Thinking of a career as a French teacher? Tyndale University’s 16-month program is a way to become certified in the shortest time possible. There is an urgent need for certified French teachers, and the Ontario College of Teachers reports that 2020 was the fourth year in a row that FSL graduates of BEd programs in Ontario had a 100 percent employment rate (Transition to Teaching Report, 2020).
The Primary-Junior French as a Second Language Teacher (PJ FSL) program at Tyndale is a rare and respected program for those who are fluent in written and oral French.
“Graduates from the PJ FSL program at Tyndale are noticed by principals because they already hold the French qualification required by school boards and have taken twice as many credit hours in French pedagogy as most other programs,” says Heather Birch, Director of the Bachelor of Education Program.
PJ and Junior-Intermediate FSL candidates also enjoy the benefits of a tight-knit community that supports each member academically, as well as socially.
“Tyndale’s French program provides plenty of interaction and time to process ideas and assignments due to a small cohort and high accessibility to instructors,” says Dr. Rob Foster, Assistant Professor of Education at Tyndale.
“Successful candidates will learn a range of teaching strategies that will prepare them for all three French programs in Ontario: core, extended and immersion.”
The staff at Tyndale truly care about the students and their futures. Dr. Foster was instrumental in securing a recent grant for a French Language Proficiency Assessment project that will better prepare teacher candidates when applying for jobs.
“School boards are always looking for core French teachers, and the demand for French immersion teachers is high,” says Dr. Foster. “If you choose not to become an elementary school French teacher, your skillset is valuable for a variety of other careers such as a French tutor, marketing professional, business language teacher, tour guide, hotel manager, flight attendant, and so on.”
Prior to graduating from Tyndale, Julie Pistritto (BEd 2019) received a permanent job offer. She is now working as a Grade 4 FI teacher.
“Studying the FSL program at Tyndale will give the edge you need to secure permanent employment,” she says. “Once I began working, I didn't have the added pressure of getting my FSL Part 1 within the first year of teaching.
The best part about studying at Tyndale were the small classes, Christian community, and teachers that use best practices in their teaching. They model how to best engage and teach children.”