Required documents details for completing a teacher certification application

Last updated on November 22, 2024

After you have submitted your application form, we will review it and provide you with a list of documents. You will need to submit these documents as part of your application. Please do not start submitting documents before you receive the list.  

On this page:

Criminal Record Check 

Required for: Certificate of Qualification, Independent School Teaching Certificate (Subject Restricted, School and Subject Restricted, System Restricted), Letter of Permission, First Nations Language Teaching Certificate

Uploaded by: Applicant

Everyone who applies for a teaching certificate or letter of permission (LOP) must authorize a criminal record check. A signed Consent to a Criminal Record Check Form is required to complete your file. You can download a personalized copy of the form in Your Account.

Once you become certified, you will need to undergo a criminal record check every five years.

Identification Documents

Required for: Certificate of Qualification, Independent School Teaching Certificate (Subject Restricted, School and Subject Restricted, System Restricted), Letter of Permission, First Nations Language Teaching Certificate

Uploaded by: Applicant

Proof of legal identification is required for all names that appear on the documents you submit. If you receive a certificate, it will only include your legal name.

Identification document for current legal name: You must submit two identification documents that show your current legal name and date of birth. The first document must be from the primary list:

  • driver’s licence issued by a Canadian province or territory
  • valid B.C. identification card
  • valid B.C. services card
  • Canadian birth certificate
  • valid Canadian or foreign passport
  • Canadian citizenship card
  • Canadian permanent resident card
  • Canadian record of landing or Canadian immigration identification record
  • Indian status card

The second document must be from the secondary list:

  • driver’s licence issued by a Canadian province or territory
  • valid B.C. identification card
  • valid B.C. services card
  • Canadian birth certificate
  • valid Canadian or foreign passport
  • Canadian citizenship card
  • Canadian permanent resident card
  • Canadian record of landing or Canadian immigration identification record
  • Indian status card
  • health or services card from another Canadian province or territory
  • government-issued marriage certificate
  • government-issued change of name document
  • foreign birth certificate
  • photograph identity card issued by a foreign national or regional government

If you were born outside of Canada or the United States and you are unable to provide any of the listed documents as your secondary identification document, you must upload a statutory declaration prepared by a notary public or a lawyer. In the statutory declaration, you must swear that you do not have a birth certificate. You must also swear to your:

  • current legal name
  • full name at birth
  • date of birth
  • birthplace

Attach a notarized copy of your primary identification document to this declaration.

Additional identification documents for past legal names: If you have used previous legal names, you must submit one identification document for every previous legal name you have used. These documents may be expired but must clearly show your previous legal name(s). Your documents must be from the additional identification documents list:

  • government-issued marriage certificate
  • divorce certificate or papers
  • government-issued change of name document
  • foreign birth certificate
  • Canadian birth certificate
  • Canadian citizenship card
  • Canadian permanent resident card
  • Canadian record of landing or Canadian immigration identification record
  • Indian status card
  • photograph identity card issued by a foreign national or regional government
  • Canadian or international passport
  • valid B.C. or other Canadian provincial or territorial driver’s licence
  • B.C. identification card
  • B.C. services card

Credential Assessment by Pathways to Teach Canada

Required for: Certificate of Qualification and Independent School Teaching Certificate (Subject Restricted, School and Subject Restricted, System Restricted)

Submitted directly by: Pathways to Teach Canada, upon request by applicant

If you completed your teacher education program outside of Canada, we may ask you to have your international credentials assessed by Pathways to Teach Canada. This organization evaluates the credentials of internationally educated K-12 teachers who are applying for a certificate to teach in certain Canadian provinces, including B.C.

To have your international credentials assessed for B.C. teacher certification, you must submit a request to Pathways to Teach Canada. You will be responsible for paying any fees related to this credential assessment.

After Pathways to Teach Canada completes its assessment of your credentials, it will issue a credential assessment report. If you choose B.C. to receive the assessment report, Pathways will share the report with us. We will add it to your application for B.C. teacher certification. 

Post-Secondary Transcripts

Required for: Certificate of Qualification, Independent School Teaching Certificate (Subject Restricted, School and Subject Restricted, System Restricted), Letter of Permission

Submitted directly by: Educational institution or assessment organization

Mail to:
Ministry of Education and Child Care
201-828 8th Avenue W  
Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 1E2

Graduating from a B.C. teacher education program

Your university will send a letter to the Ministry of Education and Child Care to recommend you for a teaching certificate – sometimes they include your transcript. You don't have to wait for this – you can send your documents as soon as you have received your qualification.

