Introduction

Becoming an Educator: Choosing the Right Degree Program For You

Five Steps Towards a Career in Teaching

How to Get Certified as a Substitute Teacher

It's a Good Time to Study For an Online Teaching Degree

Six Steps to Become an Elementary Teacher

6 Common Teacher Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Start Your International Teaching Career in the United Kingdom

10 Teacher Interview Questions YOU Should Ask During Your Next Teacher Interview

The #1 Secret to Getting a Teacher Interview

There's Never Been a Better Time to Pursue a Career in Teaching

Tips on Becoming a Teacher

Welcome
Welcome to this site, and welcome also to the rewarding and demanding career of teaching. The fact that you are reading this article indicates that you are quite a long way down the road to becoming a teacher. You have decided that you want to do it; now, how do you go about it?

This website is maintained by retired Canadian teachers with more than thirty years teaching experience. Obviously, the process of becoming a teacher is different here in Ontario, Canada than it is in the Philippines or the U.K. An individual interested in teaching needs to research thoroughly the qualifications needed by the jurisdiction in which he or she resides. Are those qualifications different for an elementary teacher than a high school teacher? What about private schools? Perhaps fewer qualifications are needed. What about teaching in a foreign country?

Here in Ontario, school boards are looking for much more in a candidate than, say, thirty years ago. There are so many people looking to get into the profession that the boards can be very demanding in what they require. Therefore, a teacher candidate would be well advised to have lots of experience working with young people, before the application is even made.

This experience might be: working in a daycare, coaching a minor soccer or baseball team, volunteering in a local school (and getting a principal's letter of recommendation), being a lifeguard or working in a library. In short, any job or volunteer experience that involves working with young people would be highly beneficial to a candidate's chances. Many young people here in Ontario go overseas to get this experience, teaching English as a second language.

Another way to get experience is to do substitute work, either as a teacher or a teacher's assistant. Here in Ontario, this kind of work is readily available, as long as the candidate has a criminal background check done. There is a shortage of qualified replacements, and, once you get known to the secretaries of the schools, you can get regular calls to help out. This is an invaluable way to get to know children, teachers and principals, and to gain the experience you need for your resume. And you get paid for it!

Please read the articles on this site for further information, use all the resources of the internet that are available, and good luck with your career!