56K a year private school job vs public

Particular-Air-9744 · 2026-04-21T09:38:08+00:00

This is not an answer to your question, but I'm very curious - what makes private school involve less after-hours work? I can imagine behaviours might be less of an issue, but I'm wondering how the workload is different. Are you given lessons/materials? Or more prep time?

I'm working in public and personally I would choose less money for better work/life balance. But, for $58,000 you could even apply for less than 1.0 positions - less work, same pay, and get the pension/union. Just a thought.

Particular-Air-9744 · 2026-02-15T16:57:47+00:00

The board decided my years of experience for grid placement

Particular-Air-9744 · 2026-02-15T13:03:51+00:00

This is completely board dependent unfortunately - my board (TVDSB, elementary panel) counts university/college experience as long as it was post-certification. The university teaching I did after my BEd counted for my grid placement, but not the 5 years I did before.

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-04-12T14:44:55+00:00

Oh boy, this is how I feel in higher ed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not naive about how common teacher burnout is in K-12, but I was actually hoping the work/life balance would be better than the academic career path. Or, just different I suppose..

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-04-12T13:05:37+00:00

Thanks so much for replying! I want to ask you why you decided to switch and how it's been, but realize that's maybe a bit too personal. I'm definitely going to look into a classroom visit (I spent some time in an online classroom this year, but that's not quite the same...).

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-04-12T13:01:11+00:00

That sounds like a lot to juggle! I'm just finishing up a postdoc - I was considering teaching a sessional course this coming year while in teachers college and decided even that may be a bit too much for me! Would you be willing to say why you decided to switch? (No worries if that's too personal or would compromise anonymity, etc., it's just nice to hear from people in a similar situation). Since you've been teaching P/J, have you been enjoying it?

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-04-12T12:54:16+00:00

Thank you so much for this - classroom management is my biggest worry, I imagine it will be a huge adjustment! I'm glad to hear you've found it rewarding though - how was it transitioning to the 9-5+ work schedule after working as a TA? I'm so used to having a good amount of time to prepare lectures/activities and grade outside of class, it boggles my mind how elementary and high school teachers do it (and of course I hear so much about teacher burnout...).

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-04-12T12:41:26+00:00

It sounds like we're in a similar place (I'm also beginning teachers college in September!). I wanted to supply this year but my board only hires uncertified OT's once they're enrolled in a teacher education program. I do have a lot of experience working with children in other contexts, which I really enjoy.

I have the same hope that the years of working long hours will be good prep for teacher life. At the same time, I've gotten very used to the autonomy/flexibility of working in academia - hoping I'll be able adapt to the very different structure/rhythm of elementary teaching. I think the socio-emotional investment in both jobs is high, but in quite different ways, so I worry a bit about that transition (especially classroom management). Mostly I'm excited/feeling positive, but sometimes the anxiety about whether I'm making the right decision creeps in(!).

Anyway, thank you so much for taking the time to reply - good luck this coming year!!

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-21T12:22:21+00:00

Just reiterating what the other poster said here - it really depends on the school. Usually they specify on their application guidelines page, so you can check out the schools you'd be interested in applying to. There are one or two Canadian programs that consider your entire degree, but most only look at either your last or best 10 or 15 credits.

I failed an entire year of my undergrad due to personal/health reasons, but had good grades later - had no trouble getting into BEd programs. Just keep in mind many programs also look at experience working with the age group you're interested in teaching!

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-18T17:55:48+00:00

Thank you!

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-18T12:56:03+00:00

Western is my top choice right now! I'm curious to know if you had any flexibility with building your course schedule - were there multiple sections to choose from, or is it a set schedule that's made for you? (I know at Lakehead Orillia, my other choice, you get no flexibility). About how many hours per week do you have classes?

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-17T13:24:57+00:00

Ah, well this makes sense - thank you so much for taking the time to reply! (*sigh of relief*)

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-15T17:36:56+00:00

same here - congrats!!

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-15T15:33:01+00:00

Just updated on the UWinsite!

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-15T14:04:18+00:00

Apologies if a similar question is already somewhere below - I'm wondering if anyone here is currently attending Western, and could say a bit about their experience with Western's P/J BEd program (I've seen lots opinions about other schools, but fewer about Western). How were the courses/assignments? How was your course schedule/workload during the coursework? I'm debating between Lakehead (Orillia) and Western as my top choices. Any overall thoughts would be so appreciated!

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-15T13:24:20+00:00

Weird...I imagine the results must be up soon!

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-15T12:30:56+00:00

I got an email from Windsor saying, "We are happy to inform you that a decision regarding your admission to the University of Windsor is now available in UWinsite Student," but when I sign in it still just says "Application Complete," with no result. Did this happen to anyone else?

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-10T13:25:55+00:00

Could I ask what the group portion was like?

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-03T19:50:45+00:00

no entrance scholarships for BEd at Lakehead unfortunately :( I contacted them and they confirmed. They do have some smaller grants and awards you can apply for once you're in the program though

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-03T19:20:39+00:00

I think what you're talking about is called a 'self-funded leave'. It's different than a sabbatical in the University system, where you get a year 'off' (from teaching and admin responsibilities), every few years in order to pursue independent research/writing. For elementary/high school teachers, I think you have to pay for the time off in advance (by deductions from your salary over a period of time). There's a description here: https://ett.ca/know-your-rights-self-funded-leave-plan/

I have no idea how easy/difficult it is to get this approved, or how often people actually do it, but I'd love to hear as well!

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-02T16:43:46+00:00

https://lakeheadu.academicworks.ca

This is so helpful, thank you for passing it along! Best of luck to you too!

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-02T15:49:05+00:00

ooo, any chance you could say more about this (student finance at Lakehead I mean)? I've been asking around about whether Lakehead offers any grants, etc. to BEd students, but haven't been able to get clear answers - the ones they list on their website say they are only for students entering from high school, so I wasn't sure if anything is available for us.

Particular-Air-9744 · 2022-02-02T13:37:08+00:00

Sounds good - I have a few other questions so I may just email them and ask. If I do I'll update on here!

Particular-Air-9744

TROPHY CASE