn't bump you up that much, even if you do get credited for it.
Seniority rules for hiring here, so you would have ZERO seniority and so be at the back of the queue for a job.

Your masters will not help you get a job, unfortunately.

You cannot look for a job unless you are first hired by a School District.
The way things work here is totally different from the UK and you need to understand what you are letting yourself in for if you do decide to immigrate and want to teach.

If you are really quite committed to teaching here and can justify the time and money to do the courses they will almost certainly demand, plus loss of earnings while you wait to get hired, then it is worth it, IMHO.

If, as you indicate, you are thinking of making a career change within a couple of years of getting here, then putting your time and effort into pursuing that would be more productive.

I have PM'd you, as requested, as this is a LONG conversation.:D

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

i cant comment on the teaching side of things but do work in the construction industry so here is my input on that.

when you say builder and site manager does your husband build and manage housing or commercial/industrial developments?

with regard to owning his construction company are we talking man and van knocking up a few house extensions or $m turnover large scale projects managing large work forces, programs of work, schedules, estimates etc?

is your husband a tradesman or just a "builder" they are very particular in Canada with regards "qualifications" if he is a tradesman he needs to find out if they will recognize his apprenticeship and qualification so he can get a red seal or equivalent.

if he is more on the smaller scale housing projects he may well need to get back on the tools and spend some time learning how things are done in Canada get his red seal and then move back into site management from there.

if he is on the bigger scale stuff that has site management team then he may be in a position that he does not really need to know how things need to be done his job it just to make sure they get done. the job is about planning and resourcing same as in the UK, although it will take time to build up his local base of knowledge and connections which are a large part of the job.

if he is at this level then he does not need to worry about red seals, but they start to want to see some of the more academic qualifications and least a bit of tech school.

He may need to be prepared to take a more junior level position to get his foot in the door gains Canadian experience. thats what i had to do good thing is i get paid 50% more than the UK with 50% of the responsibly i used to have :thumbup:

in terms of getting the job find all the construction company's you can go to their web sites and apply for the jobs. in terms of improving your chances of getting work from the UK don't try to get a job in Vancouver its supply and demand everyone wants to move there completion for jobs will be fierce i assume the same will apply for teaching. in terms of construction its AB/SK that are booming and have demand for workers.

you can always pick up experience where you can get a job with Vancouver being a few years down the road once you/he are more employable.

Canada is a great place to live if you have money, it sucks balls if you have not. you are leaving a well paid teaching job and your husband is leaving his own company for what might be a $55-120k depending on what level he is at with you income reduced to next to nothing for a number of years until you get a job. wont be able to afford to go sailing much with 2 people living off $60k a year in Vancouver but if it works out you could be pulling the best part of $200k between the 2 of you within the next few years:thumbsup:.

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

I'm an elementary school teacher in BC. Although the employment situation is tough for teachers (and has been for some years), I've seen a noticeable improvement lately. This is especially true if you're willing to consider other areas of the province besides Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and the Okanagan.

As previous posters have said, seniority is weighed heavily in BC. The length of time may vary according to which district you choose, but here is the general process that most districts follow:

First, you'll be hired by the school district and placed on their Teacher on Call (TOC) list. While working as a TOC, some positions will become available and qualified teachers who have more seniority will have the chance to apply for them. Some positions will have many applicants and others won't. Generally speaking, if it's a specialist position or if it's for a short duration, not many people will apply (or be eligible to apply). When you apply and get one of these positions, you'll build your seniority. Some positions will be for a limited duration and some will be a continuing position. Once you get a continuing position, you'll be eligible to port your teaching experience from outside of Canada for the purpose of seniority. I highly recommend this because it will give you a big jump up the seniority list.

Finally, if you're a specialist teacher in autism, I recommend looking at the Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders (POPARD). They send autism specialists throughout BC to advise schools and train teachers. They do first-rate work and have visited my school on a number of occasions. I sometimes see positions advertised by them.

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

POPARD will not consider you if you are not a landed immigrant as they do not like jumping through hoops such as getting you an LMO etc. as they will have to prove that there are no suitable Canadians to do the job. That was my experience while applying for jobs from the UK but once I landed things changed dramatically.

