by Anne C. Schaefer
Copyright © BCTF, reprinted with permission
from Teacher Newsmagazine, Volume 13,
Number 6, April 2001
Teacher supply and demand
can change unexpectedly. Remember "the Asian flu" a few years ago?
That financial crisis caused people to leave the province–and the schools. Here
are some factors in B.C.’s teacher supply and demand.
New hires
Almost 2,100 new educators got part-time or full-time teaching jobs in 2000.
Some were replacing retirees and other teachers who left the system, and some
were hired because of enrolment growth and the collective agreement. We don’t
know how many were teachers on call (TOCs) in the
past, or how many came from outside the province.
Gender
Nearly three-quarters of new hires in 2000 were female.
Retirees
Just over 550 teachers retired from schools in 2000, compared with 1,340 in
1999 and 1,024 in 1998. The lower number this year probably results from
veteran teachers’ deciding to take part in provincially negotiated
early-retirement plans in 1998 and 1999.
Collective agreement
As a result of the staffing formulas and primary class size initiative in the
1998 collective agreement, 1,284 full-time equivalent teaching positions have
been created–an increase in demand that would not have occurred otherwise.
Enrolment
Provincially, enrolment has been declining slightly for the past three years.
The trend is expected to continue into the future, with a number of districts
experiencing little change or losing enrolment. Some districts, such as
Abbotsford and
Impending retirements
The average retirement age for teachers in B.C. is 59. The earliest age at
which teachers can retire with a pension is 55. Large numbers of educators will
retire within the next five to ten years.
In 2000, more than 13,000–over one-third–of all educators are 50 or
older, meaning they are likely to retire within the next four to eight years.
That breaks down into more than half of all administrative officers (AOs) and one-third of all teachers.
The retirement of the more than 4,000 educators who are at least 55 this
year is likely within one to three years. This accounts for nearly 11% of all
educators. Among AOs, 15% are 55 or older.
TOCs
Teachers on call (TOCs) are an integral part of the
public education system. They are needed to replace regular teachers who are
ill, accessing professional development, or away for brief periods for other
reasons. Each district manages the size of its TOC pool, often limiting it to
those they would ultimately like to hire on continuing contracts. The optimal
number of TOCs needed by the system has not been
calculated. BCTF’s member records indicate that there were just over 7,300 TOCs throughout the province as of February 2000. Some of
them also had a part-time teaching contract.
TOCs’ daily rates of pay
vary by district. For example, in the Lower Mainland, where many TOCs are on multiple TOC lists and can pick and choose
assignments, Surrey TOCs in Category 5 earn about
$144 per day. In
Starting salaries
The median starting salary for a teacher with five years of university
preparation who obtains a full-time contract is $38,400. Among teachers,
starting salaries vary even between Lower Mainland districts: a beginning
Category 5 teacher can summon anywhere from $35,675 in
In contrast, some occupations requiring about two years of college-level
training command higher starting salaries. For example, firefighters and public
health inspectors average almost $41,000 to start, construction millwrights get
about $45,000, and dental hygienists earn nearly $50,000 after completing their
training.
Supply of new teachers
New teachers are educated at B.C.’s major universities and one
university-college. About 1,500 to 1,700 new B.C.-educated teachers receive a
teaching certificate each year. Not all of them will decide to enter teaching;
others will leave teaching after a short while.
New teachers also move to B.C. from outside the province. In recent
years, the
Between 1990 and 1999, the college granted just under
25,000 teaching certificates, and there were just over 19,500 "new
hires." That means that 5,315 new teachers did not find contract teaching
positions. A quarter may prefer TOC work.
Some teachers are working part-time involuntarily: 30% of female
teachers and 8% of males work part-time–overall 23%. We don’t know how many of
them choose part-time work for health or lifestyle reasons. Surveys show,
however, that 75% of TOCs want an ongoing teaching
position.
Supply and demand
Retirements will escalate over the next few years, peaking at perhaps 2,100 per
year from 2004 to 2006. As noted above, about 2,300 to 2,600 new teachers are
available each year.
Shortages
While the aggregated numbers may look okay, the devil is in the details.
Districts throughout the province have already reported difficulty hiring for a
wide range of subjects, from technology education, math, and science to modern
languages and visual/performing arts. Shortages of TOCs
have also been reported, in some cases resulting in cancellation of PD and
leaves for contract teachers. Furthermore, certain districts, especially in the
north, hire uncertificated substitutes.
As more and more teachers retire, the challenge for teachers,
universities, and school districts will be to align the specializations of new
and existing teachers (subject areas and elementary or secondary level) with
the needs of each school in the province. Efforts are already under way through
the Teacher Supply and Demand Consortium to enhance co-operation among the
interested parties and ensure that children in
Districts throughout the province have already reported difficulty
hiring for a wide range of subjects, from technology education, math, and
science to modern languages and visual/performing arts.
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