41221 Elementary school and kindergarten teachers

What this occupation covers

Elementary school and kindergarten teachers teach basic subjects such as reading, writing and arithmetic or specialized subjects such as English or French as a second language at public and private elementary schools.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 11 main duties for this code.

• Prepare courses for presentation to students according to approved curriculum
• Teach students using a systematic plan of lessons, discussions, audio-visual presentations and field trips
• Lead students in activities to promote their physical, mental and social development and their school readiness
• Assign and correct homework
• Prepare, administer and correct tests
• Evaluate the progress of students and discuss results with students, parents and school officials
• Identify children's individual learning needs
• Prepare and implement remedial programs for students requiring extra help
• Participate in staff meetings, educational conferences and teacher training workshops
• May supervise teachers' aides and student teachers.
• Elementary school and kindergarten teachers may specialize in such areas as special education or second language instruction.

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.

• 42202 Early childhood educators and assistants
• 43100 Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants
• 52100 Library and public archive technicians
• 41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies
• 40021 School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education
• 41220 Secondary school teachers
• 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities

Excluded from this code

• Early childhood educators and assistants (See 42202 Early childhood educators and assistants)
• Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (See 43100 Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants)
• Elementary school librarian (See 52100 Library and public archive technicians)
• 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 teachers (See 41220 Secondary school teachers)
• Teacher of persons with developmental disabilities (See 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities)

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 teacher - elementary school · art teacher - elementary school · cooking teacher - elementary school · correspondence teacher - elementary school · crafts teacher - elementary school · early childhood services teacher - elementary school · elementary school reading clinician · elementary school substitute teacher · elementary school supply teacher · elementary school teacher · English as a second language elementary school teacher · English as a second language teacher - elementary school · English teacher - elementary school · French as a second language elementary school teacher · French as a second language teacher - elementary school · French immersion teacher - elementary school · French teacher - elementary school · grade school teacher · home economics teacher - elementary school · industrial arts teacher - elementary school · junior high school teacher · kindergarten teacher · language teacher - elementary school · music teacher - elementary school

Employment requirements

• A bachelor's degree in education is required.
• A bachelor's degree in child development may be required.
• Additional training is required to specialize in special education or second language instruction.
• A provincial teaching certificate is required. Additional certification is required to teach English or French as a second language.
• Membership in a provincial or territorial teachers' association or federation is usually required.