WATCH ABOVE: Teachers without a contract are wondering what they are going to do come September after several hundred positions were cut in this year’s budget, but a crown corporation might have the answer for those teachers, if they don’t mind some adventure. Global’s Laura Brown reports.
FREDERICTON — Atlantic Education International is looking for teachers who may want to gain some experience, a bit of adventure and full-time employment.
The crown corporation says they understand times are tough for teachers in the province, after it was announced in this year’s provincial budget that 249 teaching jobs would be cut, as well as 21 jobs in school district offices and 32 at the central office in Fredericton.
READ MORE: New Brunswick government unveiling more budget cuts
“There’s so many teachers and a lot of teachers aren’t retiring and they make cuts every year,” said 32-year-old Linda Parker.
Parker has experience. She’s already taught in Japan, has worked with autistic children and over the past year and she’s been supply teaching.
But she couldn’t find a contract in N.B., so now she’s heading to teach in China.
“I wouldn’t turn down a full-time permanent job and also I’m really looking forward to the adventure of being abroad,” Parker said.
Dennis Cochrane, president of Atlantic Education International, said he could place 15 more teachers tomorrow.
“We probably have, at any one time… 250 teachers teaching in China,” he said. “I’m guessing we have 12 in Brazil and 25 in Bangladesh.”
He’s looking for others who are interested, perhaps those who haven’t found something for September or whose positions were cut.
READ MORE: Fuel tax bump, teacher cuts, closures highlight 2015 N.B. budget
“In New Brunswick right now, we have a number of teachers, we call them ‘D’ teachers. They have a contract, but when all the placements are done, with the declining enrolment and so on, there’s nowhere for them,” he said.
Transportation to China and accommodations in the country are taken care of. If the teacher returns to a full-time job in the province, their time spent abroad will count towards determining their pay scale.
MacMillan, who spent years as a guidance counsellor and communications and employment teacher with NBCC, isn’t quite done with teaching yet.
She’s heading to China as a guidance counsellor in August. But, she said in light of the job climate in the province, teachers should be better appreciated — wherever they are.
“We are producing these people to go out and be successful or gainfully employed,” she said.
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