BC Guide for Independent Schools

Teacher Certification

Duration and Types of Teacher Certification

The Office of the Inspector of Independent Schools issues interim and permanent teaching certificates and Letters of Permission.


As of April 1, 2008, all new applications for teacher certification will be processed under new guidelines.

Permanent and interim teaching certificates issued or in process before April 1, 2008, will be grandfathered or processed under the old criteria. An application is deemed to be in process when the application and accompanying fee has been received by the Office of the Inspector of Independent Schools.

Duration of Interim Teacher Certificate

All eligible applicants are initially issued an interim teacher certificate for the independent school system.

  • interim teacher certificates are valid for four years
  • if the applicant is working in the province on a work permit, then the term of the teacher certificate is restricted to the term stated on the applicant’s work permit.

Academic Credentials from Outside North America


Applicants for the (PC, SYR, and SR) Interim Teacher Certificates who have post-secondary credentials outside North America need to have the credentials assessed by a Ministry-recognized credentialing agency.

Applicants whose first language is not English need to demonstrate proficiency in the English Language.



Types of Interim Teacher Certification

There are four types of temporary teacher certification issued by the Office of the Inspector of Independent Schools. Certification types are dependent on the applicant’s academic qualifications and related post-secondary training, these four types include:


Professional (PC) Certification

Please note that on April 1, 2008, certification criteria for the new Professional Certificate will be as follows:

  1. A minimum of four years of post secondary education inclusive of an acceptable degree
  2. An acceptable professional teacher education program consisting of
    1. 48 credits pedagogy course work including content relating to teaching students with special needs and an acceptable practicum or equivalent.
    2. Certification or evidence of eligibility for certification
    3. An understanding of the context of teaching in Canadian schools
    4. 6 credits of English and/or French literature and composition or equivalent
    5. A minimum of 24 credits of academic coursework:
      1. Elementary Teacher – broad course selection including credits in Canadian Studies (3), Mathematics (3) and Science (3) or equivalent.
      2. Secondary Teacher – 24 credits in one teachable subject area (subjects for which there is a BC IRP and Religious Studies.

Professional teacher certification enables holders to teach any subject, at the K-12 grade level at any independent school or offshore school offering the BC program.

Until April 1, 2008 these are the requirements for a Professional (PC) teacher certificate:

  • completion of a four-year undergraduate degree at a recognized university or college (120 or more semester hour credits)
  • the four year degree must include the equivalent of one year (30 semester hour credits) of recognized teacher training.

Please refer to the following documents for the Professional (PC) teacher certificate application:


System-Restricted (SYR) Certification

System-Restricted(SYR) teacher certification enables holders to teach any subject but is restricted to teaching within the particular system of schools such as Montessori and Waldorf. Eligibility criteria include:

  • 120 or more semester hour credits of post-secondary education
  • The above noted 120 semester hour credits of post-secondary education must include a credential from an educational institution that provides teacher training solely within a system's philosophical, educational, or pedagogical perspective.

Please refer to the following documents for the System-Restricted Teacher Certificate Application:


Subject-Restricted (SR) Certification

Subject-Restricted (SR) teacher certification enables holders to teach subject(s) directly related to his/her post-secondary subject concentrations. Eligibility criteria include:

  • a four-year (120 semester hour credits) undergraduate degree from a recognized university or college, which does not include one year of teacher's training; and,
  • 18 or more semester hour credits in third and fourth year university-level courses or graduate degree courses in a K-12 teachable subject, or 30 or more university semester hour credits in a K-12 teachable subject area.

Please refer to the following documents for the Subject-Restricted (SR) teacher certificate application:


School- and Subject Restricted (SSR) Certification

School- and Subject-Restricted (SSR) teacher certification restricts holders to teach only at the sponsoring authority seeking to employ the applicant; and, one or more subjects related to the holder’s specialized post-secondary training.

SSR certificates are not issued for the teaching of English/Language Arts, Social Studies (including History, Geography, etc.), Mathematics, and Sciences. SSR certificates may also be grade-restricted, depending on the applicant’s credentials, training, and experience.

Note:
Indicate on the application form the type of school- and subject-restricted certificate for which you are applying:
  • An SSR-1 designation requires post-secondary training in a teachable subject area, and is typically limited to grades K-9;
  • An SSR-2 designation requires post-secondary training and credential completion (certificate, diploma, etc.), and is typically needed for instruction of electives at the Graduation Program level or for special needs instruction.

