41220 Secondary school teachers

What this occupation covers

Secondary school teachers prepare and teach academic, technical, vocational or specialized subjects at public and private secondary schools. Secondary school teachers who are heads of departments are included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 11 main duties for this code.

• Prepare subject material for presentation to students according to an approved curriculum
• Teach students using a systematic plan of lectures, discussions, audio-visual presentations, and laboratory, shop and field studies
• Assign and correct homework
• Prepare, administer and correct tests
• Evaluate progress, determine individual needs of students and discuss results with parents and school officials
• Prepare and implement remedial programs for students requiring extra help
• Participate in staff meetings, educational conferences and teacher training workshops
• May teach and evaluate students through distance or online courses
• May advise students on course selection and on vocational and personal matters
• May supervise student teachers.
• Secondary school teachers may specialize in such areas as mathematics, English, French, special education or second language instruction. Secondary school teachers of vocational and trades subjects may specialize in areas such as hairdressing or auto mechanics.

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 11 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.

• 41210 College and other vocational instructors
• 41320 Educational counsellors
• 43100 Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants
• 41221 Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
• 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities
• 43109 Other instructors
• 41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies
• 40021 School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education
• 52100 Library and public archive technicians

Excluded from this code

• College and other vocational instructors (See 41210 College and other vocational instructors)
• Educational counsellors (See 41320 Educational counsellors)
• Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (See 43100 Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants)
• Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (See 41221 Elementary school and kindergarten teachers)
• Instructors of persons with disabilities (See 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities)
• Other instructors (See 43109 Other instructors)
• Psychoeducator (See 41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies)
• School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education (See 40021 School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education)
• Secondary school librarian (See 52100 Library and public archive technicians)

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 community teacher - secondary school · academic subjects high school teacher · academic subjects secondary school teacher · accounting teacher - secondary school · adult education teacher - secondary school · algebra teacher - secondary school · art teacher - secondary school · arts and crafts teacher - secondary school · biology teacher - secondary school · business and commerce teacher - secondary school · business education teacher · business teacher - secondary school · calculus teacher - secondary school · career and life management teacher · career and technology studies teacher · career education teacher · career exploration teacher · chemistry teacher - secondary school · classical languages secondary school teacher · commerce teacher - secondary school · computer technology teacher - secondary school · cooking teacher - secondary school · cooperative education teacher · cooperative learning teacher

Employment requirements

• Teachers of academic subjects require a bachelor's degree in education which is often preceded by a bachelor's degree in the arts or sciences.
• Teachers of vocational or technical subjects require a bachelor's degree in education which is usually preceded by specialized training or experience in the subject.
• Instructors of trades in Quebec require completion of an apprenticeship training program and industry or trade certification.
• Department heads usually require several years of teaching experience.
• To specialize in special education or English or French as a second language, additional training is required.
• A provincial teaching certificate is required.
• Membership in a provincial or territorial teachers' association or federation may be required.