If your spouse has an undergraduate degree then try South Korea. There are loads of EFL work there.

I concur with IAMBOG and some of the other posters. There are no programs in BC (and most likely the rest of Canada) that offer initial online certification. There are some indigenous teacher education programs where classes are held in a satellite location of whatever university is offering it but it is still FTF. That being said I was able to take one online course during my B.Ed but the topic was online and distributed learning.:)

Try applying to a BC offshore school. They look for teachers that either hold a BC certificate or are eligible for a BC certificate. I would think that your Ontario certification would make you eligible for a BC certificate. There may be some hoops to jump through to get it though. :) Worth looking into.

I'll try to explain what has happened. In BC, the BC College of Teachers is supposed to be an independent regulatory body. Last year, a man named Don Avison reviewed the BCCT and submitted a document called the Avison Report. What he found was this:

"The BC College of Teachers is not currently regarded as an independent and credible entity. A striking number of those interviewed, including many Council members, consistently described the College, particularly at the Council level, as ‘dysfunctional’. That assessment is accurate,â€

Here is the link to their website:

http://www.bcct.ca/

It looks like all non-practicing members have until Jan. 6th to change to practicing status. It probably would be a good idea to maintain your certification because I think with this new change it may be difficult to get your certification back if you don't keep paying your yearly fees. Here is a quote from the site:

[quote]You will need to “top-upâ€

[quote="PsyGuy"]Thank you for the clarification. I didn't mean to over simplify the process, and I do apologize. I am familiar with the process, your right you can't just walk into a classroom with a B.Ed. My intention was to indicate that after your B.Ed, outside of applying and receiving approval, there isn't further certification training to undergo that results in an additional formal certificate or license (such as a PGCE).[/quote]

No apologies necessary. I think you have a raised a good point. In my province, teachers are supposed to be assessed by their principal every couple of years but whether this happens depends on the school district. In-service professional development is supposed to be a way to provide current training to our teachers but the quality of professional development varies from seminar to seminar.

I like the idea of a NQT or probationary year for new teachers but I can't see that happening here any time soon. There aren't enough jobs for the teachers already out there.

Psyguy- In Canada, a B.Ed alone does not qualify you to teach in the k-12 classroom. You have to apply to your provincial certification association. The university sends a recommendation letter and your practicum reports. It is up to the applicant to send in an application form and transcripts. The university offers courses based on what the certification association requires for certification. In some provinces, your first certification is only good for a couple of years. Luckily, in my province as long as I pay my yearly dues, then my certification should be good for my entire career. Plus, my certification is good for all subjects from k-12.

While it would be ideal for the OP to try teaching first abroad, I would caution against this. If you leave the UK, you may lose your home residency status and end up paying foreign student fees for your pgce. Plus, you may not be eligible for student loans.

Instead, I would recommend volunteering in a UK school to see if you like it.

Also, do your NQT year at home to save problems later if you want to return to teach in the UK.

I would take the job in China. I was told that your experience at A BC off-shore school counts towards your payscale in BC with TQS. It won't count toward seniority in a school district but at least you will have some teaching experience under your belt when you do apply to a school district upon your return.

I remember you saying that you are doing your B.Ed in elementary. I think having experience teaching in a grade outside of what you trained for is a bonus. The more that you can offer to a school district the better.

Just my 2 cents worth...

I was offered a position with the same organization this week! My contract was for two years though. Apparently, if you live outside of Canada for less than two years you will not be considered a non-resident for tax purposes. What this means is that you will be on the hook for tax both in Canada and China. The salary is not tax-free and I believe the tax rate for 44,000 Can is 20% in China. I read on this forum that one poster said he paid about $400 in tax per month. Plus, you have to pay for accommodation.

I think if you are single or part of a teaching couple then it is a pretty good offer for a newbie teacher. I have classmates that did their first practicum at one of their schools and enjoyed their experience there. In fact, two classmates are already there teaching and another is going in August.

I declined the offer but if I was single I probably would have accepted it. I have a family so it wasn't exactly the right school for me. Maybe, I am being too picky.
Anyway, email me and I will send you links of two of my classmates' blogs. I think you will find the blogs useful.

[quote="markholmes"]I'm pretty sure you can't get a K-12 teaching certificate in Canada with only a Masters. You need a B.Ed. or PDP. You might be able to do that in the US, but not in Canada. A Masters (in the case of teachers) is taken after five years of bachelor level course.

You also can't get a teaching qualification in the UK with a M.Ed. (as far as I know). Of course, if it had the PGCE component in it, then you could, but the vital, obligatory component is the attainment of a PGCE, not a Masters.

A PGCE or B.Ed. is required in order to teach. This is the program that gives you the basic know-how of how to teach. Masters degrees are specialisations, such as Special Ed, Info Tech, Counselling, leadership/admin programs. None of these are stand alone programs that would allow you to gain a teaching certificate. They are extensions to your bachelor level teaching qualifications.
This may not be the case in the US, but as far as I know, that isn't the case in the UK or Canada. I would be happy to be corrected.[/quote]

I'm pretty sure you are right about this. I know that University of Calgary has a Master of Teaching program but it's not a true masters. In fact, on
their website they called it a "B.Ed (Master of Teaching)".
I know someone who has a M.Ed in music but has to go back and get her B.Ed to teach in the k-12 system here in BC.

Since you are doing your B.Ed in Canada, you should be able to apply for certification in your province. Your certification is what's important and make sure you keep your certification up to date.

Definitely, China seems like the best option for newly certified teachers to get their foot in to the international school scene. There seems to be a lot of Canadian International Schools opening up there lately.

I've been in contact with Maple Leaf Schools in China and am interested in getting some more information about this organization. I would love to hear from teachers that have taught or are teaching at one of their schools. The salary sounds good but I am wondering what the accommodation is like at either of these location. Any feedback would much appreciated especially from those who have brought their families with them.

To teach at an off-shore BC curriculum school you need to either have BCCT certification (www.BCCT.ca) or BC Ministry of Education (Independent School certification: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/independentsc ... es.htm#clm )

I've heard that once you have your certification from one province you should be able to get certification in another province. If you are from Alberta than you can easily get BCCT certification as there is a reciprocal agreement between the two provinces.

There are also Ontario and Manitoban international Schools out there. I was offered a position at a Manitoban school even though my certification is from BC.

So, I wouldn't worry. You'll be able to get a teaching job somewhere as long as you are not picky about what country you want to go to.

Op- I've seen some threads about the overseas PGCE on the ajarn.com forum. It's worth reading.

Markholmes- No, not yet. I've had a couple of interviews already and have a couple more interviews lined up this month. So far, it looks like it may be a Canuck int' school for me.