Career Advice

Going the ‘Catholic Route’

By Anthony Rebora — May 10, 2010 1 min read
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Can this story be real? Apparently the teacher-job market in Ontario is so tough that some non-religious educators are taking up Catholicism in an attempt to get coveted positions in parochial schools, according the Canadian Press. “I don’t particularly like going (to mass) every Sunday, but if this is what I have to do, then I’ll do it,” said a Toronto-area teaching-candidate.

According to data cited from the Ontario College of Teachers, some 12,200 new teachers are vying for about 5,000 open public school positions in the province. All employees of Toronto’s Catholic schools, meanwhile, must be Catholic—and teaching candidates are expected to have a letter of recommendation from the pastor of their church.

Some of the newly religious teachers seem to be lapsed Catholics attempting to return to the faith. But others are outright novices (so to speak): “I haven’t gone for my, um, what do you call it the bread thing yet...Communion. I’m nervous about it,” said one teacher. Oh, boy. ...

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A version of this news article first appeared in the Teaching Now blog.