Job prospects Special Education Teacher - Elementary School in Ontario

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "special education teacher - elementary school" in Ontario or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Ontario

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be good for Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (NOC 41221) in Ontario for the 2024-2026 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

What Types of Employers Are Out There?

• Nearly all employed in elementary schools

What are the Main Trends Affecting Employment?

• Demand strongly influenced by population size and student registration
• Enrolment in elementary schools is expected to increase
• Generally, changes to annual funding amounts can affect employment prospects in school boards
• Commitments to increase the number of French-language teachers should support employment for candidates with this specialization

What Skills Do I Need to Succeed?

• In order to teach in a publicly funded school in Ontario, a teacher must be certified by the Ontario College of Teachers

What Other Information Will I Find Helpful?

• In private schools, principals and teachers are not required to be certified by the Ontario College of Teachers; however, employers often prefer candidates who are certified.

Here are some key facts about Elementary school and kindergarten teachers in Ontario:

• Approximately 143,900 people work in this occupation.
• Elementary school and kindergarten teachers mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Elementary and secondary schools (NAICS 6111): more than 95%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 88% compared to 81% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 12% compared to 19% for all occupations
• 90% of elementary school and kindergarten teachers work all year, while 10% work only part of the year, compared to 63% and 37% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 49 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 17% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 83% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: less than 5% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: less than 5% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 63% compared to 24% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 30% compared to 13% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Ontario by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "special education teacher - elementary school" Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (NOC 41221) or across Canada.

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