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Last Updated: 4/23/2024 8:04:55 PM EST

School Overview

Why teach at Queen Margaret’s School?

Queen Margaret’s School is a trailblazing Early Childhood Education to Grade 12 university prep school that transforms how students learn and develop through a unique educational model combining experiential learning, entrepreneurial thinking, and equine-facilitated leadership development. At Queen Margaret’s School, our tradition of providing an outstanding education to girls and boys stretches back to 1921. We prepare young trailblazers for an unknown future.

Our Mission, Vision and Values

We are guided by our values of:

  • Courage: building resilience and opening our minds to new possibilities.
  • Curiosity: fostering wonder and excitement for learning and a passion to look deeper.
  • Integrity: acting accountably and responsibly while staying true to ourselves.
  • Connection: enhancing our legacy of collaboration, community and selfless service.
  • Justice: taking action for justice and equity.

Our Unique Programs

Queen Margaret’s School (QMS) transforms how students grow through a curriculum focused on experiential learning, innovative and entrepreneurial thinking, and equine facilitated leadership development as part of our instructional practices.

Our unique educational model guides students to academic and personal excellence while developing the confidence to express their ideas and engage actively in their learning.

Through our pillars of rigour and personal excellence, gender equity and fairness, and character and service, we develop new generations of confident leaders of character and compassion empowered to create a more just and connected world.

Our programming highlights include:

  • French language instruction for K-12 students
  • Fine Arts programs (visual art, music and theatre) for K-12 students
  • Japanese language instruction (K-3)
  • Outdoor Education programs (K-12)
  • Advanced Placement (AP)
  • Environmental Education
  • Service Learning
  • Equestrian Program (Equine Canada Rider Levels)
  • Equestrian-related courses: Equine Science, Equestrian Management, Introduction to Horse Training

School Community

At Queen Margaret’s School, we are a compassionate, purpose-driven team, empowered to drive excellence. Located in the heart of the dynamic Cowichan Valley, our beautiful 27-acre campus is home to 375 day and boarding students and Canada’s only onsite Equestrian Centre. We are a safe, values-based community that embraces inclusion, engagement and community celebrations.

We believe that all students should have a wealth of opportunities to support their unique gifts and talents. We guide our students to be resilient, innovative and solution-focused learners who ask thought-provoking questions and challenge assumptions.

Lifestyle and Recreational Opportunities

Living in Duncan, people are spoiled for choice when it comes to how they spend their off time. For decades, Duncan and the greater Cowichan Valley have become renowned for producing amazing artisan foods and drinks from the region’s farms, wineries, cideries and distilleries.

It boasts world-class recreation opportunities, like mountain biking, hiking, fishing, golfing, kayaking, whale watching, eco-tourism, agrotourism, and more. The live music and performing arts scene is also top-notch and is a target for both up-and-coming and established artists. In short, Duncan has a little something for everyone!

Although just a short drive from Victoria or a short ferry ride to Vancouver, Duncan residents enjoy a lower cost of living and a slower pace of life. You really can have the best of both worlds when you work at QMS!

Big city amenities in a small Vancouver Island community

Duncan boasts a large recreational complex and swimming pool, and each community within the Cowichan Valley has a community centre that hosts children’s programming, fitness classes, and adult education (among other things). The Cowichan District Hospital is the main hospital in the area, and the community is served by many family doctors, walk-in clinics, and specialists. A new hospital is being built, with construction anticipated to start in 2021.

Draw for Employees

At QMS, we recognize that we are in the midst of a profound cultural shift that will change our world in ways we cannot imagine. In order to succeed in this ever-changing world, students need to be able to think resourcefully, flexibly, creatively, and globally. Our built and natural spaces inspire creativity, connection, innovation, environmental stewardship, and learning.

There is no better time to be an educator at Queen Margaret’s School. Our refreshed strategic direction encourages an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset as we successfully implement our three signature programs:

  1. Experiential & Inquiry-based Learning: We use our campus and our local and global communities as living laboratories where we focus on learning by doing.
  2. Sustainable Innovation & Entrepreneurial Thinking: We guide entrepreneurial and innovative thinking to collaborate, design and incubate ideas, and then have students prototype solutions that improve their own lives and tackle larger societal challenges.
  3. Equine-Facilitated Leadership Development: We offer students the opportunity to explore their leadership skills using the horse as a model of trust-based leadership, facilitating growth in emotional intelligence.

Salary and Benefits

With a focus on lifelong learning, professional development is a key priority. We consider our faculty and staff partners as we design our future and share accountability for our success. All QMS Faculty receive dedicated school-based professional development annually in addition to mentorship, access to professional learning communities, and external conference and courses.

For educators looking for a balanced lifestyle, Queen Margaret’s School offers a competitive benefits package in an affordable community that is minutes from world-class recreation. Salaries are based on education, certification and years of experience. Our full-time faculty typically receive a competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental and extended health plans; group life insurance benefits; RRSP matching plan; and access to an employee assistance program.

Why you’ll love it here

We are a community within a community — with over 120 co-workers working on our 27-acre campus, we are proud to be a school that embraces inclusion, engagement and community. Our learning spaces inspire creativity, connection, innovation, environmental stewardship, and learning. Our greater community of Duncan, nestled in the Cowichan Valley, is located in Canada’s only maritime Mediterranean climate zone and is home to the warmest year-round temperatures in the country. It is surrounded by mountains and the ocean, and takes great pride in promoting a relaxed, unhurried lifestyle.

Other Perks

  • 50% discount for children’s tuition if children enroll at QMS
  • 30% discount for riding lessons (employee or their children)
  • Meals in the cafeteria (taxable benefit)
  • Moving allowance (conditions apply; information available upon request)

Application Requirements

All candidates must possess or be eligible for teacher certification through the BC Ministry of Education Teacher Regulation Branch. All applications must include proof of teacher certification and degrees obtained. At this time, QMS is unable to accept applications from candidates who are not legally permitted to work in Canada.