Teacher Certification Programs

TWU offers two ways to get your teaching certificate:

Concurrent five-year BA/B.Ed & BSc/B.Ed 

Two-year post-degree B.Ed program (K-12)


Certification

Our teacher education programs lead to a Professional Teaching Certificate issued by the B.C. Teacher Reguation Branch (BCTRB), the provincial certification authority. This certificate is valid for all grade levels from grades K to 12, and remains valid as long as you maintain membership in the BCTRB. The School of Education sends the BCTRB a list of students who have successfully completed our program, usually in June. At the same time, each student who wishes to teach in British Columbia applies to the BCTRB for certification and membership. You usually receive your certificate within a month after submitting all documentation.

Once you have obtained the B.C. Professional Certificate, you may also apply for and will normally receive a teaching certificate in other Canadian provinces and territories.

If you are not a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, you will receive a Letter of Standing that states that you qualify for the Professional Certificate. A Professional Certificate or the Letter of Standing will normally entitle you, upon application, to a valid interim teaching certificate in most states in the U.S. ** However, early in your program you should determine specific requirements for particular jurisdictions in which you plan to teach so that you can include those in your studies. Students who are not Canadian residents but are offered a teaching position in British Columbia can usually obtain a Canadian residency permit from border authorities. The post-graduation work permit program is designed to provide graduating students with Canadian work experience. Students may work in Canada for up to three years after graduation.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/5580ETOC.asp#postgrad

** Oregon students are advised to take their fifth year in Oregon. We have a cooperative agreement with George Fox University in Newburg, Oregon.


Career Opportunities

Our graduates teach in a wide variety of educational settings locally, nationally, and internationally. Most TWU graduates gain employment as Teachers On Call or as part-time and full-time classroom teachers in public schools and independent schools. Other graduates choose to work in non-traditional educational settings such as churches, museums, or camps.

International students who complete their teacher certification at TWU are eligible to work in the Lower Mainland area for three years after graduation, under the Canadian Graduate Work Permit Program, if offered employment by a Canadian school district or independent school.