Teacher Pay Scale Across Canada
I couldn't believe it. I was in shock when I actually looked it up. This last year, I was making $30,000 less in Quebec than if I was working as a teacher in Alberta. I used to live in Alberta, and therefore I can't believe that I am worth so much less, just by living a few provinces down; and this doesn't even include the huge taxes that are taken off here in Quebec as opposed to Alberta.
Previously, I wrote a post about salaries in Canada and how they compare to test scores. Higher Teacher Salary = Better Education. In that post I was stunned at how correlated those two values were. But it seemed like the pay scale were somewhat comparable (plus or minus a 5 thousand dollars). But I was comparing statistics from 2001. Not now! Just a few years later and now there's a HUGE difference in the salaries.
Since it was not so easy for me to look up the most recent salary grids for all the provinces (a lot of clever internet searching, including emailing some schools for first hand information), I thought I would post all the provinces' teaching salary scales here (as a comparison), for future reference, for myself and anybody else that wants to know.
Just a few guidlines:
In most provinces, the salary is not the same in all cities / districts, but within 10% of each other. I'll therefore take a sample of a city I wouldn't mind living in (usually smaller cities can't attract as many teachers, so they pay more than the big cities). Also, the salaries usually depend on the amount of years of university/college, and years of teaching experience. I will use my university years (6 years - 4 yrs undergrad, 2 yrs ed. after-degree) and teaching experience (8 years) as an example. If you want to check for yourself, I give links to the actual sites from which I got the information, thus you can check the salary for you specifically.
Enjoy:
| Province | Salary | Year | Link |
| British Columbia (Vancouver Island) | $72,242 | 2008 | Vancouver Island North Payscale |
| Alberta (Calgary) | $74,299 | 2007 | Collective agreement - ATA |
| Saskatchewan | $67,293 | 2007 | Collective Agreement - STF |
| Manitoba (Winnipeg) | $74,317 | 2008 | Collective Bargaining - MTS |
| Ontario (Toronto) | $75,688 | 2007 | Collective Agreement - OSSTF |
| Quebec | $46,341 | 2007 | Collective Agreement - QPAT |
| New Brunswick | $57,126 | 2008 | None - negotiations under way. |
| Nova Scotia (Halifax) | $67,277 | 2007 | Collective Agreement - NSTU |
| P.E.I. | $60,296 | 2008 | PEITF Handbook |
| Newfoundland | $61,899 | 2007 | Collective Agreement -NLTA |
I's not only Alberta! Most provinces are on par with Alberta. It's Quebec - as if it was in Medieval times. What is up with that? This can't last long. If in Ontario and New Brunswick (the two neighbouring provinces) are $10,000 to $30,000 higher than here in Quebec, there is no way Quebec will not have to catch up with the salary - It's risking a major shortage of teachers in the next few years. Next year, I'm looking for a job in Ontario (I'm only a half hour away... I might as well move that half hour away, to save on taxes also). I cannot believe Quebec... where are these enormous taxes going to? - not the teachers, that's for sure!
If you enjoyed this article, please fill in the quick and anonymous Salary Survey, so I can compile a set of real teacher salary data and post the results here at a later time. Thanks in advance.




Thanks for the information
Thanks for the information although part of me wishes that I never would have seen this. This is pretty harsh. I too am a teacher in Quebec who started my carrer in Calgary. A few years ago the differences were not as bad, but this is downright awful. On top of it all Quebec will not acknowlege my grade 12 done in NB, (they will acknowledge grade 12 and 13 from Ontario - this is justified that it is like CEGEP), I have attempted to fight this but it is a no win situation. Us poor dumb maritimers! It is strage as I read your post, as I feel I could have written this myself. I am ready to pack it up and head to Ontario as well.
At what step would I start on teachers salary scale in quebec
Hi,
I would really appreciate it if you can help me answer this question, on which step would I start according to Quebec salary scale, considering that I have 4ys undergrad + 2 YS ed after degree and no teaching experience.
thank you
I am not sure...
I'm not sure, but according to the document (pg. 75) that is attached to the original post:
" A teacher shall be assigned the step corresponding to the year of experience he or she
is in the process of acquiring in accordance with article 6-2.00, without exceeding
step 17, increased by:
- two steps, if his or her schooling is evaluated at 17 years;
- four steps, if his or her schooling is evaluated at 18 years;
- six steps, if his or her schooling is evaluated at 19 years or more without a
doctorate."
Looks like you would be in step 4 of the Single Class.
