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Questions and Answers

In this section you will find answers to common questions about the process of becoming certified as a teacher in Ontario.

Who will evaluate my qualifications?

Based on your documents, the Ontario College of Teachers will evaluate your language proficiency, and academic and professional teaching credentials. When you receive a response from the College, it will advise you that you either meet the requirements of certification to teach in Ontario or that you do not meet the requirements.

Do I have to send in all of my documents and fees at the same time?

You must submit the application, payment and the documents together in one package. The file will remain in application processing while the College waits for other documents to arrive from other institutions.

If you submit your application without the fee or one of the documents you need to submit (for example, criminal record check), the file will not be processed. The College will contact you to inform you what is still needed and hold the file for two weeks while waiting for the information. If the missing item does not arrive after the College has contacted you, the College will return the package to you.

In my home country they do not issue the same type of documents as in North America. How will I know what documents to ask for and whom to contact?

Please refer to the OCT website for information outlining the type of documents that are acceptable from various countries, and for a link to addresses of institutions in those countries issuing statements of professional standing. If your country is not included in the list, contact the College for details on how to proceed.

What are the College's requirements for language proficiency?

You must be able to teach effectively in one of Ontario's official languages: English or French. For information on how to meet language proficiency requirements, visit the Requirements section for either teachers of General Studies or teachers of Technological Studies. If you do not meet the requirements, or need to have your language skills tested, visit the Language Classes and Testing section for a list of English language classes and testing organizations.

If some of my documents are not in English or French do I need to have them translated?

Yes. The College requires an original translation of any documents that are not in English or French.

Please keep in mind that you will be required to pay for these translation costs.

Please refer to the Translation Policy section of this website for more information.

What can I do if I cannot obtain my academic records or other documents from my home country?

If you have put in an application to the College and have written proof that you have contacted your institutions to send your document(s) but have had no success, do the following:

Keep a copy of your written attempt to obtain the documents and forward it to the College. If the College has not received a response from the institution you have contacted for your document within a reasonable period of time (four to six weeks), you may then write a letter to the Co-ordinator of the College's Membership Services Department and ask that the College write to the institution on your behalf. To do this, you must:

  • have already applied to the College
  • make your request in writing specifying the name of the institution and the document you need
  • attach to your written request a copy of your written attempt to obtain the document

The College will try to contact the institution for you. If the College determines that the post-secondary institution cannot provide the documents, you might be able to submit alternative forms of evidence of your qualifications. The College will contact you to let you know what documents it may accept.

How can I tell if the teacher education program from my country is acceptable to the Ontario College of Teachers?

When you apply for teacher certification with the College, your program of teacher education will be evaluated to determine if you meet the requirements.

As the College is not able to provide a pre-evaluation of your program in advance of receiving an application from you, you are encouraged to submit an application to the College with the required documents. The College will then review your transcripts and other documents to decide if you meet the requirements. If you do not, the College will explain to you how you can upgrade your qualifications to meet the requirements.

Does the College accept teacher education programs completed by distance education or correspondence?

Currently, an initial teacher education program obtained through distance education or correspondence courses does not fulfil the requirements for certification in Ontario. A distance education program does not allow for a comprehensive assessment of a student teacher's abilities to manage a dynamic group of students.

Though I have been a teacher for 10 years in my country of origin, my teacher education program did not include any practice teaching. Are there other documents that the College will consider as proof of teaching experience?

Yes. In lieu of a practicum, the College will consider evidence of at least one year of teaching experience from the jurisdiction where you were trained to teach. Acceptable teaching experience must include the following:

  • be at an institution where either elementary or secondary curriculum is taught
  • have occurred after you were certified/authorized to teach in the respective jurisdiction
  • written proof of your experience must be on official school letterhead, signed by the principal, and mailed directly to the College

When the College receives record of your experience, it will evaluate your program and let you know if it requires additional evidence to satisfy the requirement of practice teaching.

Teaching certificates are not issued in my country. What will you accept instead?

In most cases, if your country or jurisdiction does not license or register teachers, the College will accept a photocopy of your diploma for your teacher training program.

For information about obtaining documents from a specific country, visit the Countries section of on the College's website. If specific information about your home country is not listed and you have already begun the application process with the College, contact Client Services on how to proceed.

How much will the certification process cost?

The College's 2006 application and evaluation fee is $345.00, and is required as part of your application package.

As these costs may change, please refer to the College's website for up-to-date fee information.

In addition to these costs, you may incur additional expenses during the certification process, including costs for the translation of your official documents, costs for a language proficiency test, if required, and costs for language upgrading, if required.

How long is my application valid for?

The Ontario College of Teachers will keep your application open for two years.

How long does the certification process take?

Though each case is different, once all your documents have been received by College, the evaluation and certification process can take as little as four to six weeks. However, please keep in mind that the process of acquiring documents and translations (if required) will be an additional part of the process for you.

How many certified Ontario teachers are internationally trained?

The Ontario College of Teachers has 200,000 members in good standing. It certifies approximately 12,000 teachers each year; approximately 3,000 of these teachers are internationally educated teachers who have completed a teacher education program outside Ontario.

My post-secondary institution sent the official academic records to my home in error. I have not opened the envelope. Since it is still sealed, can I bring the records in or mail them to you?

Unfortunately, no. You will have to contact the post-secondary institution again and ask it to send another set of transcripts directly to the College.

Because of political unrest, I cannot get transcripts from my post-secondary institution. Is there an acceptable substitute?

