Letter of Permission

Date came into force or revised

Effective May 1, 2026  

Status

Current

Policy statement

Educators in British Columbia, including teachers, principals, vice-principals, superintendents, and other educators are ordinarily required to have a Ministry of Education and Child Care teaching certificate to qualify for work in B.C.’s Kindergarten to Grade 12 education sector. However, the Director of Certification (the Director) may, subject to the Letters of Permission Regulation, issue a Letter of Permission (LOP) to a suitable person who is not a certificate holder for teaching in B.C.’s K-12 school system if the Director considers that the person’s services are required for a specific period of time.

Rationale or purpose of policy

Under the Teachers Act and the Letters of Permission Regulation, the Director may issue an LOP authorizing a person to work in either a B.C. public school district, independent school, or First Nations school.

This policy is intended to help B.C. school employers understand the criteria and process used by the Director to determine the period of time and appropriate limitations and conditions on the LOP.

Authority

The Director of Certification has authority to issue LOPs under section 35 of the Teachers Act. This authority must be exercised consistent with the Letters of Permission Regulation B.C. Reg 5/2012.

Policy in full

Guiding Principles

However, there has always been a role in the B.C. school system for individuals who are not certificate holders to fill positions that either require specialized skills and training or to enable school employers to staff generalist teaching positions when they have not been able to hire a sufficient number of certified teachers.

LOPs allow the Director and the Commissioner for Teacher Regulation to exercise regulatory oversight for employees performing the role of educator within the B.C. K-12 school system. LOP holders appear on the public online registry. 

Letter of Permission validity period

The Letters of Permission Regulation states:

The Director of Certification must specify on the letter of permission the period of time for which the letter of permission is valid.

LOPs are generally issued for one school year. In limited circumstances, the Director may issue an LOP for a period of up to three school years where there is evidence that the services of an uncertified teacher are likely to be required for more than one year. In making this determination, the Director will review all evidence and documentation provided by the employer and consider relevant factors, including, but not limited to the following:

• The nature of the role and any specific other designation, certification or training required for it
• Past and current efforts to hire and retain certificate holders for the position
• Data and information available to the Director on whether the school district or specific school is having difficulties recruiting or retaining certificate holders for the position(s) in question
• Whether the applicant is enrolled in a teacher education program that meets the Certification Standards

Procedures related to policy

An application for an LOP will not be assessed until the Teacher Regulation Branch has received the required fee and until all supporting documents are received and deemed acceptable by the Teacher Regulation Branch.

The employer will be required to submit a Request for a Letter of Permission Employer Form (Employer Form) and indicate on the form whether they want the Director to consider issuing an LOP for longer than one school year. The employer and the applicant may be asked to submit additional documents in support of an application for a longer-term LOP.

Once the Employer Form, the application from the applicant, and the supporting documents are ready for assessment, the Director of Certification (or a delegate) will review the documents and make a determination regarding the issuance and appropriate validity period for the LOP.