Applicants interested in an SSR certificate restricted to Physical Education need to include evidence of a 16 hour First Aid training course.

Please refer to the following documents for the School- and Subject Restricted (SSR) Teacher Certificate Application:

Extensions to Interim Teacher Certificates

If the requirements for a permanent certification are not met within the four-year duration of the applicant’s interim certificate, a request may be sent to the Inspector in writing (with reasons) and the term of the interim certificate may be extended for an additional four years. The Inspector may grant an extension to a maximum of eight years. Once the maximum temporary term has expired, the individual must re-apply and meet all current teacher certification requirements.

Permanent Teacher Certificate

A permanent teacher certificate may be granted when the holder of an interim certificate has applied for a permanent certificate and has met the following conditions:

  • The teacher has held the temporary teacher certificate for at least two years;
  • The teacher has completed the equivalent of at least two years of successful teaching in British Columbia independent schools;
  • Principal's Recommendation for permanent certification has been received from:
    • the principal (holding permanent BC teacher certification); or
    • from an evaluator acceptable to the Independent Schools Teacher Certification Committee (ISTCC); or
    • the Inspector which establishes satisfactory performance of the teacher in the main areas of teacher evaluation.

Note:

In order for School- and Subject Restricted (SSR) certification to become permanent, the temporary certificate holder is also required to provide:

  • evidence of completion of a total of 20 hours of professional development course work, and
  • The course work must be approved and validated in writing by the school principal and must be completed within the four-year interim certificate timeframe.

When these conditions have been met, the Inspector will generally issue a permanent certificate. Any restriction with respect to subject, system, or authority/school placed on the temporary teacher certificate will remain in effect on the permanent certificate.

Application for Permanent Teacher Certification may be made using the following form:

Letter of Permission (LoP)

In the event that an independent school authority is unable to attract a British Columbia certified teacher, the Inspector may issue the school authority permission to employ a person as a teacher for one school year, using a Letter of Permission (LoP).

An LoP is not a teaching certificate issued to a teacher, but a permission issued to a specific school authority enabling it to employ a person as a teacher, and is valid only for the duration of the school year for which it is issued.

At the discretion of the Inspector, an LoP may be granted when:

  • The authority who intends to employ the teacher and the individual seeking the position each submit the appropriate application form (see Part 1 and Part 2 below);
  • The authority presents evidence that repeated local and province-wide advertising in a publication, likely to reach potential candidates, has failed to attract a suitable teacher holding a valid British Columbia teacher certificate (issued under either the Teaching Profession Act or Independent School Act). The evidence must specify that there were no applicants who hold British Columbia teacher certification, or provide the names and qualifications of all applicants not employed stating the reasons why each was not deemed appropriate for the position.

Applications for LoPs are not to be forwarded prior to June 15 for the following school year. This ensures ample time for employing British Columbia-certified teacher applicants. The following documents are needed for the Letter of Permission application:

Three-Month Letter of Permission (3LoP)

Teachers who have a teacher certification application in process with the Office of the Inspector of Independent Schools are not yet BC-certified. Authorities intending to employ individuals whose teacher certification applications are in process will require a Three-Month Letter of Permission.

At the discretion of the Inspector, a Letter of Permission for three months may be granted to an authority on behalf of a teacher whose teaching certification is in process upon receipt of each of the following:

  • A Three-Month Letter of Permission (3Lop) application form
  • Copy of a submitted application form requesting teacher certification through the BCCT or the OIIS;
  • Evidence of payment of the teacher certification processing fee;
  • Evidence of payment of OIIS’ Letter of Permission processing fee ($100);
  • Verification of a completed, successful criminal record check;
  • Verification of Canadian citizenship, residency or work permit;
  • Verification of a TOEFL or other approved English as a Second Language test score that meets the requirements for OIIS teacher certification.

NOTE: The criminal record check authorization is already included with BCCT or OIIS Teacher application and does not need to be repeated.

The following documents are needed for the Three-Month Letter of Permission (3LoP):

Exceptions
The only exception to this requirement are teachers who have completed their teacher training in British Columbia within the preceding six months, and are awaiting their BCCT certificate to be issued.