Overview
Secondary schools in BC public education are normally organized to begin at grade 8. In most cases, the teachers are hired to teach in particular subject areas and will teach these subjects to a number of grade levels. In very small and rural settings, secondary teachers may teach a number of subjects. In addition to traditional classroom jobs, BC public education offers a wide range of alternative teaching positions. These include interesting and alternate settings for students to get their secondary education. Each of the districts offer unique experiences tailored to their own students’ needs.
Certification and Qualification Details
All teachers in BC Education must be certified to teach with the Ministry of Education’s Teacher Regulation Branch. In some cases when a certified teacher is not able to be hired, a letter of permission may be obtained. These letters of permission allow an individual to teach within the system for up to one year at a time without their certification.
Teacher Salary
BC Teachers are members of the BC Teachers Federation and are represented by the local branch of the union in each district. They are paid an annual salary according to the TQS Level they are at. Below is an average minimum and maximum salary range for each TQS category. Depending on the level of experience a teacher has and the district a teacher is in they may be below or above these ranges. The following salary ranges are based on data from July 1, 2008.
| TQS Level | Average Salary Ranges |
| 4 | Min: $41,757 - Max: $63,292 |
| 5 | Min: $45,395 - Max: $71,786 |
| 5+ | Min: $48,547 - Max: $76,932 |
| 6 | Min: $49,637 - Max: $78,617 |
Remote and Rural Allowance
There are some additional allowances paid to some teachers in certain districts. In many districts allowances are paid to teachers who hold positions of special responsibility such as a department head, head teacher, teacher in charge, or teacher coordinator.
In addition teachers in some districts are paid a remote and rural allowance to aid in the recruiting efforts of districts in remote communities and to recognize the difficulty of working in a remote community. The allowance is of $2,300 per FTE annually. When paid monthly for example, a fulltime continuing employee would receive an additional allowance of $220 per month for 10 months or $183 per month for 12 months. Teachers on call (TOCs) are not eligible to receive this allowance.
To view districts’ individual salary grids, and to find out which offer these allowances, check out the Salary Finder tool.
Training and Educational Programs
Programs in British Columbia:
