40021 School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education

What this occupation covers

School principals plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the activities of teachers and other staff of an elementary or secondary school. They are employed by public and private schools. Administrators of elementary and secondary education plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the academic affairs of a school system. They are employed by school boards.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 13 main duties for this code.

• Plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate, through department heads or supervisors, the activities of teachers and support staff
• Review programs to ensure conformance to school board or provincial standards and develop programs within limits of authority
• Coordinate teaching activities of the institution by making personnel assignments, determining class size and preparing timetables
• Organize and maintain procedures for the keeping of records
• Prepare and administer institution or program budget
• Direct and coordinate school maintenance services and the use of school facilities
• May recruit and hire teachers and other staff
• May teach.
• Plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate, through school principals, the academic affairs of a school district
• Evaluate curriculum, teaching methods and community participation in programs for a school district and revise programs as required
• Develop and administer programs for the education and training of students and adults
• Make recommendations concerning the annual operating budget of a school district
• Direct the recruitment, appointment, training, evaluation and promotion of teaching personnel.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 13 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 40020 Administrators - post-secondary education and vocational training
• 41405 Education policy researchers, consultants and program officers
• 40012 Government managers - education policy development and program administration
• 00013 Senior managers - health, education, social and community services and membership organizations

Excluded from this code

• Administrators - post-secondary education and vocational training (See 40020 Administrators - post-secondary education and vocational training)
• Education policy researchers, consultants and program officers (See 41405 Education policy researchers, consultants and program officers)
• Government managers - education policy development and program administration (See 40012 Government managers - education policy development and program administration)
• Senior managers - health, education, social and community services and membership organizations (See 00013 Senior managers - health, education, social and community services and membership organizations)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

Aboriginal school principal · academic dean - high school · academic superintendent · area superintendent - schools · assistant district school superintendent · assistant principal · assistant school district superintendent · assistant superintendent of schools · associate superintendent - schools · board of education administrator · business college principal · chief superintendent - schools · college principal - secondary level · community school principal · deputy superintendent - schools · director of education - correctional institution · director of school for the blind or deaf · director of school for the hearing impaired · director of school for the visually impaired · district school assistant superintendent · district school superintendent · elementary school principal · hall principal - secondary school · high school principal

Employment requirements

• A bachelor's degree in education is required.
• A master's degree in education may be required.
• Several years of experience as a senior teacher or department head are required.
• A teacher's certificate for the province of employment is required.
• School principals may require a principal's certificate.
• Administrators of elementary and secondary education may require a supervisory officer certificate.