Understanding the teacher certification application process

Last updated on September 16, 2024

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Required information for your application form

After you have registered for a BCeID and logged in to your teacher certification account, you will be able to start an application form. We ask for information that includes the following:

  • The jurisdictions where you hold, or have held, valid teaching certification
  • Your academic background and degrees/qualifications awarded
  • The post-secondary institutions you have attended
  • Your teaching experience

After we receive your application form, we will ask you to submit some documents to support your application.  

Stages of the application process

Review the stages of the application process so that you know what to expect after you have submitted your application form. The application process will take some time.  

Application has been submitted by applicant

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Application submitted

What to expect

  • After you submit your application form, we place it in a queue in date order to be assigned to an evaluator

When to contact us

  • If you discover that you did not include information on the form or if you need to correct information, email us
 

Application received

What to expect

  • Your evaluator has created your file and has assigned a file number (for example, L199999). The evaluator is in the process of reviewing your application form
  • We will send you an email with the file number and acknowledge that we have received your application form and your payment

When to contact us

  • After a month, if you have not received an email with your file number, email us
  • Check the status of your application form by logging in to Your Account
  • Delays may occur if you did not provide all the required information on your application form. If you discover that you did not include information on the form or if information needs to be corrected, please email us
 

Application in process

What to expect

  • Your evaluator has reviewed your file and has sent you an email with a customized list of supporting documents that we require as part of your application. The documents you are required to submit may depend on the type of teaching certificate you are applying for
  • Intake staff receive and review your documents and process them in a date order queue to maintain fairness to all applicants
  • If there are any issues with the documents that have been submitted, staff will update Your Account with details as we process the documents 

Applicant’s responsibilities

  • Regularly check the status of your application by logging into Your Account. Your Account is updated in real time as documents are received and processed by Intake staff
  • Access your customized list of required documents through Your Account. Read the list carefully. Certain documents must contain specific information and may need to be sent to us in a particular format or way
  • Submit your identification documents and signed Authorization for a Criminal Record Check Form as soon as possible. Once we receive and process them, we will forward your criminal record check authorization to the Criminal Records Review Program (CRRP) for review
  • Submit all other documents as requested as soon as possible. Documents that are not submitted according to the requirements will delay your application process. You may be required to resubmit documents or provide further information

When to contact us

  • If a document was sent to us over 2 months ago but we have not shown that we have received it in Your Account, email us with details about who sent the document, when it was sent, and how it was sent. If the document was emailed, please provide the email address
  • If you are having trouble obtaining a document, email your explanation to us and provide documented evidence of your attempts to obtain the document
  • Please only email us once about the same information. If you send follow-up emails with repeated questions, we will be delayed in processing your documents
 

Application complete

What to expect

  • Your application is considered complete when we have received and processed all the required documents on your customized list
  • We then place your application in a queue for evaluation
  • An evaluator reviews all submitted documents to assess your credentials and determines whether you have met the requirements for certification
  • An evaluation consists of assessing your language proficiency, academic preparation, professional preparation, character and fitness under the current standards for certification. This may include researching the program you completed and the educational system where you trained
  • If the evaluator determines that documents are missing or they have been submitted incorrectly, you may be required to resubmit documents or provide further information

When to contact us

  • Regularly monitor the status of your application through Your Account for the most up-to-date information

What to know about evaluation wait times

  • There are service standards for the time the evaluation will take starting from the date that an application becomes complete.
  • For a Certificate of Qualification application:
    • Canadian teacher education program graduates – 20 business days (1 month)
    • International teacher education program graduates – 60 business days (3 months)
  • For an Independent School Teaching Certificate application:
    • School and Subject Restricted (SSR) – 20 business days (1 months)
    • Subject Restricted (SR) and System Restricted (SYR) – 60 business days (3 months)
  • For a Letter of Permission application:
    • 10 business days (2 weeks)
  • The time that you will need to wait for an evaluator to review and evaluate your credentials depends on the type of certificate that you are applying for, how many files are in the evaluator’s caseload and how complex each evaluation is. You may experience a delay in receiving your evaluation results
 

Application evaluated

What to expect

  • After an evaluator has evaluated your application, we will email you
  • The email will include an attached letter that indicates whether you are eligible for certification. It gives instructions for any actions that you will need to take
  • Before you receive the eligibility outcome, please do not start taking courses towards your certification. We don't know which courses you may need to take until we complete the evaluation of your application.

Eligibility

  • If the outcome of your evaluation is Eligible, the letter will include instructions about how to:  
    • log in to Your Account and pay the initial certification fee so that we can issue your teaching certificate
    • complete required coursework to upgrade your certification
    • request reconsideration of the decision if you are not satisfied with the outcome
  • If the outcome of your evaluation is Ineligible, the letter will include:
    • reasons why you were denied certification
    • the coursework required to be eligible for certification
    • information about requesting a reconsideration of the decision if you are not satisfied with the outcome

 

Timeframe for completing the application process

The application process begins when you submit an application form and pay your application fee.

Applications for a Certificate of Qualification or an Independent School Teaching Certificate

  • You need to complete the application process within three years from when you submit your application form. If you do not complete the process within that time, we will close your application  
  • If, within a year, you have not submitted all outstanding documents to complete your application, we may request updated documents
  • If your incomplete application remains inactive for over a year, we will close your application  
  • If we close your application, you will have to submit a new application and pay the application fee again if you want to pursue teacher certification in British Columbia

Applications for a Letter of Permission

  • You need to complete the application process before the contract end date that is specified on the Employer Form
  • If you have not completed your application by the contract end date, we will close your application
  • If we close your application because you did not complete the process within the required timeframe, you will need to submit a new application and pay the application fee if you still wish to apply for authorization to teach in British Columbia 

Start an application

Now that you know what information you need to gather and how the application process works, you can review the types of teaching certificates in B.C. and start an application.