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I am brand new to Montreal, from the States, and need some questions answered. I've tried to email and phone MELS, but they don't respond...Thanks to all in advance!
-Is it true that teachers get hired, in both the private and public system throughout the year? I'm concerned that I haven't yet been hired (I'm still waiting for the results of my English test, which I expect to pass, so I can call myself fully certified to teach in Quebec)? It's already August 24th, but I was told that hiring doesn't stop before the school year starts, since there's maternity, leave, etc.
-My dream job would be in a francophone school, to perfect my French and work in a francophone environment. I'm fully fluent in French, although my native language is English. Could I still teach English as a Second Language, even though my certification will be in German and Social Studies? Would I be limited to teaching those two subjects, or would they let me teach English as a native speaker? Does that happen in the public system?
-Should I apply for jobs now, or wait until my certificate goes through? Would schools consider someone whose certificate is pending the results of an English test?
-Do francophone schools expect Anglophones to pass certain French tests to teach in their school? Should I take the French version of the English test I already took?
I'm not sure about having proper TESL certification in Quebec because ESL teachers are in high demand. The one thing I do know; however, is that in order to be hired you must pass a written French test to work in the school system. An HR representative will be at your interview as well to examine your spoken French skills.
If you are still around, you should contact the school boards (commission scolaire) directly. The ministry will give you the runaround and will provide you with a bureaucratic answer rather than the actual HR for the schools, who are privy to the true hiring needs of various schools.
In Quebec, you are required to have a BEd with a specialization in TESL in order to teach ESL at public schools. Some suburban/rural/remote/private schools may bend the rules. Just being Anglophone will not be sufficient for anything inside Montreal or directly outside it.
I have a degree in TESL but currently upgrading my teacher certification to work in Quebec. Bureaucracy in Quebec is pretty bad compared to the rest of Canada (and it is much worse than the USA where fast-track teacher certifications exist).
If you are nearly fluent in French and would like the opportunity to really develop your fluency, stay outside of Montreal and look towards the bigger towns (or smaller ones) like Trois-Rivieres, Quebec City, or even up in places like Gaspe or Rimouski. You should not have a problem finding a teaching position there (assuming you are legal to work in Canada!).
As we seem to have fast forwarded 2 years on the topic, whats your status now Aucoin?
Did you resolve the problems? are you now working as a teacher?
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