I never read that clause before... I wonder if I should look at my contract, and see if I'm not really getting the right amount of money, thinking that the steps correspond only to the number of years of experience.... Hmmmmmmm.
Change in career
Thank you for posting this! I have been doing a little research and have found it difficult to see the collective agreements. I am in New Brunswick working at mental health and am considering a career change. I have a 4 year BA and I have a MA in Counselling Psychology. My interest is in guidance counselling. I am wondering if it is worth while to leave my job, go back to school for a BEd and pursue guidance counselling. I cannot find anything in NB as far as having a Master's degree (I am sure that you are considered to have a cert 6 if you have a Master's degree). Can you help me out?
Thanks!
I greatly apppreciate your
I greatly apppreciate your help but I am still unsure about the equivalency of my 6 years university according to Quebec system. WOULD THEY EVALUATE MY EDUCATIN AS 17 OR 18 YEARS OF SCOLARITY? how do they calculate anyway the years of scolarity?
Also, what I don't understand if I take you as an example and I look at the income chart that you provided it shows that you earned only 46,341$ for the year 2007 and that puts you on step 8 of the single class according to the salary scale that I checked on the document in the alberta teacher agreement 2007. However, according to what I see if your education is evaluated at 18 years scolarity and 8 years experience,that would mean you should have been on step 12.
Because 18 years scolarity= step 4 + 8 years experience=12
Tell me if I am wrong because I am trying to understand and I am going to keep searching documents that can explain more on how the system in quebec evaluate teachers who graduate with 4 ys underg and 2years ed after degree.
thank you
See, I am doubting myself
See, I am doubting myself right now. I know that I am in step 9 right now (because that's what they told me at my school... and that's what I'm getting paid), but are they scamming me? I'm at a private school, without a board, without a union, so I don't know.
Just like you, I read this document as if I would have to be on step 12 (or 13, cause I have 1 more year of experience now, since I wrote this post). I don't know...
I'll ask around my collegues and let you know...
Thanks for the help and I
Thanks for the help and I will keep looking too.
just looking more closely at
just looking more closely at this... my education and experience is very similar to this example... and I teach in Quebec and my salary this year is $60K
Teacher Salary
This was interesting to me because the salaries in the United States are also very different. In fact, here in South Carolina, salaries are half of the lowest in the Canada. Salaries in New York and California are much higher but the cost of living is much higher there too. Thanks for sharing.
Conversion
You also have to keep in mind the conversion rates of the American dollar and the Canadian dollar here.
That's Unbelievable
Wow. You really see the difference in priorities. In Quebec there is a very high proliferation of private schools relative to some of the other provinces; I wonder how that affects the salaries.
Another thing is that the Quebec agreement may be quite old. Over the past couple of years perhaps the others have lapsed while the Quebec one will be in effect until 2009. I did quickly look at it and found references in there until 2009 so perhaps it is due to be renewed this year and the wages will be adjusted at that time. The Alberta agreement was negotiated in 2007.
Usually union agreements have a 3 to 5 year lifespan.
yah... that's a brand new
yah... that's a brand new agreement. Ugh. and we get taxed way more here! My only thing that I'm ok with is that my childcare is dirt cheap and if my kids go to post secondary here its WAY cheaper than outside of Quebec
Thanks for taking the time
Thanks for taking the time to dig up all this info and even make the first-hand calls. It's interesting to compare how teachers are treated & paid in Canada vs. the US. I think we could learn a thing or two. Our private school teachers get considerably less than public.
ps...your captcha is REALLY hard ;)
Thanks for the heads up on
Thanks for the heads up on the captcha. I'll change it to a text version.
I worked and interviewed at
I worked and interviewed at several private schools in Montreal, and all of them pay about the same as the public school system. Some pay 90% of the public scale, others pay just a bit over... but nothing like $30,000 higher.
Also, I remember that a few years ago, the Quebec teachers striked (just as I moved here - about three years ago), so I'm sure they just recently had a negotiated contract.
NYC
I'm orginally from Toronto but work in NYC teaching public school (elementary special education) for 5 years with a masters plus 30 credits. I earn about 61,000 and the starting salary is about 43,000. If I moved back to TO - would my salary be about the same or would they put me at starting new teacher salary? Any ideas? Since cost of living is similar in both cities I'm hoping I wouldn't be a beginner!!!
Re: NYC
Visit this website to find out the information you are looking for. http://www.teachinontario.ca/tio/en/salary.htm