Becoming a teacher in B.C.
Generally, if you intend to become a teacher in British Columbia’s kindergarten to grade 12 education system, you must have a teaching certificate from the Ministry of Education issued through the Teacher Regulation Branch. In order to be eligible to receive this license, you must complete an undergraduate program and a professional teacher education program. This takes approximately five years of full-time study.
Teacher education options in B.C. are available in two areas: elementary/middle school (grades K-7), and secondary school (grades 8-12).
How are programs organized?
- Pre-teacher education portion
Through the completion of a four-year Bachelor degree, you learn about what you will eventually teach. Elementary school teachers are considered "generalists" and will need a broad curricular background in order to be prepared to teach across subject areas. Meanwhile, secondary school teachers are considered "specialists" and complete a major or minor in one or two teachable areas.
Middle school teachers benefit from having a broad curricular background (similar to elementary school teachers) but can also have a specialization area. - Teacher education portion
UFV hosts a post-degree Bachelor of Education program. As an applied professional education program, you will take both theory and methods courses related to teaching and will put all of your learning into practice through a series of supervised teaching practicums. UFV’s Bachelor of Education is a full-time professional program with two options: the elementary/middle school option or the secondary school option. We have two streams within the secondary school option: either the math/science or the humanities stream (teachable subjects of English and Social Studies).
Note: Not every education program can support all teachable subject areas available in B.C.
Develop an educational plan that meets your needs and interests
The structures of teacher education programs vary depending upon the institution and the option you choose. At UFV, the Bachelor of Education is a post-baccalaureate professional program. In other words, it is a one-year program after applicants have completed a bachelor's degree. If you have questions about what program options are best for you and how to develop a program plan geared towards the teaching profession, you are advised to attend one of the Teacher Education information seminars.
Interested in becoming an educational assistant?
UFV offers a Community Support Worker certificate which can help you tailor your studies to become a special education assistant working under the supervision of classroom teachers to perform duties such as coaching in basic subjects, preparing specialized teaching materials, and meeting student's special physical needs.
