Letter of Permission

Last updated on July 25, 2024

A Letter of Permission is a special permit that allows someone to teach without a certificate in a particular school district, independent school authority or for a First Nations Council for up to one school year. It is only to be used when a certified teacher (also known as a certificate holder) is not available to fill a vacant position. The employer and the applicant each submit a part of the application form. It is the responsibility of the employer to help guide the applicant when applying for the Letter of Permission.

On this page:

Requirements to Apply

School districts, independent school authorities or a First Nations Council need to recommend a teacher for a Letter of Permission if they want to hire them for a specific position. The following information needs to be submitted with an application.

Proof that the teaching position was advertised

As an employer, you must make every effort to seek a certified teacher to fill the position. 

You must advertise the job posting for at least two weeks internally and externally:

  • Internal advertising examples include the school bulletin, school district website, or school authority website
  • External advertising examples include local newspapers or sites like Make a Future, Education Canada or Apply to Education

If the position is assigned to multiple unrelated subject areas, a separate posting for each subject area is recommended (for example, a 1.0 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) in Spanish and Math might be posted as 0.5 Spanish and 0.5 Math). Job postings for multiple positions will provide more opportunities to hire a certified teacher. However, if job positions combine multiple small FTEs, a multi-subject posting is acceptable.

Reasons why a certified teacher was not hired

In cases where a teacher certified in B.C. or in another Canadian jurisdiction has applied for the position and was not hired, the employer must provide a comprehensive rationale for not hiring the certified teacher. This rationale must include all of the following:

  • The full name of the applicant
  • The certificate number of the applicant (if they hold a B.C. teaching certificate)
  • Qualifications
  • Professional experience and 
  • Detailed reason(s) for not hiring a certified teacher

All rationales will be reviewed by the Director of Certification

Submit an application

From the Applicant:

  • Log into your account and submit an application for a Letter of Permission
  • Upload identification documents (i.e., birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc.)
  • Upload the Consent to a Criminal Record Check (CRC) Form
  • Email a Voluntary Consent Form to trb.certification@gov.bc.ca – NOTE: this form is only required if you wish to allow our staff to discuss your application with a school representative of your choosing
  • Check your account for any updates about the status of your application. We cannot respond to questions about your application status.

From the Employer:

  • Complete an Application for a Letter of Permission – Employer Form (PDF) or le Demande de lettre de permission - Formulaire de l'employeur (PDF)
  • Provide all job postings as evidence of an extensive search for qualified individuals.
    • Screenshots or scanned printouts must:
      • Confirm the actual posting on external website(s) as seen by applicants. We cannot accept screenshots/printouts of an employer's dashboard
      • Show the posting from and to dates on the external website(s)
      • Include the date that the screenshot was taken or web posting printed. The date should be after the posting has been advertised on the external website(s) for 14 days
      • Indicate where the job is posted (including the address bar/URL and website logo)
      • State the position advertised (subjects and grades) 
      • State whether the position is full-time or part-time, and include the full-time equivalent (FTE)

The position on the job posting must match the position and end date indicated on the Employer Form.

Application fees

The application fee for a Letter of Permission is $200.

There may be additional fees for translating documents.