In the next few years, WorkBC has predicted that one of the most demanded jobs will be teachers. They are in the top in demand jobs along with healthcare workers.
What Teachers Do
Within BC, there are over a hundred school districts, filled with teachers with a number of different responsibilities. Most teachers have a Bachelor’s degree in a discipline of their choice paired with an official certification.
After receiving their certification, they start with being substitute teachers or interning as student-teachers. What’s also nice about becoming a teacher is that you can come from any educational background, you just have to get certified.
Regardless of what level of education you teach, some of your responsibilities will include:
- Preparing lessons, assignments, and tests
- Grading tests and assignments
- Being a leader and setting an example for the students
- Creating activities that will keep the class engaged
- Being willing to support students
- Working outside of regular hours
Elementary
Depending on which school district or city you’re in, elementary school goes from either Kindergarten to Grade 5 or Kindergarten to Grade 7. Because these students are so young, you’ll be teaching the basics of virtually every subject that the students will learn in the future.
Elementary students must learn basic reading, writing, and mathematics. Their experience in elementary school sets the course for the rest of their student career. Considerably, elementary school teachers have a lot of pressure; if their students do not acquire the skills they’ll need for the rest of their student career, there may be difficulty learning in the future.
Middle
Perhaps teachers with the most patience are instructors kids in this age group. Typically middle school is from Grade 6 to Grade 8, up to Grade 9 in some areas. Middle school isn’t a common occurrence across BC, so job openings will naturally be lower.
However, middle school is indeed the middle ground. As a teacher to this age group, you will mostly be facilitating their passion for learning and growing. Many students at this age are starting to find their identity and you may have to help them discover that.
Secondary
Being a secondary student has the highest standard amongst the other kinds of schools. As a teacher in secondary school, your job is to prepare students for university. That includes giving them the proper amount of information and equipping them with skills they’ll need to succeed in post-secondary.
You don’t need a Master’s degree or anything to be a secondary school teacher, but you will likely need to have a specialisation more than if you wanted to work for an elementary school. For example, if you want to teach math in a high school, you’ll need a math Bachelor’s degree because you’ll be required to understand math on a deeper level.
Post-Secondary
In regards to the occupations that are opening in BC, post-secondary teachers (professors) are not as in high demand. Their training to be a professor is much higher and they are typically PhD holders or are undergoing their PhD.
Career Prospects
As mentioned previously, teachers are a top, in-demand job especially in the next few years. Both categories, secondary and elementary school teachers are in the top five high opportunity jobs in BC.
For elementary school teachers, there’s an expectation of over 11,000 openings across British Columbia. Secondary school teachers have an expectation of nearly 7,500 openings. Even individually, that is far more than the average of 3,000-4,000 openings.
Teacher salary isn’t bad either and it’s likely to keep growing in the coming years. Elementary school teachers have an average salary of about $74,000. On the other hand, secondary school teachers have an average salary of $78,000.
The advantage that teachers have over most other occupations is that they are needed regardless of location. Wherever a civilisation exists, a school does too.
Teaching: A Rewarding Career
If you’re passionate about a kid’s learning journey, then you will find teaching very enjoyable. As a teacher, you’ll see students grow up before your own eyes and make a difference in their lives.
Also, teachers automatically get all the breaks that students also have. Summer months like July and August are guaranteed a summer vacation for you. You also won’t have to compete for your vacation days during the major holidays because both your co-workers and your students will also be off.
More and more people are coming to Canada. International students have their eyes on Canadian schools and more immigrant families are occupying the country. As their numbers grow, there will also be a growing need for people to teach these young minds.
Sources: Teacher Job Description Elementary School Teachers WorkBC Secondary School Teachers WorkBC