The College does require an official transcript to be sent directly from the post-secondary institution. However, it recognizes that it is sometimes difficult to have official documentation sent directly from countries where there is political unrest. If you have already sent an application to the College, contact Client Services to discuss this with a staff member.

What can I do if my educational institution back home no longer exists and I can't get my records?

Contact the Ontario College of Teachers to discuss your options.

The university says it can send my records in English, so I won't have to translate them. Is this okay?

If the Ontario College of Teachers receives a transcript in English or French from an institution where English or French is not the official language of that institution, the College will accept the transcript.

My academic records do not include specific course hours. I cannot get this information. What should I do?

If you have a course syllabus that has course-hour information you can submit a photocopy, or you may arrange to have your university send a letter that describes this. If this is not possible, you will have to get direction from the College once your application has been submitted.

Can I teach in Ontario without being certified by the College?

While there are opportunities in Ontario to teach without being certified by the College, to teach in the publicly funded school system, a teacher must be a member in good standing of the Ontario College of Teachers and hold a valid teaching licence (with few exceptions).

While you can teach in a private school without being certified, many of these schools now require you to be a member in good standing of the College.

To learn more about opportunities for teaching in Ontario without being certified, please see the Related Occupations section of this website.

Though I never went through a teacher education program, I have taught for many years and have an excellent reputation as a teacher. Will you consider this experience in your evaluation of my qualifications?

To be certified in Ontario, you must meet the academic, professional, and language requirements under Ontario legislation. Your eligibility to be certified in Ontario is based strictly on your academic background and the documents you provide. Although your teaching experience will be an asset when you seek employment, it is not considered in the evaluation process.

My proficiency in English is very good even though I completed my teacher education in a language other than English. Do I still need to meet the language proficiency requirement?

Everyone who applies to the College must be able to teach effectively in one of Ontario 's official languages, English or French. Please see the section on Language Proficiency section of this website to determine how you can meet this qualification.

What subjects does a Technological Studies teacher teach?

You can teach Technological Studies in the following areas:

  • Communications Technology - these courses examine communications systems and design and production processes in the areas of electronic, live, recorded, and graphic communications.
  • Construction Technology - students learn about the tools, equipment, and processes required to design, construct and maintain a variety of buildings and structures.
  • Hospitality and Tourism - this area includes food preparation as well as tourism studies.
  • Manufacturing Technology - this area focuses on the materials used in manufacturing and includes the use of wood.
  • Health and Personal Services - this area includes courses on health care, hairstyling and aesthetics, child development, and gerontology and medical technologies.
  • Technological Design - the practical application of the principles of design, engineering, and architecture.
  • Transportation Technology - students learn how to service, repair, and modify vehicles and vehicle systems.
  • Computer engineering - an expanding branch of engineering with roots in both electrical engineering and computer science. It includes the design, operation, and maintenance of computer hardware and peripherals (printers, scanners, multimedia devices, and so on)
  • Computer and information science - the study of ways of representing objects and processes. It involves defining problems, analysing and designing solutions, and developing, testing, and maintaining programs.

A detailed description of these courses is available at the Ministry of Education website.

Review complete information on the requirements to become certified as a teacher of Technological Studies.

My credentials have already been evaluated by an organization called World English Service (WES), and are said to meet North American standards. Is this evaluation acceptable to the College?

No. The Ontario College of Teachers does not recognize credential evaluations conducted by other organizations. The College must do its own evaluation from documents sent as part of your application.

Can the College provide me with help in improving my English-language skills?

The OCT's Teach in Ontario offers language upgrading courses specifically designed for internationally trained teachers. For more information visit www.teachinontario.ca. For additional information about language upgrading, please see the Contacts and Resources section of this website.

I would like to take a teacher education program in Ontario to upgrade my qualifications. How do I apply?

If you would like to take a teacher education program in Ontario, you must apply to an Ontario faculty of education. Please visit the Ontario Application Centre.

The following universities offer a teacher education program in general studies.

The following universities offer a teacher education program in technological studies.

Can the College help me find employment?

Employment is not the jurisdiction of the College. However, it does have a program called Teach in Ontario, found online at www.teachinontario.ca, to assist internationally trained teachers in high demand areas such as chemistry, physics, Technological Studies, computer science, mathematics, and French to become certified and to receive support in finding employment in the Ontario school system.

Can I appeal decisions made by the College about my certification to teach?

You may request a review by the Ontario College of Teachers Registrar Appeals Committee within 60 days if you are refused certification.

Can I teach in other provinces if I'm certified in Ontario?

Not automatically. You need to contact the certification bodies in other provinces directly. A list of those bodies is available from the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials.

How can I start the certification process before I come to Ontario?

If you are interested in becoming a certified teacher before you come to Ontario, please check the Ontario College of Teachers website and review the Registration Guide for Teachers Trained Outside Ontario.

Can I volunteer in a school before being certified or while I'm waiting for certification?

Yes. Volunteering is a good way of getting Canadian work experience. While not every school accepts volunteers, if you have family or friends with children in a particular school, the principal there might be open to your participation. If you volunteer, ask the teacher if he or she would provide you with a reference letter.

Generally, volunteering means you will help the teacher in the classroom with the daily routine.

Please note that some schools have strict policies on volunteering. Almost all schools require that you complete a criminal record check to ensure you are suitable to be in the classroom.

During your volunteer time, familiarize yourself with the Canadian educational system and work with children in the age group that you would like to teach. This type of experience can be extremely helpful for new teachers seeking employment as well as helpful if you are trying to get accepted into a bachelor of education training program.

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