1. Supply and demand of teachers in French as a second language in Canada
CPF Roundtable:
The current state of FSL teacher supply in Canada
Ottawa, May
Supply and demand of teachers in French as a second language in Canada
Research Team:
Mimi Masson, PhD (University of Toronto/OISE)
Elizabeth Jean Larson (University of Toronto/OISE)
Paule Desgroseilliers, PhD (Concordia University)
Wendy Carr, PhD (University of British Columbia)
Sharon Lapkin, PhD (University of Toronto/OISE)

2. Project background
GOAL: Gather information on the labour market context for FSL teachers in Canada
METHOD: Mixed methods
ANALYSIS: Content Analysis and Descriptive Statistics using Nvivo 11 and SPSS
(N=28)
(N=39)
(N=101)
Ministries of Education
School boards
(HR + FSL consultants)
Faculties of education
Teacher candidates
Region
Ministries of Education
School boards
Faculties of Education
Teacher candidates (survey only)
Atlantic Canada 3 2 1 4
Quebec 9
Ontario
n/a 40
Western provinces 48
Northern territories

3. Findings (interviews)
All stakeholders agreed they have concerns about the FSL teacher shortage
Ministries of Education ∙ School boards ∙ Faculties of Education
Difficulty finding teachers who want to move to their area
Systemic barrier: transitioning francophones from outside Canada to receive provincial accreditation
Feel adequate or very good support with resources already in place
Feel need for more support with professional learning initiatives
Graduating candidates per year
Most (all but 1) reported not filling quotas
Feel 100% of graduates are able to find work, but do not collect data on graduates after they leave program
Use several recruitment strategies (all but 1): career fairs, social media, their own students’ online networks, recruiting from other Departments
Administrative staff not always trained to interview FSL candidates
Fewer teachers want to mentor
Lack of linguistically and/or culturally competent applicants
Concerned about working conditions for FSL teachers: low status and isolation
QC: political stigma about teaching in Anglophone boards
Preliminary findings - NOT official

4. social media untrustworthy
Findings (surveys)
Most important factors for teacher candidates when searching for work:
working with a dedicated support staff (27%)
resources available to students (16%)
proximity to family and friends (9%)
affordability of housing and cost of living (9%)
TEACHER MOBILITY
YES NO
moving out of province
53%
47%
moving to rural area
64%
36%
moving to remote area
28%
72%
Preliminary findings - NOT official
What can English-language school boards do to attract more candidates?
better salaries and working conditions (21%)
promoting French culture and intercultural awareness (19%)
Most commonly used methods for job seeking:
school board or district websites (52%)
other teachers or word of mouth (20%)
faculty of Education s or listservs (18%)
44% find
social media untrustworthy
Additional comments:
concerns about: poor working conditions of FSL teachers, lack of resources in French, lack of support, and incurring heavy debt in Teacher Ed programs
expressed need for more French courses in Teacher Ed programs & more opportunities to be immersed in French
feeling misled about the current shortage of FSL teachers

5. Supply and demand of teachers in French as a Second language in Canada
Moving forward….
Supply and demand of teachers in French as a Second language in Canada
Contact information:
Mimi Masson, PhD (University of Toronto/OISE)