Considering teacher education?

Are you considering Teacher Education and a career in education?

November 30, 2022

We know exploring career options and making plans for your next steps after your degree can be confusing, so we have compiled an overview of the pertinent information to help guide you. This tip sheet will guide you to information about “Teachers College”, how to apply, and where to get support.  

First, it is important to be clear about your intentions – Why do you want to pursue teacher education school? Do you have a sense of your strengths and interests related to this field?

  • Reflecting on yourself and your career/life goals is an important first step.  The Student Success Centre have career counsellors to support you as you explore your options and make decisions.  
  • Exploring the teaching profession can help you get a real sense of the career field and the education path. Talking to people in the field can help you understand how you might bring your strengths to the field and what is required to enter and succeed in the field. To help you learn about the profession, the Go Beyond Google and Career Conversations section of our website has resources to support you with this. 
  • The next steps, broadly speaking, are to gather detailed information about the programs and when ready, apply!    
  • Requirements depend on the level you are looking to teach.  A  3- or 4-year undergraduate program is required, with many schools preferring a 4-year honours program with at least a B/B+ average.  Additional requirements will vary for individual schools, so be sure to check carefully.  

There are three levels you can apply to with specific requirements for each:  

Primary/Junior (Grades K-6) 

  • No specific teachable needed, but some programs require specific courses, often one math, science or English course. Others may give preference to those that have taken a variety of courses that align with curriculum subjects.   

Junior/Intermediate (Grades 4-10) 

  • Requires having 1 teaching subject – typically 3 “full” units, which is equivalent to 18 credits (3 x 6 credits) at McMaster.  

Intermediate/Senior (Grades 7-12) 

  • Requires 2 teaching subjects. The first is usually 5 full units, which is equivalent of 30 credits (5 x 6 credits) at McMaster and the second is usually 3 full units (equivalent of 18 credits). However, some programs require more. 
  • Requirements such as “equivalent of 3 full credits or 6 half credits” is the same as saying three 6-unit courses or six 3-unit courses, respectively.  Don’t get confused by how many 3- or 6-unit courses you need; all you need is to get to the total number of units required in that subject area.  
  • Each teacher’s education program has varying expectations on what they accept as a teachable subject and the number of courses required.  First, consider the age range and subject(s) you are interested in teaching and then refer to each program to determine the academic requirements needed. Be sure to check that your teaching subject is offered at the institution(s) you are interested in applying to. 
  • Experience (paid or unpaid) in teaching, tutoring, leading children (ex. Camp counsellor, coaching) or experience with the age group you are interested in is an important component for many programs.  To understand what each school requires, you can review the Experience profile information on the TEAS site, which also has a link to each school’s own website for more details. 
  • You can contact the program’s admissions office; however, they may be limited on what they can tell you prior to assessing your application. Some schools will provide a list of approved courses for questions that are common (i.e., statistics counting as math for P/J).  If your circumstances are unique, contact the admissions office for guidance. 
  • Be sure to check if there is a specific course(s) that is required for teaching subject (i.e., Canadian history as part of a history for I/S). You can find these on the TEAS site or on program websites. 

Review the OUAC website on how to apply to Bachelor of Education – Teacher Education: 

Take note of deadlines 

  • Most Ontario schools have a deadline of December 1st for submitting your application to OUAC 

Review GPA requirements 

  • Most schools require a minimum “B” average, equivalent to 70% 
  • Schools will calculate your GPA requirement in various ways. Most commonly, it will be based on the last 10 full undergraduate degree-level credits. Some ask for the “best” 10 full credits.  

An undergraduate degree  

  • Depending on the school, a three-year general degree is sufficient, but preference is given to four-year honours undergraduate degrees 

Pay attention to teachable requirements 

  • Make sure that the school you are applying to has a program with the teachable you aim to pursue. The TEAS website is helpful in determining this. 
  • Ensure that you have enough courses completed for the teachable requirements or investigate course equivalent forms if the courses you took are not clearly aligned with the teachable. 
  • You may also need to have some requirements completed at the time of application while other program may allow those courses to be  in progress 

Teaching-related experience 

  • For some schools, teaching-related experiences account for a large portion of the admission decision. 
  • You should generally aim to gain experience at the age level that you want to teach at and ideally in group settings. However, there are a range of experiences that you can consider for your experiential portion of the application.  
  • Consider volunteering or gaining experience through clubs, community groups, organizations or working with professors. Supports to help you can be found through Student Success Centre’s Experiential team.  
  • Get organized by creating a chart or spreadsheet to keep track of the varying academic and experiential requirements. (GPA calculation, prerequisite courses, teachables, experience profile requirements, etc.) 
  • Keep in mind the deadline to apply though OUAC/TEAS application is December 1st each year, therefore your final year grades will not be on your submitted transcript.  Some schools may allow an ‘end of term’ transcript to be added to your application, but this will only include your Fall grades.  For your entire final year to be assessed, you can delay your application until the next cycle (opens each September). 
  • If applying to programs outside TEAS application, like UT, Redeemer, Tyndale please refer to their sites directly. 
  • Check the program websites for information on what to expect for supplemental applications to help you prepare. Think of this step as a written interview. 
  • These vary by program but most often comprise of short answer questions about why you want to be a teacher, your experiences (work, volunteer, life) that have influenced and prepared you for the role and a question about equity and your experience working with diversity. Be insightful and use descriptive language to demonstrate your knowledge about teaching and learning.  
  • Each program has different questions, and this is often the most time-consuming part of the application. Anticipate this and plan your time accordingly.  
  • To qualify as a teacher in Ontario, you would need to transfer your qualifications gained through another province or country through the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT). 
  • There are teacher’s education programs offered in other countries that align with Ontario’s regulations.  You may be required to write an exam to transfer your qualifications.   
  • Consulting groups may be worth considering to help you with the process of going abroad for teacher’s education programs.  These include, but are not limited to: CanTeach, Across the Pond, Degrees Abroad, and OzTrekk.   
    • Some of these programs can help you get certified in the country that you will be studying in, as well as back in Ontario. 
    • Many Teacher Education programs in the United Kingdom are one year long, as opposed to two years in Canada, but you must be cautious in making sure that you will be qualified by the OCT back in Ontario. 
  • As McMaster students, you have access to the following databases: GoinGlobal and My World Abroad.  These are helpful, comprehensive resources that can provide information about cost of living, employment opportunities, and other essential needs for your time abroad 

Depending on what guides you to the teaching profession, there are a range of options. The following are just a few suggestions:

    • ELS Instructor 
    • Child and Youth Counsellor 
    • School Social Worker 
    • College Instructor/Professor 
    • Adult Learning Specialist 
    • Instructional Designer 
    • Science Communication/Knowledge Translation 
    • Residence Life Coordinator, Student Affairs Professional  
  • To further explore your options based on your strengths, values, and interests, the Career Planning Essentials course offered by McMaster University is a great place to start! You can register for the course on the webpage listed above.   
  • Talking to people who have completed Bachelor of Education is a great option to explore various career pathways.  You can use the McMaster Alumni Advisor Network to help with this exploration. To learn more about how to conduct information interviews, please see our resources on at The Student Success Centre.

Absolutely. We are here for you. For assistance with all-things further education, feel free to connect to the Student Success Centre in whichever way is most comfortable for you. We offer workshops, one-on-one appointments, research and application support, interview preparation and many more services. 

As a McMaster student, you have access to academic coaching and writing advising to help you be successful in your studies but also build academic skills for further studies. Please connect to the Student Success Centre’s Writing and Academic Skills Services to seek support.