# Teaching in Canada / BC - Skilled? How to find a job?



## femmeaccident (Jun 13, 2009)

I'm sorry if this is a duplicate post, but I scanned through the posts prior to submitting this. If it is, could someone direct me on how to search just the Canada posts? (I'm a newbie).

I have always lived in the USA, and I've been a high school teacher for 8 years now. I have always dreamed of being an expat, and I'm more than ready. I've been researching the Skilled Jobs Immigration, and I do see College and University professors on the list. I haven't seen mention of high school teachers, and I don't know where they fit into the equation. 

We are planning on taking a vacation to Canada, as soon as I get our Nexus cards. Would it be possible to look for a job then? It seems you have to submit your certification information, but do you have to have a job offer prior to that? I'm just trying to figure out the logical steps. I'm thinking they are: 1. Submit information to become certified as a teacher in Canada 2. Visit and look for a job 3. Apply for citizenship. Am I even close?

Now for the dumb questions. Is there a problem taking my child with me? What about the father of the child, if we aren't married? Also, my dog and ferrets? I would love to relocate to Vancouver, but I'm not sure about finding a place to rent. 

Do you need a car in Vancouver? (I know it is possible to not have one in Toronto) Also, if you are moving and credit history doesn't follow you, is it difficult to rent a place to live? 

Thank you for your time!


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## chan_konabe (Mar 8, 2009)

> We are planning on taking a vacation to Canada, as soon as I get our Nexus cards. Would it be possible to look for a job then? It seems you have to submit your certification information, but do you have to have a job offer prior to that? I'm just trying to figure out the logical steps. I'm thinking they are: 1. Submit information to become certified as a teacher in Canada 2. Visit and look for a job 3. Apply for citizenship. Am I even close?


1. You'll need to apply for permission to work in Canada. There are many different possible ways to go about this. They seem to be changing all the time and perhaps other posters can help you with the current ones. Or, you can visit the Citizenship and Immigration Canada web site for more details.

2. After having permission to work here, you'll need to apply to your province's teacher regulation body for certification. They'll evaluate your education and experience to see if it is equivalent to that of a teacher trained in the province. They'll let you know which courses, if any, you'll have to complete before certification. For BC, this is BC College of Teachers.

***Important note: Without completing the above two steps, no school district will seriously consider you for a teaching position. It can take sometimes take several years to complete #1 and several months to complete #2, so start early.

3. Apply to a school district for employment. I noticed that you mentioned Vancouver. Be aware that the employment situation for teachers in BC is gloomy, especially in Vancouver. If you Google 'teacher surplus' and 'BC', you'll find some newspaper articles reporting on this. I'm a teacher in BC myself and this is the worst I've seen it. For example, one suburb of Vancouver, Coquitlam, handed out 200 lay-off notices to teachers last month.



> Now for the dumb questions. Is there a problem taking my child with me? What about the father of the child, if we aren't married?


Are you talking about your visit or your immigration to Canada? For your visit, your child can join you without his/her father. However, I strongly recommend that you have a notarized letter from him giving you permission to take your child across the border. My wife has done this when traveling abroad with our child (without me) and it has saved many problems with immigration officials regarding 'child abduction' laws. You can never be too careful when dealing with border officials.

For your immigration to Canada, I guarantee that you'll need to prove you have his permission to bring your child here. If you can't get it, things will get very complicated and a lawyer will have to be consulted.



> Also, my dog and ferrets?


You can find the procedures for bring animals into Canada on the Canada Food Inspection Agency web site - pets aren't food, I know, but the information is found here.



> I would love to relocate to Vancouver, but I'm not sure about finding a place to rent.


You can find places to rent the same way you can in your hometown now - newspapers, web sites, real estate / rental magazines. During your visit here, pick up some of these resources.

Good luck!


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