If all your required documents have been received, your application will be evaluated within three weeks after your transcript and recommendation are received.

Practicum report: You may be asked to submit copies of your final practicum report from the faculty and school advisors. Upload the report through Your Account.  

Post-secondary education within Canada 

Official transcripts are required for all your post-secondary studies from all institutions you attended, including:

  • All courses for degree(s), including courses transferred from any exchange programs
  • All transferred courses, including advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs
  • All courses completed for a teacher education program
  • Courses that were required for admission to your teacher education program
  • Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP)
  • All trades training institutions you have attended (BCIT, VCC, TRU)

Transcripts should list the following information for each course you took: enrolment dates, grades and number of credits or number of lecture hours completed. If this information is not included, you may need to ask the institution for a course outline or syllabus that includes lecture hours and courses completed.

For transcripts from post-secondary institutions within Canada, request that your transcripts get sent directly to the Ministry of Education and Child Care. Transcripts are not accepted by fax, or from an applicant (even if they are in sealed envelopes or notarized).

Post-secondary education outside of Canada

Official transcripts are required for all your post-secondary studies from all institutions you attended. 

Transcripts should list the following information for each course you took: enrolment dates, grades and number of credits or number of lecture hours completed. If this information is not included, you may need to ask the institution for a course outline or syllabus that includes lecture hours and courses completed. 

If you completed your post-secondary studies, including your teacher education program, outside of Canada, we may ask you to have your international credentials assessed by Pathways to Teach Canada.

If we do not ask you to proceed with Pathways to Teach Canada, you may be able to share your academic transcripts and degrees electronically with the Ministry of Education and Child Care British Columbia through WES, Digitary, or My eQuals. This is an effective way to streamline your application. See if your institutions can share transcripts via Digitary. Transcripts are not accepted by fax, or from an applicant (even if they are in sealed envelopes or notarized).

Distance teacher education program details: If you completed any part of a teacher education program by distance or online education, your institution will need to provide details about the studies you completed within your teacher education program:

  • The courses that you completed face-to-face
  • The courses that you completed by distance or online
  • The number of lecture hours you attended for each on-campus course
  • How many days of practicum you completed in a classroom

Ask your institution to send this information directly to the Ministry of Education and Child Care.

Language Proficiency Tests

Required for: Certificate of Qualification, Independent School Teaching Certificate (Subject Restricted, School and Subject Restricted, System Restricted)

Uploaded by: Applicant

Or submitted directly by: Testing centre to Ministry of Education and Child Care, upon request from applicant

Review the language proficiency requirements for the certificate you are applying for. 

If you are required to provide evidence of an acceptable score on a language proficiency test, you will be notified. 

Upload a PDF of your language proficiency test results through Your Account as soon as possible. You can use results from tests taken within the last two years.  

Statement of Professional Standing

Required for: Certificate of Qualification, Independent School Teaching Certificate (Subject Restricted, School and Subject Restricted, System Restricted)

Submitted directly by: Jurisdiction

A Statement of Professional Standing is a document that states you are a teacher in good standing and that your teaching certificate has never been revoked, cancelled or suspended for any disciplinary reasons. We must receive Statement(s) of Professional Standing from:

  • The education authority in the jurisdiction where you completed your initial teacher education program. This document is required whether or not you have taught in that same jurisdiction because it confirms that your education program qualified you to teach in the public school system. If you completed your teacher education program outside of Canada, the jurisdiction where you completed your program needs to share the Statement of Professional Standing with Pathways to Teach Canada. Pathways will include the statement as part of the credential assessment report.
  • The education authorities in all other jurisdictions where you have held or currently hold a teaching certificate. This is necessary even if you have never used your certificate to teach in that jurisdiction and even if the certificate has expired.
  • The education authorities in all jurisdictions where you have taught. This includes jurisdictions where you taught without registering with the government education authority. In this case, you need to ask the employing school(s) or school district(s) to write a letter on your behalf that states:
    • The basis upon which you were hired (i.e., your degree or your certification elsewhere)
    • That you maintained good standing throughout your employment
    • The dates of your employment and teaching load (full-time, part-time, teacher-on-call)

Verification of Practicum Information

Required for: Certificate of Qualification

Submitted directly by: Post-secondary institution

We may require information about the practicum you completed during your teacher education program. If we do need this information, we will ask for it on your list of required documents. 