Good luck. I work in the lower mainland in the third largest school district, jobs are there. It is not all doom and gloom.

Ruby

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

Thank you all so much for the advice. We are going to make the move, we now just have to make sure my husband can support us both for a few months until I get some form of job, whilst continuing to apply for teaching jobs.

I realise it is not easy but I think I have alot of experience for only 4 years and I am willing to retrain if necessary!

Which areas would people recommends as we are open to suggestions? We travelled around for 3 weeks on our honeymoon and loved most places, well apart from prince George, it was cold, grey and reminded me of a small mining town in the uk, saying that the people were lovely.

Thanks again for your advice!!!

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

How are you going to make the move though? What PR/TWP stream for a visa are you going to apply for?

Unfortunately, unless you are able to qualify for PR through one of the many other streams (as neither of your jobs appear on the 'list') or else can find an employer willing to either obtain an LMO or be willing to nominate you for PNP (dependant on the Province) you will find it difficult.

If you have a particular stream in mind and have questions, please feel free to ask...

:)

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

Hi Karen,

I hope you haven't been discouraged by the comments. If you are looking in the Vancouver area, your masters will help if it is in special education. It will also help you to move up the pay scale. I worked in the UK in a public school for four years. When I moved back to Canada I was given one year up the payscale for every year I taught in the UK. This was with the Surrey School District.

Good luck

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

Are you Canadian, by any chance, Julie, or did you teach in BC before going to the UK?

If so, YOU will get credit for UK experience, but new immigrants may not.

In some School Districts it is their policy that you will get credit for any years of experience in the UK ONLY if you held a BC Teachers Certificate while this experience was being gained.

Immigrants coming from the UK cannot get a BC Teachers certificate until they are PR, so obviously it is not possible for them to have held a BC Teachers' Certificate while they were teaching in the UK prior to emigration.

I have also very recently been told by a very reliable and impartial source that Surrey School District has sufficient graduates who do their Final Practicum there to be able to fill their TOC requirements comfortably, with some graduates left over. So, the chances of a new immigrant getting onto the TOC list there for the forseeable future is very small.

I have posted positive news about teaching on my own thread, so I am not all doom and gloom. For me, it has been well worth the effort, but I really don't want anyone to be under any illusions about the barriers they might face.
Better to know what you are up against than have false hopes raised and be disappointed.

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

She has to get here first!

:)

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

True. And then she has to decide they like it enough to stay, which isn't a given.....
:(

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

A couple of points. Yes I am Canadian but I did not have a BC license when I was in the UK. I had an Ontario license. Yes it can be very difficult to find jobs in Vancouver at the moment as a teacher. However we are short in some areas one of which the original poster has experience in. When I came to BC I was told that there are no jobs in teaching. You can imagine my surprise when I was offered a full time position immediately upon applying as a TOC. The district (Surrey) actually called me and asked me to apply for a position. I was shocked; however I am in a shortage field. This was in 2009. Yes, times were better then, but not by much. Anyways, there is currently a shortage in special education. Also, I do know a few British teachers that have managed to get the credit for their teaching experience in the UK. There are a couple of things one must consider. BC will only accept teacher training that occurred in a university. It will not accept those that obtain their teaching credentials on the job. Also, credit is only given if you taught in a public school, not in a private. When I arrived a Surrey School District, I asked for the form that allows a teacher to transfer their experience. It is very clear exactly what experience is allowed and what is not allowed. Good luck to the original poster.

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

Thank you for your advice!

I will have my masters when I arrive in Canada and that will be mostly in SEN, i also have some university accredited courses that I am hoping will entitle me to work in a special needs school. I will also have a level 2 in british sign language. Hopefully these will count.

I realise it may take some time to get what we want in Canada. Where is the best place to move to? In terms of jobs, if we wanted to live in BC but not Vancouver?

Thanks again all your advice!

Re: Teacher and builder looking to move to BC
 

British sign language won't be much use here
I'm not sure which signing language they use here ( maybe American, ASL) but I know it's not British , sorry!