41210 College and other vocational instructors

What this occupation covers

College and other vocational instructors teach applied arts, academic, technical and vocational subjects to students at community colleges, CEGEPs, agricultural colleges, technical and vocational institutes, language schools and other college level schools. This unit group also includes trainers who are employed by private training establishments, companies, community agencies and governments to deliver internal training or development courses. College teachers who are heads of departments are included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 10 main duties for this code.

• Teach students using a systematic plan of lectures, demonstrations, discussion groups, laboratory work, shop sessions, seminars, case studies, field assignments and independent or group projects
• Develop curriculum and prepare teaching materials and outlines for courses
• Prepare, administer and mark tests and papers to evaluate students' progress
• Advise students on program curricula and career decisions
• Provide individualized tutorial or remedial instruction to students who require it
• Supervise independent or group projects, field placements, laboratory work or hands-on training
• Supervise teaching assistants
• May provide consultation services to government, business and other organizations
• May serve on committees concerned with matters such as budgets, curriculum revision, and course and diploma requirements.
• These instructors specialize in particular fields or areas of study such as visual arts, dental hygiene, welding, engineering technology, policing, computer software, management and early childhood education.

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 10 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
• 43109 Other instructors
• 41220 Secondary school teachers
• 41200 University professors and lecturers

Excluded from this code

• Administrators - post-secondary education and vocational training (See 40020 Administrators - post-secondary education and vocational training)
• Other instructors (See 43109 Other instructors)
• Secondary school teachers (See 41220 Secondary school teachers)
• University professors and lecturers (See 41200 University professors and lecturers)

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.

academic subjects teacher - college level · accounting teacher - college level · administration teacher · advertising art teacher · agricultural college teacher · agricultural school teacher · airline customer-service instructor · apparel design teacher · appliance servicing teacher - vocational institute · applied arts teacher - college level · architectural technology instructor · automotive repair instructor - community college · Bible college teacher · Bible school teacher · bookkeeping teacher · business administration teacher - college level · business administration teacher · business college instructor · business college teacher · business law teacher · business subjects teacher - vocational institute · chemical technology teacher · chemistry teacher - agricultural school · child-care service teacher - college level

Employment requirements

• A bachelor's degree, a college diploma or demonstrated expertise in the field of instruction is required.
• A master's degree in the field of instruction may be required.
• A certificate, diploma or degree in adult education may be required.
• For instructors of trades, completion of apprenticeship training and industry or trade certification are required. Additional courses in teaching or a provincial teaching certificate may be required.