Applying for
your first job
in teaching
UBC Okanagan

BC Education Snapshot
 60 public school districts - one French school board
 An aging workforce and retirements will lead to
more opportunities in the next few years
 There were more jobs posted on Makeafuture.ca to
date than the whole of last year
 Isolation allowances in rural districts are attractive
incentives to teach in smaller communities

BC Education Snapshot
 Seniority is portable, and can be carried over from a
continuing position in one district to a continuing
position in another
 Hiring peaks in June & August
 BC school districts use www.makeafuture.ca to
recruit all employee groups including educators,
senior leaders, business professionals, trades people
and other support staff

http://www.bcjobtrendtracker.ca/lmf/forecast
Demand for Educators
25,460 openings in the next 10 years

Where is the demand?

• FI & Core French
• Technology Education
• Sciences
• Special Education
• Counsellors
• Primary/Elementary
• Math
• Aboriginal Languages
• Arts (Drama, Music, etc)
• Montessori
• Counsellors & Psychologists
Teaching areas in high demand
Demand varies from district to district

Preparing an
application

Application Documents
Resume, Cover Letter & References
Practicum
and
Teaching Evaluation
University Teaching
Certificate, TQ Reports
Transcripts Portfolio
S Card

District
Website School
Job Website
Description
Teaching
Philosophy
Job Posting Tailor your
application

Writing Resumes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE-NQAu_qRU&feature=player_embedded

Writing Cover Letters
• Tailor the letter to your audience
• Personalize it with concrete examples
• Explain “why you are the best candidate?”
• Use action verbs (e.g. Collaborated; Coordinated;
Planned; Evaluated; Assessed) to describe your
responsibilities and achievements
• Spell Check and Proof Read!

Gathering Good References
• Ask for a good reference from anyone who’s
observed and evaluated your teaching
• Ask for a reference letter if possible
• Inform your references ahead of time that
they may be contacted

Applying Online on
Makeafuture.ca

Discover the latest
career opportunities

Search and apply for
jobs. Stay up-to-date
with email job alerts

Learn about school
districts, the communities
they serve, and the
benefits they have to offer

Compare salary grids
between districts

Interviewing for a Job

Interviews gather information
used to compare a candidate’s
education, skills and
qualifications with pre-
determined selection criteria.

Sample Selection Criteria
1. Subject Matter Knowledge
2. Planning Skills
3. Instructional Skills
4. Assessment Strategies
5. Classroom Management Skills
6. Professional Responsibility - development as a
Professional Educator

Interview Questions
• Open-ended questions
– Tell me about yourself
– Why do you want to work for our district?
– What books are you reading right now?
• Behavioural-based questions
– Can you describe a unit or lesson that you created
that allowed for the participation of all learners?

Behavioral Based Questions
• Describe a unit you recently completed with
your students and explain the process you
used in its planning.
• Describe strategies you have used to evaluate
your students’ academic progress.
• Describe specific management strategies you
have used in your classroom.

What questions to
expect and how to
answer them

How do you plan your units?
• Tell a story and consider:
– What resources did you consult?
– Did you ask for help?
– Did you look at the composition of your class?
What’s key:
– You were thoughtful in preparing your units while
consulting a variety of resources and considering
your student composition

How do you teach in a classroom?
• Tell a story and consider:
– What strategies have you used for instruction?
– How did you present the material?
– How did you engage learners?
What’s key:
– You demonstrated the use of diverse strategies to
reach all learners in the classroom

How do you assess and evaluate
students?
• Tell a story and consider:
– What are the different methods you used to
evaluate and assess student outcomes?
– What did you do with that information?
What’s key:
– You utilized a variety of assessment strategies
– You utilized the results of the assessments to
facilitate student learning

How do you manage your class?
• Tell a story and consider:
• What was the worse scenario that you
encountered and how did you deal with it?
 What’s key:
• You demonstrated and employed a variety tactics
when dealing with classroom issues
• You are able to create a climate and environment
conducive to learning

How are you developing as a
professional educator?
• Tell a story and consider:
• How have you demonstrated professional
responsibility inside and outside of the classroom?
• Are you a reflective practitioner?
What’s key:
• You demonstrated a collaborative approach to
sharing you knowledge and helping the
educational community as a whole

Interviewing Tips
• Reflect on your best lessons,
accomplishments, what you are proud of in
your work
• Don’t just talk about it, show off your
accomplishments with a portfolio
• Use the STAR technique
• Practice, practice, practice

“It’s about tapping into your
experiences, challenges and
reflections on your student
teaching, and bringing it to life
in an interview.”
-Janet Stewart
Associate Superintendent, VSB

Job Search Resources
• Resumes & Digital • Interviews & Cover Letters
Portfolios – Quintcareers.com
– Linkedin.com • Job Search
– CVmkr.com – Huntsy.com
– VisualCV.com • Pro D
– Pathbrite.com – Teacher Mentorship BC
– Pita.ca

Stay in touch
www.makeafuture.ca
contactus@makeafuture.ca
www.twitter.com/makeafuture
www.facebook.com/makeafuture
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