NQT

I'm an elementary school teacher in Victoria, British Columbia, so I'll be able to answer your questions about this area. If you'd like to teach in Canada, there are two hurdles you'll have to overcome: 1. Getting a proper work visa and 2. Getting your NZ teaching credentials recognized by the province you'll teach in. Both can be long and difficult.

1. Work Visas - Unfortunately, my knowledge of the Canadian work visa application process is limited, but I'm sure other readers will know more.

2. Teaching Certificate - Education in Canada is a provincial responsibility so different provinces have different requirements for teacher certification. To see if you are eligible for a teaching certificate in Canada, you'll have to contact the governing body for teachers in the province you wish to teach in. For BC, it's the BC College of Teachers. They'll ask you to send in copies of your NZ teaching certificate and all university transcripts. After reviewing your documents, the College of Teachers will do one of three things: 1. Give you an interim BC teaching certificate, 2. Require that you take a few more univerisity courses, or 3. Deny you altogether. For most people applying, the second situation is the most likely one.

It would also help if you tell me your teaching area. There is a high demand now for certain teaching areas (French Immersion, special education, senior math/science) and an oversaturation in other areas (elementary school generalists).

As for the UK, I don't know the specifics of working there. However, there are constant UK teacher recruitment campaigns in my area and many of the newly-graduated BC teachers, unable to find a job here, end up teaching there.

Best of luck!

You should stay in NZ. Your country needs you!!

FYI, without knowing too much. A friend of mine graduated from Primary Teaching in Melbourne, had trouble finding a job. So, she went on a working hokiday visa to the UK and did emergency teaching (which there was heaps of work) which fitted in well for her schedule. Came home 10 months later and walked straight into 3 job offers.

Oh der, you said that you've already used your WHV. Sorry, my mistake.

I agree with chan_konabe. Education is provincial therefore you'll have to consider which province you're interested in working in, and look up the requirements as appropriate. However, in Ontario anyway, the private school system is more flexible in that you are not necessarily required to become certified in the province in order to teach. You'd have to check with the school(s) you're interested in applying to first. It is somewhat doubtful you'd be able to find a job without any experience, but you may have some luck in more rural areas where it's difficult to recruit teachers.

Whatever the case, the first hurdle for you will be to find a job. If you've obtained a job offer, the employer then has to be willing to do some legwork for you. To hire a foreign worker, the employer will have to submit an application to their local Foreign Worker Program office (managed by the Department of Human Resources and Social Development Canada) and, among other things, demonstrate that they made reasonable efforts to recruit a Canadian, and provide a rationale as to why they should hire you and not a Canadian citizen/permanent resident. This is something which is handled entirely by the employer, but as with education, the requirements vary from province to province. If the office decides that the request makes sense and is unlikely to have a negative effect on the local labour market, they may decide to issue an approval to the employer. Only once they've got that approval should you proceed to apply for a work permit through your nearest Canadian embassy/consulate. You should note that there have recently been months-long delays on the HRSDC end in B.C. and Alberta, though as of late they've been trying to implement measures to speed up the process. As for the work permit, it is issued through Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

This constitutes only a general outline of what would normally happen if you were to begin working in Canada. If you want more information, I'd suggest you look at the following:

HRSDC
CIC

Hi,

I'm a Canadian teacher who has taught in Canada and is currently teaching in England.

It is, generally, very difficult to find full-time teaching work in Canada, even as a Canadian teacher, so I wouldn't look there.

It is relatively easy finding teaching or supply work in the UK, though you may be in some shockingly difficult situations. However, the travel opportunities are to die for so I have found it's worth the stressful days, for a while anyhow.

Good luck!

From what I have gathered on various forums it is significantly harder to get teaching work (and the necessary visa) in Canada than in the UK.

There are oodles of teaching agencies recruiting NZ teachers for the UK. Yes, it is much harder without the WHV but not impossible. Have you taught in the UK previously, as this is the only area that will cause a real problem (QTS - Qualified Teacher Status, must be obtained within 4 years of the very first day you taught in the UK).

Speak to some UK teaching agencies about jobs and work permits. Teaching is on the list of shortage occupations for work permits in the UK so the process is easier.

Agencies:
Timeplan
Select
Hays
ITN
Global
Capita
Bluewave
Smart Teachers
Protocol
Teach London
TeachUK

There are loads more a simple google will reveal. Youcan register with as many as you like (for free) in order to put yourself out there for more jobs. Organise yourself a contract/work permit to get over there, get some experience and then apply for jobs on your own (or thru the agency). There's also Scotland if you're looking for something different.

Many of these agencies also deal with placing teachers in countries around the world as well (Middle East, Asia, sometimes in Europe, I've also seen ads for teachers in Canada and the US too), if you're just looking for something different. I don't think I've ever met a teacher who regretted taking the chance to teach o/seas and have met many who came back home to Aust/NZ after teaching abroad and went back for a 2nd, 3rd or permanent experience. Good luck

Havt you thought of the international school circuit? There are several major job conventions throughout the world and all of them happening in January/February. I got a job teaching at a Canadian school in Cairo. The schools themselves will deal with your work VISA and offer great compensation packages including transportation. Do an online seach for international schools and job fairs. Better yet, contact your own University and see what they reccomend.

Good luck!