The post-secondary institution where you completed your teacher education program must submit the completed form to us. We cannot accept a Verification of Practicum Information Form directly from you as the applicant. 

If you completed your teacher education program outside of Canada, the institution where you completed your program needs to share this information with Pathways to Teach Canada. Pathways will include this as part of the credential assessment report.

Secondary School Graduation Diploma

Required for: Certificate of Qualification, Independent School Teaching Certificate (Subject Restricted, School and Subject Restricted, System Restricted)

Uploaded by: Applicant

Only if you completed secondary school outside of North America, you need to submit a photocopy of your graduation diploma or certificate. If it's not available, request a letter from your secondary school stating that you completed your studies.

O-level and A-level certificates meet this requirement.

Verification of Employment

Required for: Certificate of Qualification

Submitted directly by: Employer

We require verification of your teaching experience for each year of the last 10 years. If you have not taught within the last 10 years, please provide verification of your teaching experience for the last 20 years.

The verification must indicate whether you worked full-time, part-time, and/or as a teacher-on-call. If you have taught as a teacher-on-call, the number of days you taught each year should be indicated. The completed form must be submitted to us by the employer. We cannot accept a verification of employment form directly from an applicant.

Assessment Form

Required: Upon request from the Ministry of Education and Child Care  

Submitted directly by: Employer

Ask the principal, vice-principal or supervisor from your most recent teaching experience to complete the Assessment Form (PDF) or le Formulaire d'évaluation (PDF) and send it to the Ministry of Education and Child Care. Forms that are faxed or emailed must include the school stamp or seal on the last page. If you are unable to provide an Assessment Form, please send an explanation – you will be notified of an acceptable alternative.

If you only have student teaching experience, please send us a copy of all your final practicum reports from the faculty and school associates. If you have not taught in the last 10 years, please send us a copy of your last teaching report.

If you are unable to provide an Assessment Form, please send us a written explanation and we will tell you of an acceptable alternative.

Character References

Required for: Independent School Teaching Certificate (Subject Restricted) or upon request from the Ministry of Education and Child Care

Submitted directly by: Referees

Your application must include two character references from people who have known you for at least two years. They do not need to have observed you in any teaching capacity.

Forms cannot be completed by people who are too closely related to you – for example, relatives, partners or spouses. Letters of recommendation are not accepted as substitutes for a character reference.

Use the following form to complete your character references:

Documents for Independent School Teaching Certificate Applications

Required for: Independent School Teaching Certificate (Subject Restricted, School and Subject Restricted, System Restricted)

Submitted directly by: Employer

Teaching report: If you are currently teaching or have previously taught in a K-12 school, please ask your most recent employer to write a teaching report on your behalf. The report must include:

  • The name and address of your employer
  • The start and end dates of your employment
  • Comprehensive information about your overall competency as an educator – specifically in areas of planning, organization, lesson delivery, classroom management, assessment, interaction with parents, etc.

Additional Items required for School and Subject Restricted (SSR) Applications

School Authority Form

Please ask the school authority that is endorsing your application for a School and Subject Restricted Certificate to complete an Independent School Teaching Certificate – School Authority Form (PDF). Your prospective employer should complete the form and submit it directly to the Ministry of Education and Child Care.

Photocopies of post-secondary certificates earned in your area of expertise

Please send us photocopies of any post-secondary certificates you have earned in your area of expertise. These may include participation certificates or certificates that confirm completion of a course or program. If your area is Physical Education, you need to include evidence of a 16-hour First Aid training course.

Four letters of recommendation

We require four detailed letters of recommendation verifying your expertise in your subject area and suitability to teach children. These letters must be from the following individuals, affiliated with the school to which the certificate will be restricted:

  • Authority (chair or member of the board)
  • Principal of the school
  • A member of the immediate school community (exclusive of the authority and principal)
  • Member of the community at large

Documents for Trades Teachers

Proof of employment: Send a copy of a signed letter on company letterhead that states:

  • The number of years you have been employed as a journeyperson/trades teacher
  • Whether you taught full-time or part-time (represented as a percentage of full-time hours or the number of days worked each year)
  • The type of job you had or duties performed (e.g. trades teacher, journeyperson)

Trades qualification:

  • Submit a notarized copy of your trades qualification – for example, a Red Seal, Certificate of Qualification, or Journeyman Certificate

OR

  • Ask the trades institution that awarded your qualification to send a letter that states what your trades qualification is and the date it was awarded it to you