Applying for a Letter of Permission
Only a school district can apply for a Letter of Permission to employ a person
who does not hold a BC College of Teachers certificate. A letter of permission may only be issued if the district is unable to recruit
a qualified teacher who does hold a certificate. An individual may not apply. A Letter of Permission is restricted to
a specific person, school and assignment, and is valid for up to one school year.
To apply for a Letter of Permission:
- the school district must submit the application documents to the College
(including those required from the individual), pay the application fee and provide proof
that the district has attempted to recruit someone who holds a valid BC College of Teachers
certificate; and
- the prospective employee must submit several documents to the school district.
She or he must also ask two people to submit character reference forms directly
to the College.
The school district must pay the application fee of $500. School districts are not permitted to
ask the prospective employee to cover the cost of the application.
Please download and print the
Application Package for Letter of Permission.
The package includes a checklist of the necessary documents as well as all of the forms required
as part of the application.
The following section describes the documents the prospective employee must submit:
Application for Letter of Permission
The applicant must complete all four pages of this form. We will only accept this form if the applicant answers
all of the Personal Information questions and if he or she signs and dates the Declaration of Professional Commitment.
Having a criminal record does not automatically make the applicant ineligible for a letter of permission.
However, the applicant may be ineligible if he or she makes false statements or if he or she does not tell us
about a criminal record. If necessary, we may ask the applicant to complete an additional criminal record check
so we can review all the details related to an offence.
Consent to a Criminal Record Check
The applicant must complete the Consent to a Criminal Record Check form.
Under the Criminal Records Review Act, the College is required to obtain an original signed form
from anyone who will be working with children.
We keep the original completed form and send a copy of it to the Criminal Records Review Agency
(CRRA). The CRRA processes the criminal record check and identifies any criminal record that indicates
that the applicant is a risk to children.
Criminal record checks are confidential. We cannot accept previous criminal record checks
the applicant has completed, and we cannot provide the applicant with a copy of the results of
our criminal record check.
Transcripts of all post-secondary studies
The applicant must provide photocopies of all official post-secondary transcripts to the school district.
Secondary school diploma
If the applicant has not completed any post-secondary education, please ask him or her to provide
a photocopy of his or her secondary school diploma or certificate. If the diploma or certificate is not available,
we will accept a letter from the secondary school the applicant attended stating that he or she completed studies.
Immigration documentation
If the applicant was not born in Canada, he or she must include a photocopy of one of the following:
- Canadian citizenship photo identification card
- Canadian passport (with photo)
- permanent resident photo identification card
- landed immigrant status photo identification card, or
- an valid work permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Trades certificates or other diplomas
The applicant must provide a photocopy of his or her trade certificate or any other diplomas that are relevant to the application.
Identification documents
We require legal identification for all names appearing on the application documents.
We require a photocopy of one of the following as a primary identification document:
- Birth certificate
If the applicant was born in Canada and does not have a birth certificate,
he or she must obtain a replacement certificate from the Vital Statistics department in the province
where he or she was born.
Statutory Declaration: If the applicant was born outside of Canada and does not have a birth certificate, he or she must have a notary public or lawyer prepare a statutory declaration in which
he or she swears to the following:
- date of birth
- full name at birth
- birthplace
- that he or she does not have a birth certificate
We require a photocopy of the following if it applies to the applicant:
- Marriage certificate: If the applicant changed his or her surname as a result of marriage, we
require a photocopy of the marriage certificate.
- Divorce certificate: if the applicant is divorced and cannot provide a marriage certificate
as proof of a current or previous surname, we require a photocopy of the divorce certificate.
- Legal change of name certificate: If the applicant has legally changed his or her name for reasons
other than marriage or divorce, we require a photocopy of the legal change of name certificate.
Confidential Character Reference for Authorization to Teach in British Columbia forms
The application must include two character reference forms. Each form must be completed by someone other than
a family member who has known the applicant for at least two years (called a referee). The applicant must complete
page 1 of the form and then give the form to his or her referee to complete page 2 and mail the form directly to us.
We do not accept letters of recommendation as a substitute for the Character Reference form.