So, I'm just curious if anyone on these forums has applied for teachers college. While I've gotten comments like "you can do better" and "those who can't do, teach," I've applied anyways to OISE, Western & Queens. I still believe that teaching is an amazing career path to take!

Did you guys already have interviews? How do you feel about the job prospects in Ontario? Is this discouraging you from becoming a teacher? Do you plan on teaching overseas after you finish and get your B.Ed?

What are your comments and advice?

I can speak on behalf of my someone I know that applied to teacher's college, completed it at OISE (U of T) and is now teaching English overseas in Korea.

Its an extremely rewarding career, especially if you love working with teens or children. What age group were you interested in working with?

The job market is really difficult now for newly graduated teachers in Ontario. A couple of years ago (I believe under the "Harris" government), there was a teacher shortage, so they increased enrollment. But now, there's an excess of qualified teachers and very few teaching jobs available. If you want to see, well, there's hundreds of teachers that graduate from all teacher's colleges across Ontario, and only a few teaching jobs that open up each year across the different school boards (check out the TDSB website for job openings and you'll see what I mean).

Teachers have great job security thanks to their union. Although you may need to do supply teaching, international teaching experiences, or periodic teaching (filling in for a teacher's maternity leave) to build up your resume, once you get hired, I do believe it is very hard to "lose" your job.

I've heard having French is an asset as well. From his graduating class, those who got full-time teaching jobs were those who had french as a teachable (and previous teaching experience overseas e.g. in France), or those who were more experienced (coming into teaching as a second career).

Hope you hear back from some schools soon

I didn't apply to Teacher's College - but I have a friend at teacher's college.

In terms of job prospects, it really depends on what you plan on teaching. My brother's wife has been on the waitlist for on the substitute list for elementary school teachers. There is still a need for upper year science and French teachers

If you're looking in the GTA, there are very few positions. However, you are much more likely to get a position north of central Ontario, or even in some of the other provinces.

The teaching cohort in Ontario I believe has spots for 5000 people each year, so there are WAY more people who have teaching degrees than there are positions.

Thanks for your responses. I've also heard about the benefits of having French as a teachable... unfortunately I don't have that =(

Originally Posted by Annie

I can speak on behalf of my someone I know that applied to teacher's college, completed it at OISE (U of T) and is now teaching English overseas in Korea.

Did they do I/S? Did they get your job through a career fair? I know that Queens has something for overseas schools/positions...

I've applied in both J/I and I/S. Though I'm worried that there might be a saturation of middle school science teachers... and biology teachers =/

I have a friend in Korea now and a friend who has been in China for two; neither of them needed a teaching degree to get their job.

At my high school, every science subject (Bio, Chem and Physics) was taught by someone with a Biology degree. So you shouldn't worry too much about a saturation of Bio teachers. The shortage of Chem and Physics teachers helps make up for that.

If you're willing to move to a place like Bowmanville where there is a higher ratio of students to working people than most cities (ie a Bedroom community) you'll have a better chance of finding a job. As well, being a high school teacher will definitely have more openings.

Originally Posted by Ivan Q.

Thanks for your responses. I've also heard about the benefits of having French as a teachable... unfortunately I don't have that =(


Did they do I/S? Did they get your job through a career fair? I know that Queens has something for overseas schools/positions...

I've applied in both J/I and I/S. Though I'm worried that there might be a saturation of middle school science teachers... and biology teachers =/

Is Chemistry one of your teachables? If so, they're lacking those.

Originally Posted by Ivan Q.

Thanks for your responses. I've also heard about the benefits of having French as a teachable... unfortunately I don't have that =(


Did they do I/S? Did they get your job through a career fair? I know that Queens has something for overseas schools/positions...

I've applied in both J/I and I/S. Though I'm worried that there might be a saturation of middle school science teachers... and biology teachers =/

He did J/I (Junior/Intermediate). The information for the overseas opportunity was actually from an "overseas" fair that McMaster held in CIBC hall in the student centre. There were a lot of booths featuring teaching opportunities in France, Japan, Korea and China. I don't know when the fair will be held, or has been held here. He completed the process online (after thoroughly researching the company, and with inspiration from http://www.eatyourkimchi.com - a blog about 2 Canadians who are teaching overseas in Korea).

You also don't need a teaching degree to teach overseas (the last teacher at his school was a security guard), but you get paid less on the paygrade Some places require you to complete TESL, others don't. Its a great experience nonetheless

The company he ended up with (GEPIK) pays for his rent, plane ticket there and back, provide him with basic furniture and appliances on agreement that he teaches 1 full year (a couple of weeks worth of vacation).

Originally Posted by Jay

Is Chemistry one of your teachables? If so, they're lacking those.

I sent a late update to Queen's through COMPASS/TEAS wanting to do chem, instead of geography =/ But all the other schools are with bio/geo... I guess we'll see what happens!!

The problem with teaching is that teachers are becoming dime a dozen in certain fields (primarily english and history, as well as biology as explained below). This is because, sadly, many people enter university programs who either:

a) Have no clue what to do and just say 'enh, teaching sounds easy' (many humanities students)
b) Failed at getting into med school/law school/etc. so turn to teaching as a last resort (many science students)

I think roughly 80% of my university friends who have graduated, went to teacher's college, for one reason or another...Both of these types of students irritate me because they generally make shitty teachers (for one reason or another) and snatch up potential jobs from people whose 'failure' would be not to get into teachers college.


But that being said, if you're neither (a) nor (b) then teaching is an excellent career. If I was willing to put up with highschool kids' sass, I'd totally be in teacher's college right now lol. (Instead I want to teach university and am currently obtaining my masters)

So what I wanted to say is, don't let the masses intimidate you because if you are passionate about teaching (and not just doing it as a last result) then your teaching dossier will stand out and you'll ultimately end up on top anyway. (: Let yourself shine.

Most of my friends who have graduated have gone to Teacher's College, which might be discouraging.

But of all my friends who have graduated, the only ones with decent jobs right now are the people who are teachers. Everyone else is working at like Tim Horton's and stuff because they're having trouble finding full time jobs.

^^Kathy, what percentage of your friends who went to teacher's college have gotten jobs?

Of my friends, 2 engineers I know of got amazing jobs, 2 teachers I know are teaching, and the rest of my friends who aren't continuing their studies (some lifesci students, some humanities students) are currently unemployed/working bad jobs.