[讨论]有在加拿大做中小学老师的朋友吗?请谈谈体会.

it'sme

我打算读1年的教育学本科, 将来去中小学当老师. 本人国内是工程背景, 但喜欢当老师, 在加拿大3年,英语还可以. 如果您现在是老师,请谈一下感触, 介绍一下经验, 帮助我们少走弯路. 多谢您的帮助!

it'sme

我来加拿大后读了一个电子的硕士, 发现找到专业工作的机会仍然渺茫,只好接着读博士. 但何时是头呢? 30多了, 还能上一辈子学吗?也不想打LABOUR了此残生. 今后的路该如何走呢?

熊妈妈

最初由[it'sme]发布
我来加拿大后读了一个电子的硕士, 发现找到专业工作的机会仍然渺茫,只好接着读博士. 但何时是头呢? 30多了, 还能上一辈子学吗?也不想打LABOUR了此残生. 今后的路该如何走呢?

My husband is a high school teacher, but he is a Canadian. He told me at the beginning, you have to do a lot work. Such as over time, volunteer coach students, etc... Also you have to take a lot of courses at night school, so you can make yourself to the top pay. It is not a bad job. You are not going to be rich, but you have a lot of holidays. Hard thing is parents here are not so easy to deal with. Different religious have different view for everything. Don't worry, you will be fine. I believe you are pretty smart. When you apply for the teacher's college, U of T is a kind hard to get in, just be careful with interview. A lot people failed for interview. You can go to Niagara Falls, they have a teacher's college which is kind easier to get in. Or go to USA, a lot easier. Teacher is going to be shortage in 10 years. A lot of them are going to be retired. You will have good future. Don't worry , be happy.  I don't believe in studying master for some major which doesn't help you find a job. Last week ,there was an article in Toronto Sun about teachers. It says foreign trained teachers are not easy to get a job, even new gratuate teachers here are easy to find a job. I think as a new comer, they need you pass a certain English test first. Probably you don't have problem, I don't think I can pass. In my husband's school, they have polish teacher and they speak English with a huge accient. And they are teaching English. So don't worry, you will be fine. Good Luck.

graceforever

yes, teacher is indeed a good job here, but on the premise that you get the full certificate which is issued by Ontario teachers' college and you find a permanent position at school, not contracted ones.
for immigrants, the first and foremost thing is being accepted by an education department . unfortunately, every university is so competitive as what you think of a good profession is also acknowleged by others.

it'sme

I am a graudate student and work as TA in the school. The TA's work is not hard. My language is good enough for a TA's work. But i think the work as an elementary school teacher would be different and much harder. So i am worrying about my language. I don't know if there are some new immigrants working as teachers. But i think they would have the same problems at the beginning. I do not know how complicated work it  is as a teacher. Do i need to make friends with the kids and play with them? or just teach the subject  in the class?

熊妈妈

最初由[it'sme]发布
Thanks a lot for your information

I am a graudate student and work as TA in the school. The TA's work is not hard. My language is good enough for a TA's work. But i think the work as an elementary school teacher would be different and much harder. So i am worrying about my language. I don't know if there are some new immigrants working as teachers. But i think they would have the same problems at the beginning. I do not know how complicated work it  is as a teacher. Do i need to make friends with the kids and play with them? or just teach the subject  in the class?

I asked my husband, he was elementry school teacher for 10 years before he moved to high school. He says high school is much easier than elementry school.  
He told me you never be a friend to the kids. You have to be the boss, otherwise they will take adavantages of your kindness. One boy was 9 years old, he was a really bad boy and my husband wants to call his parents. The boy start crying so hard and promise that he will never be bad again. My husband let him go. At the end of the year, he told my husband:"You are the easiest teacher. I just cry a little bit and I can get what I want."
One 5 years old girl who complained a boy always looking at her. You know what my husband told her? He told her :" You don't look at him, then you don't know he is looking at you." For elementry school kids, you have to deal with them in a very simple and funny way.
But sometimes you need to be nice to them, then they will listen to you. In summer time, once a month my  husband would ask them to be nice. He would say :" If all of you were very very nice, I will buy all of you a icecream." Before the day, he already made a deal with icecream store, he can get discount for taking 30 kids over. They would be very nice for whole day.

