I recently interviewed Mike Mindzak, a Ph.D. candidate at Western, about some research that he's conducting. It turned into an extremely interesting discussion about the state of initial teacher education, un(der)employment among education graduates, public policy, and the state of the labour market in Ontario. I come from a family of teachers, so I'm cognizant of a lot the challenges that the teaching profession faces. For some background to this discussion see some of my previous articles on this topic: here; here; here; here; and, here. The full interview appears directly below.
Q: You're doing research into unemployment and underemployment amongst graduates from Teachers' College, is this a problem in Ontario? What led you study this issue?
A: The issue of teacher un(der)employment in Ontario is extremely concerning and also seems to be growing. For the past decade, the number of new teachers having difficulty securing any type of employment has continued to rise and at this moment, there are likely tens of thousands of teachers in the province who cannot secure adequate work in the profession. With the large over-supply of teachers in the province continuing, the issue of teacher un(der)employment will not be resolved anytime soon.
However, the employment challenges for teachers must also be viewed in relation to the broader labour market dynamics that have unfolded recently, where workers (particularly young workers) across many jobs, professions and occupations have faced growing insecurity, uncertainty and precarity. Indeed, my own foray into graduate studies was partly a result of my own unemployment situation, where as a new teacher in 2009 it became readily apparent that acquiring any sort of teaching position was going to be extremely difficult. This experience lead me to further interrogate my own decision to go into teaching and the growing problems surrounding the current world of work.
Q: What problems are recent graduates from Teachers' College experiencing during the school-to-labour market transition?
A: Your question here is central to my current research—we really do not know what problems un(der)employment teachers are facing in the contemporary labour market. However, we can still identity some of the more general issues facing workers today that might be applicable to teachers. Some of these challenges could include; student debt, part-time work arrangements, inadequate incomes, varied and uncertain schedules, unpaid labour, delayed home ownership, EI, child care, power imbalances at work as well as a lack of training and other benefits provided by employers. In general then, we can understand that un(der)employed teachers appear to embody at least some of the characteristics of precarious workers.
The real challenges for such teachers (which have only been exacerbated by Bill 274) is that they must be engaged in the teacher labour market in order to ensure that they are able to “move up” through the seniority ranks towards full-time employment—while simultaneously must also often be engaged in the general labour market in order to earn a livable income. Thus, at this point, while we now know that there is a substantial over-supply of teachers in the province and a lack of jobs for them, we still really do not know too much about the working-lives of such teachers in Ontario.
Q: I've had a number of friends, who are teachers, leave the province to obtain jobs in Western Canada, Europe, or Asia. Is the labour market for teachers so bad that people have to leave the province to get work? What's contributing to our graduates moving to other jurisdictions?
A: Unfortunately a large number of teachers appear to be leaving the province or country altogether in order to find employment as teachers. The main reason for this is of course is rooted in the lack of available teaching positions in Ontario. While a degree in education (B.Ed) does not exclusively mean you must become a teacher, most students who seek such credentials do expect to go into teaching and are trained to do so in our faculties of education. Most of these graduates would also probably like to teach in Ontario’s public schools, which provide better salaries and stronger benefits. Indeed, another issue regarding teacher un(der)employment is the lack of “good jobs” outside of our public schools. Many private institutions and tutoring companies employ teachers below living wages without benefits and job security. It is therefore not surprising that teachers are choosing to leave to other jurisdictions where working conditions are considerably better.
We should also remember that teachers moving abroad is a form of “brain drain” as we have invested public dollars into their education and training only for them to leave. In addition, it should be noted that many of these teachers likely plan to return home at some point in the future, where they will once again likely re-enter the already saturated teacher labour market in Ontario. Thus, while they are moving abroad due to their employment situation, we should not view this phenomenon as a means towards alleviating the issue of teacher un(der)employment in Ontario.
Q: Increasingly young teachers are being asked to volunteer in school for months or years prior to being placed on the supply list, does this practice (which is completely illegal) contribute to the increasing precarity that young teachers face? Also, wouldn't this practice limit teachers from historically marginalized groups from being able to enter the teaching profession?
A: The issue of un(der)employed teachers volunteering is definitely problematic for a number of reasons. Indeed, the problems regarding teacher-volunteerism are quite similar to those concerning unpaid internships today. Volunteering requires time and resources, which are not available to all teachers when they have to pay the bills. Moreover, when conceptualized as unpaid labour, volunteering becomes a possible means of replacing paid positions inside of schools. If schools have a need for volunteers, and especially if those volunteers are going to be assisting teachers and helping students—then quite clearly schools could use more employed teachers.
As you point out, these concerns raise a host of issues surrounding equity. If you must volunteer in schools in order to find employment, then only those teachers who can afford to do so stand to benefit. Diversity in the Ontario teacher workforce remains a perennial concern, particularly in recent years when student diversity has grown substantially in many parts of the province. Indeed, for all of the employment challenges I have pointed out so far, the situation tends to be much worse for internationally educated teachers, many of whom are visible minorities. Thus, the issue of teacher-volunteerism only serves as an additional barrier for many teachers seeking employment today.
Q: The Ontario Government have made a number of changes to initial teacher education in Ontario. In your opinion, do these changes address the underlying structural labour market problems that young teachers face? If not, what solutions could be enacted?
A: Beginning September 2015 students must now complete a two-year program (and therefore pay tuition for two years instead of one) in order to receive a bachelor of education (B.Ed) degree. I think this measure can be beneficial in a number of ways; improved teacher training, more time to reflect on pedagogical practice, and space to better understand key theoretical orientations and educational foundations. It should also be noted that many other jurisdictions also have two-year teacher training programs as well. Nevertheless, this change was primarily enacted as a political means to address the un(der)employment crisis—something it is unlikely to achieve. The lack of teaching positions is not only a supply-side issue of too many graduates, but is due to a lack of demand as well. Ontario is facing declining student enrolments in most parts of the province, as well as decreased funding and support for our schools. A lack of demand will only perpetuate teacher un(der)employment regardless of supply-side measures being enacted.
At the heart of the matter is a need to reconceptualize the meanings and purposes behind education, looking beyond a narrow human capital development model and understanding that education lies at the very heart of democracy and building a better future. For example, by simply asserting smaller class sizes and student-to-teacher ratios, literally thousands of teaching jobs could be created while greatly improving the working conditions of teachers and providing greater supports to our students. When we choose to devalue our schools and teachers we are devaluing both the present and future for our students.
Q: If people are interested in participating in your research how can they get in contact with you? Is there anything else that you want to add?
A: I would like to add that the discussion of teacher un(der)employment is not just about jobs for new teachers. We need to rekindle the conversation regarding the working conditions of educators, whether in a private day-care facility, public school, or as an adjunct lecturer in our universities. Across the board we are witnessing challenges to education workers and the material conditions of teaching. Only collectively can we begin to reassert the fundamental importance of teaching, and the infinite possibilities of education when there is no such thing as “too many teachers”.
If any teachers would like to share their experiences with unemployment and/or underemployment they may contact me by email at mmindzak@uwo.ca.
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