 Overview
“Mountains, beaches, deserts, lakes, rivers, oceans,
parks, forests, prairies, farmland - there's a whole
lot of outdoors to be had in Canada. Whether you want to
strike out into the backcountry on a wilderness adventure,
perfect your game at a championship golf course or pick
your own apples in a sunny orchard, we've got you covered.
Even in the city, beautiful parks abound and pristine nature
is never more than a short drive away. If it's outdoors,
it's in Canada - and you'll find plenty of it.”
(exerpt from www.explore.canada.travel)
The TEFL market in Canada is well-established and caters
to both immigrant and international clients. There are hundreds
of private language schools in the Toronto area and employers
are happy to take on both experienced and newly-qualified
teachers. The majority of students in the private language
schools are international students. Immigrants to Canada
are eligible for free enrolment in a government-sponsored
program called Language Instruction to Newcomers to Canada
(LINC).
Salary and hours
On average, teachers can expect to be contracted for 20
- 30 hours per week. Split shifts are not very common,
although some teachers might work 9 - 3:30 at one
school and then do a couple of hours at another school a
few evenings per week. It is not usual for schools to offer
classes on Saturday or Sunday.
Wages tend to be around 15 - 25 dollars per hour.
Type of teaching
Teachers can expect to teach mainly adults and
older teenagers. The majority of classes will be multi-lingual,
although some schools specialize in one language group.
Younger learners are often enrolled directly into our public
school system, and only teachers with a Bachelor of Education
are eligible to work in our public system. Business English,
exam preparation (e.g. TOEFL, Cambridge suite, IELT) and
general English are the most common areas of teaching. Most
teaching stays on site, although some business English providers
do expect you to go the clients’ places of employment.
As the majority of schools are in the GTA (Greater Toronto
Area), teachers tend to use public transportation. A driver’s
licence is definitely not a must.
Accommodation
Like many large English-speaking cities, accommodation
in not organized on your behalf. Teachers are not given
accommodation allowances, nor do schools usually have their
own flats our houses they rent out to their teachers. Accommodation
can be expensive, and you should be aware that the majority
of landlords demand first and last rent, along with damage
deposits. Rental agreements make it clear from the outset
if the amenities costs are included in the rent or not.
Start of school year/ best time to look for work
Contracts with private language schools can begin any month
of the year, however, peak hiring season begins in April
/ May and runs to July. There is often another mini-peak
around September, when teachers go abroad again, but student
numbers are still high. All schools recognized by the Canadian
language Council (CLC) will require their teachers to have
an undergraduate degree and a TESL Canada recognized teaching
qualification. The CELTA is a TESL Canada recognized qualification
and is highly regarded in Canada.
Red Tape
Canada has very strict employment laws and teachers
will be unable to gain employment in Canada if they are
not a landed immigrant or a Canadian citizen, or do not
have a working visa. Anyone seeking advice or information
about working visas or employment opportunities in Canada
should go to our government website, Citizenship and Immigration
Canada (www.cic.gc.ca).
FCO
Lonely
Planet Guide - Canada
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