Working as a Teacher – Elementary and Secondary

Aside from a slight drop in demand in 2020, the BC Government estimates that an increasing number of teachers will be needed each year for the next 10 years, increasing to almost 1,900 new teachers in 2028.

Of these positions, 60% will be in Kindergarten and elementary classrooms, while 40% will be in secondary schools. Most of the positions will be for replacing teachers who retire. [Source: BC Teachers’ Federation]

Working “on-call” and part-time has become a common starting point for new teaching graduates.  The demand for teachers is greatest in northern BC.

Elementary Teachers:

In recent years, BC has experienced a number of elementary school closures due to declining student enrolments. There is growing demand for French immersion and Francophone program teachers; most of these teachers secure contracts within their first year of employment.

Secondary Teachers:

There is a shortage of trained teachers in some areas of the province (i.e., rural areas), but a surplus of trained teachers in others. Secondary teachers specializing in advanced math, physics, chemistry, French, and French immersion tend to be in higher demand in all areas of BC. There is expected to be an increasing need for teachers in such fields as business education, technology education, home economics, special needs, and ESL.

Secondary school teachers

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Chart from WorkBC

Elementary school teachers

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Chart from WorkBC

WorkBC provides job openings in BC’s regions from 2019-2029

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You can learn more about working as a teacher in BC from:

Elementary school and kindergarten teachers work in:

• public and private schools

Secondary school teachers work in:

• Public and private high schools
• Community/agricultural colleges
• Technical institutes and other vocational schools
• Language schools
• Private training establishment/companies
• Community agencies and government

The median annual salary for elementary school teachers in BC is $75,207. The median annual salary for secondary school teachers in BC is $80,202.

In BC teachers’ salaries are determined by your academic qualifications and years of experience. The Teacher Qualification Service (TQS) evaluates teacher qualifications and assigns a category. The category assigned is based solely on academic qualifications. Years of experience also determine salary; acceptable experience is determined by the individual school district, not the TQS.

• Current salary grids for individual school districts are available at:
  BC Teachers’ Federation: Salary Grids

Across BC, elementary school and kindergarten teachers can expect to make:

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Source: Job Bank Canada, Wage Reports

Across BC, secondary school teachers can expect to make:

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Source: Job Bank Canada, Wage Reports

Teachers usually work between 8 and 10 hours a day on weekdays, teaching classes, preparing lessons, marking assignments, and attending meetings. They often put in additional hours over the weekend. This can add up to 50 or more hours a week. Most teachers work a 10-month school year. They have two months of time off in July and August, as well as a holiday over the Christmas period and at spring break in March.