Holding a Quebec teaching license (brevet d'enseignement) qualifies you for teaching at what levels?

Question

Hi all,

After searching fruitlessly for hours and getting nowhere, I'm putting this question out. I plan on attending a Quebec university to obtain my BA/BEd (or both, depending on the university). I'm still unsure whether I want to teach elementary or secondary, and want to know if holding your brevet d'enseignement automatically qualifies you to teach at both the elementary and secondary school levels regardless of your BA/BEd background.

I'm stuck on fence, as Bishop's University, which is my first choice offers a two-step, four year program that leads to a BA/BSc with a double major in a teachable & Education (HS) or in Educational Studies (Elem.) and then a BEd. Would I be better off going the secondary route (English) or the Elem. EDU if I am unsure?

Thanks!

Answer 1

When I got mine, it was good for I think daycare, but certainly kindergarten, on up to high school, and the only proviso was that I had to teach in English. But they do change that every couple years...mine (1998) was a permis d'enseigner and I needed to do so many hours in a QC institution within 5 years (which I didn't) to get the permanent brevet.

My impression was that one of the changes they were putting in after I started was to have you keep your options open a bit longer, and making sure you'd actually hung out in both elementary and secondary schools early in the game, before you ever had to actually teach. So you should be okay to switch if you decide to.

If I had to guess, though, I'd say it's easier to move from secondary to elementary than vice versa BUT keep in mind that there aren't really that many English classes out there (in the public system), especially in elementary. My nephew is in grade four in the English system (French immersion) and I think he has 80% French. And that's in Westmount!