SUPPORTING TEACHING EXCELLENCE
I Want to Be a Teacher
There are a number of different types of teaching certificates. Generally, to obtain an Ontario teaching certificate, you need an undergraduate degree plus one year of teacher training. Teacher training is available at universities offering a pre-service teacher education program accredited by the Ontario College of Teachers, an independent, professional body that certifies, governs and regulates the teaching profession in Ontario.
For information about Ontario faculties of education and about obtaining an Ontario teaching certificate, visit our Teaching Profession link. Here you will also find a link to the Teacher Education Application Service (TEAS), which is the centralized application service for applicants to the faculties of education in Ontario, and a link to the Ontario College of Teachers.
If you want to obtain an Ontario teaching certificate, contact the Ontario College of Teachers' Membership Services Department to learn more about the certification requirements. Also available on the College's website are useful resources for current teachers and for individuals who are Thinking About Becoming a Teacher. The College's website also features job postings in Ontario school boards.
If you wish to become certified to teach in Ontario and you have completed a teacher education program outside of Ontario you may find the Teach in Ontario link helpful. This project was established to assist internationally trained teachers (those who are trained and certified as a teacher outside of Canada) to obtain a certificate to teach within the public school system in Ontario. The government of Ontario is providing this project to assist internationally trained teachers to gain the skills they need to teach in Ontario's publicly funded school system. For further information, you may also want to visit the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration's Access to Professions and Trades site.
Applicants who complete their teacher training in English or who successfully complete an English-language proficiency test may be eligible to be certified to teach in the English-language school system. Applicants who complete their teacher training in French or who successfully complete a French-language proficiency test may be eligible to be certified to teach in the French-language school system. The Teaching Profession link provides direction on how to get more information about the Language Proficiency Test and how internationally trained teachers can access the profession in Ontario.