By the way, may I ask you one thing? Do you need any special certificate to be TA? I am thinking to get a job as TA. I don't think I am really smart enough to be a teacher because my English is not so good. My husband says he will ask his friends to help me out, but he doesn't know as a new immigrate, I may need some special cetificate. I had a BA in business (not Canandian degree.) , and a college diploma in computer programming (Canadian college). What else do I need?
Thanks a lot.

graceforever

As far as i am concerned, the first step for being a TA is to be accepted by a Graduate Pragram in a university, as you have a BA before, so it's not a problem for you.
good luck! :smile:
Thanks for sharing with us the stories of your husband and his students.

it'sme

Thanks for all of your help!  I work as TA( teacher assistant) because i  am a graduate student. My duty is to help the professor to teach the undergraduate students, like marking their assignment, answering their questions and sometimes, may give lectures if the professor is absent. It is not hard work. The requirement for language is not so high. In my university, even some of the professors have strong accent. But woking in the high school would be different.

熊妈妈

最初由[it'sme]发布
yes. it is.

Thanks for all of your help!  I work as TA( teacher assistant) because i  am a graduate student. My duty is to help the professor to teach the undergraduate students, like marking their assignment, answering their questions and sometimes, may give lectures if the professor is absent. It is not hard work. The requirement for language is not so high. In my university, even some of the professors have strong accent. But woking in the high school would be different.

Thank you all of you. It is true that high school is much harder for new immigrate. In my husband's high school, they have polish new immigrate teachers. They have really hard time to get kids quiet and listen. Their students have a website to mark their teachers. On that website, the kids wrote in "Go back to learn English first, then come back to our school."etc. It is really stressful for them. Elementry school maybe easier for language, but a lot work to take care the kids. Such as teacher needs to supervise lunch hour, even teacher has to watch kidns don't exchange their lunches because some of them have allergy, etc.
Anyway good luck. It is nice job and a lot holidays.

graceforever

Recently, one of my friends, a Russian girl who is also a new immigrant here, got her teacher certificate from Ontario teacher college. Now she is qualified to be a senior high school teacher  to teach English here. howerer, she can't help complaining that she hasn't recived any interviews since she started to seek job approximately 2 months ago. she concluded that Ontario really needs new teachers, but for immigrants, no positions of English teachers.  :mad:

熊妈妈

The top pay for TA in high shcool is 35,000 to 40,000. For a new TA probably only has 25,000 to 30,000 a year. But for a new teacher starts at 35,000 to 40,000 a year. We all had our education before, I think it is really waste to only be a TA.

My husband is teaching sub-basic English and special needs students (other words Mentally or Physically challenged kids). It is much easier because you don't have big classes. Only 5,6 kids or 15, 20 kids for sub-basic English class. With special needs students, nothing you can do with them. Keep them happy and safe. Some kids can't live long, maybe another 2,3 years. It is heartbreaking to see them. That is the reason a lot people can't handle it. For a job, it is not bad. No lesson plan, no pressure from parents and students.

I don't know what am I going to do. I am staying home to take care my 11months old baby. It will be another few years that I go to work again. Really don't want to go back school again. TOO lazy...........

Graceforever, why your friend wants to teach English? I know that they have a lot short term positions. Does she have any friend who is a teacher? My husband school needed 10 teachers before, the principle was asking all the teachers to introduce people. Last year I read his school board website with him, they had 500 short term positions. I think it is really unfair that they need teachers, but wouldn't give new immigrate any chance. I heard a lot of high school teachers are saying:" I will never , ever go to elementry school." The new immigrate even wants to go, they don't give them a chance. It is really UNFAIR.  :mad:

it'sme

I am very happy to get so many useful information from you. Not like that education student, i am really a loser when we made my decision for my career in canada. I waste 2 years in the graduate school studying electronics, but still can not find job right now. Most of my classmates in the EE department  can not find job and have to continue as PHD student. That is really waste of resource. This time, i want to discard my 7 years experience and start from zero in new field. I hope i can succeed in the future. I hope you can give more information about this topic.

By the way, bilingual, do you have French background? how can you choose French as teachable subject?

it'sme

我觉得作中小学老师, 去偏远地区或农村的工作机会多一些. 就我的经验, 小城镇的生活素质反而比大城市好, 只要能耐得住冷清. 我已经申请了教育专业的本科, 物理或数学, 明年4月才能得到消息.

bellworld

中学老师的工资比大学老师的差太多了，almost 40~50% less.

it'sme

yes. i agree with you. But the problem is that it is really not easy to find a professor's job. First, you must take 3-6 years to get a PHD degree and have lots of papers published. Then maybe you still have to do several years Post-doc work with high stress and low pay.

And also, there are lots of stress with you when you start working as a professor if you can find this job finally.

I am  not smart enough. So i prefer  to find a more stable job with less pay.